Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services最新文献

Crafting the customer e-journey: The role of digital anticipation nudges in a seamless delivery experience and actual purchasing behavior online 打造客户电子旅程：数字预期在无缝交付体验和实际在线购买行为中发挥着推动作用

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-14 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104747

Antonin Woimant , Nadia Steils , Isabelle Collin-Lachaud

Despite the boom in e-commerce, dropout rates between the stages of the e-commerce customer journey are high. Although prior research has assumed that these stages flow seamlessly, it has yet to examine how one can actively shape stage transitions. We address this gap by theorizing and demonstrating how digital anticipation nudges can facilitate the progression between e-journey stages. In particular, the use of digital nudges to provide informational cues about future journey stages could help customers complete their entire e-journey and influence actual purchases. Based on anticipation and digital nudging principles, our research encompasses five studies conducted in collaboration with a major e-retailer: a qualitative study, three large-scale field experiments, and a controlled experiment. Applying this methodology, we explain how digital anticipation nudges can be used as an approach to smoothing e-journey stage transitions, reducing consumer risk perception through anticipation, and thus impacting both intended and actual purchasing behaviors. Our results further show that the extent of moderating effects depends on product type, nudge type, and psychologically close nudge information. Finally, our findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of customer e-journeys that highlights the strategic use of anticipation nudges to facilitate consumers’ journey progression.

尽管电子商务蓬勃发展，但电子商务客户旅程各阶段之间的辍学率很高。尽管之前的研究已经假设这些阶段是无缝衔接的，但还没有研究如何积极地塑造阶段过渡。我们通过理论化和演示数字预期推动如何促进电子旅行阶段之间的进展来解决这一差距。特别是，使用数字推动来提供关于未来旅行阶段的信息线索，可以帮助客户完成整个电子旅行，并影响实际购买。基于预测和数字推动原则，我们的研究包括与一家大型电子零售商合作进行的五项研究：一项定性研究，三项大规模现场实验和一项对照实验。运用这一方法，我们解释了数字预期推动如何被用作平滑电子旅行阶段过渡的方法，通过预期降低消费者的风险感知，从而影响预期和实际的购买行为。我们的研究结果进一步表明，调节效应的程度取决于产品类型，轻推类型和心理上接近的轻推信息。最后，我们的研究结果有助于对客户电子旅程进行细致入微的理解，强调了预期推动的战略性使用，以促进消费者的旅程进展。

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引用次数: 0

The asymmetric impact of air pollution on livestream E-commerce sales 空气污染对电商直播销售的不对称影响

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-13 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104723

Jin Hu , Kaiya Wu , Minmin Huang , Muhammad Irfan , Mingjun Hu

This study examines the relationship between air pollution and livestream sales in the context of livestream e-commerce, contributing to the literature on environmental economics and adaptive e-commerce strategies. Using fixed effects model and high-frequency transaction data from the TikTok platform, we establish a causal link between air quality, measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI), and livestream e-commerce sales, revealing asymmetric responses. Specifically, a 50-point increase in AQI—equivalent to a shift from “moderate” to “unhealthy” air quality—results in a 4% increase in livestream e-commerce sales. This effect is driven by behavioral and strategic adjustments by streamers. The impact of air pollution on livestream e-commerce sales varies geographically and climatically, with significant temporal asymmetry, peaking five days after the pollution and declining by the sixth day. While the economic impact is notable, the broader societal costs of air pollution remain substantial. These findings provide key insights into how environmental factors, particularly air quality, shape livestream sales in real time, offering practical implications for e-commerce stakeholders seeking to capitalize on content strategy. Additionally, they highlight the pressing need for policy measures aimed at reducing air pollution episodes. Limitations include coarse product classification and lack of individual-level data, suggesting future research explore finer product categories and heterogeneous consumer responses.

本研究考察了在直播电子商务背景下空气污染与直播销售之间的关系，为环境经济学和适应性电子商务战略的文献做出了贡献。利用固定效应模型和TikTok平台的高频交易数据，我们建立了空气质量（由空气质量指数（AQI）衡量）与直播电商销售之间的因果关系，揭示了不对称反应。具体来说，空气质量指数每上升50点，相当于空气质量从“中等”变为“不健康”，直播电商销售额就会增长4%。这种效应是由流媒体的行为和战略调整所驱动的。空气污染对电商直播销售的影响因地域和气候而异，具有明显的时间不对称性，在污染发生后5天达到峰值，在第六天下降。虽然经济影响显著，但空气污染的更广泛社会成本仍然很高。这些发现为了解环境因素（尤其是空气质量）如何实时影响直播销售提供了关键见解，为寻求利用内容战略的电子商务利益相关者提供了实际意义。此外，它们强调迫切需要采取旨在减少空气污染事件的政策措施。局限性包括粗糙的产品分类和缺乏个人层面的数据，建议未来的研究探索更精细的产品类别和异质的消费者反应。

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引用次数: 0

Selling virtual fashion in the metaverse: Behavioral evidence from blockchain transactions 在虚拟世界中销售虚拟时尚：来自区块链交易的行为证据

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-13 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104768

Charles Perez, Karina Sokolova, Florian Pradines

As virtual economies expand and brands explore new opportunities, digital fashion emerges as a promising retailing vector. This study investigates the factors driving the purchase and retention period of digital wearables in metaverse marketplaces, using behavioral blockchain data from 65,000 real transactions over a 21-month period. Grounded in the Theory of Consumption Values and the Theory of Luxury Value, we examine how item rarity, utility, aesthetic escapism, and seller popularity influence consumer behavior. The results reveal that rarity does not operate as expected: Common items with escapist aesthetics and sold by popular sellers achieve higher sales. The retention period is primarily linked to aesthetics, with no significant effect from rarity or utility. These findings demonstrate how established consumer value frameworks apply to blockchain-based retail environments, and reveal how social visibility and aesthetic appeal substitute for material scarcity. The study provides actionable insights for brands and digital creators seeking to design, position, and market virtual fashion effectively within metaverse marketplaces.

随着虚拟经济的扩张和品牌探索新的机会，数字时尚成为一个有前途的零售载体。本研究利用21个月内65,000笔真实交易的行为数据，调查了虚拟市场中数字可穿戴设备购买和留存期的驱动因素。在消费价值理论和奢侈品价值理论的基础上，我们研究了物品的稀有性、实用性、审美逃避主义和卖家受欢迎程度如何影响消费者行为。结果显示，稀缺性并没有像预期的那样起作用：具有逃避现实美学的普通商品和受欢迎的卖家销售的商品销量更高。留存期主要与美感有关，稀有性或实用性没有显著影响。这些发现证明了已建立的消费者价值框架如何适用于基于区块链的零售环境，并揭示了社会知名度和审美吸引力如何取代物质稀缺。该研究为寻求在虚拟市场中有效设计、定位和营销虚拟时尚的品牌和数字创作者提供了可操作的见解。

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引用次数: 0

Face meets machine: How price promotions shape consumer preference for virtual assistants (VAs) vs. human in luxury retail 人脸与机器的相遇：奢侈品零售中价格促销如何塑造消费者对虚拟助手（VAs）与真人的偏好

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104767

Xiaoping Zhang , Linlin Su

Advances in artificial intelligence encourage luxury firms to consider virtual assistants (VAs) as frontline service providers. It is thus important to understand whether consumers are willing to accept VAs as service providers in luxury retail. Drawing on face theory, this study examines consumer preferences for VAs versus human salespeople under price promotion versus full-price conditions. We also test the mediating effect of face consciousness and the moderating role of concern for face. Across three studies and an additional robustness check, we find that consumers prefer VAs under price discount conditions but prefer human salespeople in full-price luxury consumption. This phenomenon is explained by face consciousness. When purchasing full-price luxury products, consumers perceive more face gain if a salesperson provides service. In contrast, when price discounts are offered, consumers perceive less face loss if a VA provides service. Our result also indicates that differences in the stable individual trait of concern for face strengthen these effects, which further supports that face consciousness is an important mechanism in luxury consumption. Our findings offer insights for luxury firms to deploy and design VAs to meet consumers’ needs for signaling social status by purchasing luxury products.

人工智能的进步促使奢侈品公司将虚拟助理（VAs）视为一线服务提供商。因此，了解消费者是否愿意接受VAs作为奢侈品零售的服务提供商是很重要的。利用面部理论，本研究考察了在价格促销和全价条件下，消费者对自动售货机和真人销售人员的偏好。我们还检验了面孔意识的中介作用和面孔关注的调节作用。通过三项研究和额外的稳健性检验，我们发现消费者在价格折扣条件下更喜欢人工智能，但在全价奢侈品消费中更喜欢人工销售人员。这种现象可以用脸意识来解释。当消费者购买全价奢侈品时，如果销售人员提供服务，消费者会觉得更多的面子利益。相比之下，当提供价格折扣时，如果VA提供服务，消费者会觉得面子损失较小。我们的研究结果还表明，稳定的个人特征“关注面孔”的差异强化了这些效应，这进一步支持了面孔意识是奢侈品消费的重要机制。我们的研究结果为奢侈品公司部署和设计VAs提供了见解，以满足消费者通过购买奢侈品来显示社会地位的需求。

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引用次数: 0

Turning buzz into behavior: Shopping companions as buffers against ambivalence in novelty marketing 将话题转化为行为：购物伙伴作为新奇营销中矛盾心理的缓冲

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104745

Hanwen Bi , Yi Huang , Xinye Hu , Yu Pan

Promoting consumer adoption of novelty products requires attention to both firms' marketing strategies and the psychological processes underlying consumer decision-making. Although novelty products often spark curiosity due to their uniqueness, they also elicit uncertainty and perceived risk, generating emotional ambivalence that inhibits consumers from acting on their initial interest. This research proposes that leveraging shopping companions can serve as an effective marketing strategy to reduce such ambivalence and, in turn, increase consumers’ acceptance of novelty products. Across seven studies—including laboratory experiments and large language model (LLM)-based text analysis—we demonstrate that shopping companions, particularly close friends, systematically reduce emotional ambivalence and lead to more favorable evaluations of novelty products. This companion effect holds for both low-priced and high-priced products. We also identify key boundary conditions: the effect is stronger for hedonic than utilitarian products, and it is moderated by price impact. When the novelty option carries a price premium over a regular alternative, the companion effect diminishes. Furthermore, the benefit does not extend to consumers high in fear of negative evaluation (FNE), for whom companion presence fails to reduce ambivalence. Together, these findings highlight the strategic value of integrating companion-based marketing with novelty-driven product design and communication, offering firms a powerful pathway to enhance consumer adoption in competitive marketplaces.

促进消费者对新奇产品的采用需要关注公司的营销策略和消费者决策背后的心理过程。虽然新奇的产品往往因其独特性而激发人们的好奇心，但它们也会引发不确定性和感知风险，产生情感上的矛盾心理，阻碍消费者按照最初的兴趣行事。本研究提出，利用购物伙伴可以作为一种有效的营销策略来减少这种矛盾心理，进而增加消费者对新奇产品的接受度。通过包括实验室实验和基于大语言模型（LLM）的文本分析在内的七项研究，我们证明了购物同伴，特别是亲密的朋友，系统地减少了情感矛盾心理，并导致对新奇产品的更有利的评价。这种伴随效应对低价产品和高价产品都适用。我们还确定了关键的边界条件：享乐产品的影响比实用产品更强，并且受价格影响的调节。当新奇的选择比常规的选择有溢价时，伴随效应就会减弱。此外，这种好处并没有延伸到对负面评价的高度恐惧的消费者（FNE），对他们来说，伴侣的存在并不能减少矛盾心理。总之，这些发现强调了将基于伙伴的营销与创新驱动的产品设计和沟通相结合的战略价值，为企业提供了在竞争激烈的市场中提高消费者接受度的有力途径。

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引用次数: 0

The influence mechanism of appeal strategy and verbal anthropomorphism in robotic notifications on consumers’ timely parcel pickup intention in self-collection services 机器人通知中的诉求策略和语言拟人化对自助收件服务中消费者及时取件意愿的影响机制

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104761

Yu Zhang , Ping Liang

Self-collection services have emerged as a key solution to urban last-mile delivery challenges. However, persistent delays in parcel pickup contribute to issues such as parcel loss, self-service station overstocking, and increased redelivery costs. While logistics service providers increasingly use robotic notifications to prompt timely pickups, the message characteristics that enhance their effectiveness remain underexplored. This study investigates how two key characteristics of robotic notifications—appeal strategy (self-benefit vs. other-benefit) and verbal anthropomorphism (high vs. low)—interact to influence consumers' timely parcel pickup intention. Through one pilot study and three formal scenario experiments, the findings reveal that message congruence is critical: robotic notifications combining self-benefit appeals with low verbal anthropomorphism, or other-benefit appeals with high verbal anthropomorphism, are more effective in improving consumers’ information processing fluency, thereby enhancing timely parcel pickup intention. Additionally, notification timing moderates strategy effectiveness: self-benefit appeals with low verbal anthropomorphism are more effective in initial notifications, whereas other-benefit appeals with high verbal anthropomorphism perform better in follow-up notifications (i.e., messages sent when consumers have not collected parcels after the first alert). The findings offer practical insights for optimizing the design of robotic notifications that promote timely pickup behaviors in self-collection services.

自助收货服务已经成为解决城市最后一英里配送挑战的关键解决方案。然而，包裹提取的持续延迟会导致诸如包裹丢失、自助站点库存过剩和重新交付成本增加等问题。虽然物流服务提供商越来越多地使用机器人通知来及时提货，但提高其效率的信息特征仍未得到充分探索。本研究探讨了机器人通知的两个关键特征——吸引力策略（自利vs他人利益）和语言拟人化（高vs低）——如何相互作用，影响消费者及时取包裹的意愿。通过一项试点研究和三次正式场景实验，研究结果表明，信息一致性至关重要：机器人通知结合低语言拟人化的自利诉求，或高语言拟人化的他利诉求，更有效地提高了消费者的信息处理流畅性，从而增强了及时取包裹的意愿。此外，通知时间调节策略有效性：低语言拟人化的自利呼吁在初始通知中更有效，而高语言拟人化的其他利益呼吁在后续通知中表现更好（即，当消费者在第一次警报后没有收集包裹时发送的消息）。该研究结果为优化机器人通知的设计提供了实用的见解，以促进自助取货服务中的及时取货行为。

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引用次数: 0

Digital visibility, physical obscurity: Uncovering the location strategies of ghost kitchens in platform urbanism 数字可见性，物理隐蔽性：揭示平台城市化中幽灵厨房的定位策略

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104766

Weipeng Deng , Yihong Tang , Yaxin Liu , Tianren Yang

Digitalization and platform economies are transforming the restaurant sector, giving rise to ‘ghost kitchens’. These delivery-only operations remain physically obscure yet digitally prominent. Their hidden nature creates new forms of spatial ambiguity and raises challenges for regulatory oversight. This study maps the spatial distribution of ghost kitchens in urban environments, identifies their clustering patterns, analyzes their location strategies, and compares them with traditional and hybrid restaurant models. Our findings reveal distinct spatial patterns of ghost kitchens in areas with relatively ‘weak’ commercial locations, challenging the conventional wisdom that physical visibility is essential for restaurant success. By examining locational drivers at both horizontal (neighborhood function and street network proximity) and vertical (floor level and building characteristics) scales, we reveal a delivery-oriented siting logic that trades storefront exposure for access and efficiency, extending restaurant location theory to platform-mediated services. For practice, the findings guide retailers, platforms, and public agencies by identifying where ghost kitchens are most likely to emerge and which built-environment attributes shape their siting, thereby supporting evidence-based policies and governance that balance innovation with consumer protection, food safety, and public health.

数字化和平台经济正在改变餐饮业，催生了“幽灵厨房”。这些只交付的操作在物理上仍然是模糊的，但在数字上却很突出。它们的隐蔽性创造了新的空间模糊性，并对监管提出了挑战。本研究绘制了城市环境中幽灵厨房的空间分布图，确定了它们的集群模式，分析了它们的选址策略，并将它们与传统和混合餐厅模式进行了比较。我们的研究结果揭示了“幽灵厨房”在相对“薄弱”的商业区域的独特空间模式，挑战了“有形可见性是餐馆成功的关键”这一传统观念。通过在水平（社区功能和街道网络邻近度）和垂直（楼层水平和建筑特征）尺度上考察位置驱动因素，我们揭示了一种以交付为导向的选址逻辑，该逻辑以店面暴露为交换，以获取和效率，将餐厅选址理论扩展到平台中介服务。在实践中，研究结果通过确定最有可能出现幽灵厨房的地方以及哪些建筑环境属性决定了它们的选址，从而指导零售商、平台和公共机构，从而支持基于证据的政策和治理，以平衡创新与消费者保护、食品安全和公共健康。

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引用次数: 0

How to promote reusable express packaging: Shaping consumer conversion behavior by adapting habitus 如何推广可重复使用的快递包装：通过适应习惯塑造消费者转换行为

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104762

Jiahui Yang, Li Cai, Xiaona Li

The extensive acceptance of reusable express packaging (REP) by consumers is essential for the sustainable transformation of logistics businesses and the construction of waste-free cities. This study emphasizes the habitus formed through consumers' practical experiences with disposable express packaging (DEP), developing a theoretical model that encapsulates “habitus-construction of social structure-behavior conversion” to identify intervention strategies that enhance consumers' conversion reaction toward REP. The proposed theoretical model was validated by Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with data from 1381 respondents in Jiangsu Province. Descriptive statistics revealed that around 40% of consumers recognize the environmental burden caused by DEP. The principal barrier limiting the promotion of REP is consumers' perception that they only have usage rights and are obligated to return packages after use. The empirical analysis proves that the DEP habitus is a three-dimensional construct consisting of recognition, affection, and behavior. Significantly, habitus negatively influences consumers’ conversion reaction to REP. Affective habitus mediates the interaction between cognitive habitus and conversion reaction, while behavioral habitus mediates the negative relationship among cognitive habitus, affective habitus, and conversion reaction. Perceived instrumental support and perceived flexible constraints lessen the negative effects of affective habitus. These findings provide significant theoretical insights for stakeholders in improving promotional strategies for REP.

消费者对可重复使用的快递包装（REP）的广泛接受对于物流企业的可持续转型和无废物城市的建设至关重要。本研究以消费者在使用一次性快递包装（DEP）过程中形成的习惯为研究重点，构建了“习惯-建构社会结构-行为转化”的理论模型，以确定消费者对一次性快递包装（DEP）转化反应的干预策略。采用偏最小二乘结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）对该理论模型进行了验证。描述性统计显示，约有40%的消费者认识到DEP造成的环境负担。限制REP推广的主要障碍是消费者认为他们只有使用权，并且有义务在使用后退货。实证分析表明，DEP习惯是一个由认知、情感和行为组成的三维结构。情感习惯在认知习惯和转化反应之间起中介作用，行为习惯在认知习惯、情感习惯和转化反应之间起中介作用。感知到的工具支持和感知到的灵活约束减轻了情感习惯的负面影响。这些发现为利益相关者改进REP促销策略提供了重要的理论见解。

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引用次数: 0

Beyond the code: How algorithmic creativity enhances tolerance to recommendation bias? 超越代码：算法创造力如何增强对推荐偏见的容忍度？

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104769

Manzhi Liu , Lijing Wang

While algorithms drive transformative changes in marketing practices, they concurrently generate recommendation biases that result in unequal consumer outcomes and adverse reactions. This research examines the issue of recommendation bias stemming from recommendation algorithms. Grounded in intentionality theory, the study elucidates the underlying mechanism through which algorithmic creativity (high vs. low) influences consumer responses. Across six studies (N = 2686), the results demonstrate that under conditions of recommendation bias, consumers exhibit less negative responses toward high creativity algorithms than toward low creativity ones. This effect is serially mediated by intentionality inference and perceived unfairness. Furthermore, the impact of algorithmic creativity is amplified in the context of experience goods, whereas no significant difference emerges for search goods. These findings offer novel insights into consumer reactions to algorithmic decision-making and provide practical implications for firms seeking to refine their personalized recommendation strategies.

虽然算法推动了营销实践的变革，但它们同时也产生了推荐偏见，导致不平等的消费者结果和不良反应。本研究探讨了由推荐算法引起的推荐偏差问题。该研究以意向性理论为基础，阐明了算法创造力（高与低）影响消费者反应的潜在机制。在六项研究中（N = 2686），结果表明，在推荐偏差的条件下，消费者对高创造力算法的负面反应比对低创造力算法的负面反应要少。这种效应是由意向性推理和感知不公平连续介导的。此外，算法创造力的影响在体验商品中被放大，而在搜索商品中则没有显著差异。这些发现为消费者对算法决策的反应提供了新颖的见解，并为寻求改进其个性化推荐策略的公司提供了实际意义。

引用次数: 0

Co-created value in live-streaming commerce: Conceptualization, measurement and validation 直播商业中的共同创造价值：概念化、测量和验证

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

Pub Date : 2026-02-10 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104760

Hamed Azad Moghddam , Gary Mortimer

Live-streaming commerce (LSC) has emerged as a transformative digital channel, enabling real-time interaction, immersion, and value co-creation among streamers, consumers, and online communities. However, research on how co-created value can be conceptualized and measured in this context remains limited. This study develops and validates the Co-Created Value in Livestreaming Commerce (CCV-LSC) scale, grounded in Service-Dominant Logic and the DART framework—Dialogue, Access, Risk Assessment, and Transparency. Using a four-study design, qualitative interviews, expert evaluations, and large-scale surveys are employed to generate, refine, and test the measurement model. Findings show that CCV-LSC is a multidimensional construct that captures both the classic DART dimensions and live-streaming specific features such as consumer-to-consumer interaction and perceptions of fairness. Importantly, CCV-LSC significantly predicts sustainable consumer engagement, underscoring its strategic role in building long-term relationships. The study contributes theoretically by extending co-creation theory into a digital retail context, methodologically by offering a validated scale, and practically by providing actionable insights for platforms and brands seeking to strengthen consumer trust, engagement, and loyalty.

直播商务（LSC）已经成为一种变革性的数字渠道，可以在主播、消费者和在线社区之间实现实时互动、沉浸和价值共同创造。然而，在这种背景下如何概念化和衡量共同创造价值的研究仍然有限。本研究以服务主导逻辑和DART框架（对话、访问、风险评估和透明度）为基础，开发并验证了直播商业共同创造价值（CCV-LSC）规模。采用四项研究设计、定性访谈、专家评估和大规模调查来生成、完善和测试测量模型。研究结果表明，CCV-LSC是一个多维结构，既捕获了经典的DART维度，也捕获了实时流媒体的特定特征，如消费者对消费者的互动和对公平的看法。重要的是，CCV-LSC显著地预测了可持续的消费者参与，强调了其在建立长期关系中的战略作用。该研究在理论上的贡献是将共同创造理论扩展到数字零售环境中，在方法上提供了一个经过验证的规模，在实践上为寻求增强消费者信任、参与度和忠诚度的平台和品牌提供了可操作的见解。

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引用次数: 0