Pub Date : 2025-11-15DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104621
Xiaohe Dai , Li Zhang , Zhiyuan Huang , Li Wang
While prior research has largely examined service providers' recommendation strategies and consumer responses, less is known about how consumers form preferences in the initial stages of interactive recommendation—when disclosing personal information to service agents. This research examines how the type of information disclosed (subjective vs. objective) influences consumers’ preferences for AI versus human customer service agents. Across four studies, we find a systematic matching effect: consumers prefer AI agents when disclosing objective information but human agents when disclosing subjective information. Study 3 identifies trust in recommendation capability as the underlying mechanism, while Study 4 shows that AI anthropomorphism moderates this effect. Beyond advancing theory, our findings reveal that aligning information type with agent type enhances both consumer satisfaction and purchase intentions. Together, this work contributes to the literature on information disclosure, human–AI interaction, and service design.
{"title":"AI or human: How the type of information to be disclosed alters customer service agent preferences","authors":"Xiaohe Dai , Li Zhang , Zhiyuan Huang , Li Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While prior research has largely examined service providers' recommendation strategies and consumer responses, less is known about how consumers form preferences in the initial stages of interactive recommendation—when disclosing personal information to service agents. This research examines how the type of information disclosed (subjective vs. objective) influences consumers’ preferences for AI versus human customer service agents. Across four studies, we find a systematic matching effect: consumers prefer AI agents when disclosing objective information but human agents when disclosing subjective information. Study 3 identifies trust in recommendation capability as the underlying mechanism, while Study 4 shows that AI anthropomorphism moderates this effect. Beyond advancing theory, our findings reveal that aligning information type with agent type enhances both consumer satisfaction and purchase intentions. Together, this work contributes to the literature on information disclosure, human–AI interaction, and service design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104621"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145520365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104620
Marc Hasselwander , Varsolo Sunio , Oliver Lah , Emmanuel Mogaji
Recent scholarship underscores the transformative potential of generative AI in shaping consumer decision-making, preferences, and overall brand satisfaction. Among these technologies, chatbots and AI voice assistants are increasingly deployed in marketing to influence consumer behavior. A critical question, however, is whether consumers are willing to accept a new generation of such technologies. In July 2025, OpenAI introduced the agent mode of ChatGPT, which represents a shift toward highly personalized, multimodal, and autonomous systems. This study defines these systems as AI super assistants (AISA). Informed by the broader literature on AI adoption and consumer behavior, an adapted AIDUA model with perceived risk is proposed. Survey data from the Philippines (N = 407) was analyzed using combined PLS-SEM and NCA methods. The results show that users appear increasingly confident in their ability to engage with new AI technologies, indicating that they do not feel overwhelmed but instead perceive AISA's new features as manageable. Hedonic motivation, novelty value, performance expectancy, and effort expectancy were identified as necessary conditions for user acceptance, while perceived risk is a necessary condition for objection. These findings offer new insights into user perception toward AISA, with implications for responsible AI design and deployment.
{"title":"Toward agentic AI: User acceptance of a deeply personalized AI super assistant (AISA)","authors":"Marc Hasselwander , Varsolo Sunio , Oliver Lah , Emmanuel Mogaji","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104620","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104620","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent scholarship underscores the transformative potential of generative AI in shaping consumer decision-making, preferences, and overall brand satisfaction. Among these technologies, chatbots and AI voice assistants are increasingly deployed in marketing to influence consumer behavior. A critical question, however, is whether consumers are willing to accept a new generation of such technologies. In July 2025, OpenAI introduced the agent mode of ChatGPT, which represents a shift toward highly personalized, multimodal, and autonomous systems. This study defines these systems as AI super assistants (AISA). Informed by the broader literature on AI adoption and consumer behavior, an adapted AIDUA model with perceived risk is proposed. Survey data from the Philippines (N = 407) was analyzed using combined PLS-SEM and NCA methods. The results show that users appear increasingly confident in their ability to engage with new AI technologies, indicating that they do not feel overwhelmed but instead perceive AISA's new features as manageable. Hedonic motivation, novelty value, performance expectancy, and effort expectancy were identified as necessary conditions for user acceptance, while perceived risk is a necessary condition for objection. These findings offer new insights into user perception toward AISA, with implications for responsible AI design and deployment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104620"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145499628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104617
Daniella Ryding, Jessica Lichy, Elaine Ritch, Lloyd C. Harris
{"title":"Editorial to the special issue on decoupling and environmental sustainability","authors":"Daniella Ryding, Jessica Lichy, Elaine Ritch, Lloyd C. Harris","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104617","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104617","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104617"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145736150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104618
Zhiwei Xu , Siqi Liu , Siyu Zhang, Yaqi Yang
Anthropomorphic product design is often assumed to increase consumer engagement, but its neural mechanisms and boundary conditions remain underexplored. This study employed a multimodal neuroscientific approach—electroencephalography (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and eye-tracking—to examine how anthropomorphized versus non-anthropomorphized products influence consumer responses. Forty-four young adults viewed AI-generated images of beverages, backpacks, and smartphones. While anthropomorphic cues did not increase overall arousal or approach motivation, striking gender- and context-specific patterns emerged. Female participants showed stronger frontal alpha asymmetry and longer visual attention toward anthropomorphized beverages and backpacks, but not smartphones. Both genders responded negatively to anthropomorphized smartphones, reflecting uncanny-valley effects in privacy-sensitive domains. These findings reveal that anthropomorphism's effectiveness hinges on product–consumer congruity, moderated by gender and category norms. The study advances affective design theory, extends uncanny-valley dynamics to marketing, and demonstrates the value of EEG–GSR–eye-tracking integration. Practically, it offers a replicable framework for identifying where anthropomorphism enhances—or harms—consumer engagement.
{"title":"Decoding consumer responses to anthropomorphic products using electroencephalography, skin conductance, and eye-tracking","authors":"Zhiwei Xu , Siqi Liu , Siyu Zhang, Yaqi Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anthropomorphic product design is often assumed to increase consumer engagement, but its neural mechanisms and boundary conditions remain underexplored. This study employed a multimodal neuroscientific approach—electroencephalography (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and eye-tracking—to examine how anthropomorphized versus non-anthropomorphized products influence consumer responses. Forty-four young adults viewed AI-generated images of beverages, backpacks, and smartphones. While anthropomorphic cues did not increase overall arousal or approach motivation, striking gender- and context-specific patterns emerged. Female participants showed stronger frontal alpha asymmetry and longer visual attention toward anthropomorphized beverages and backpacks, but not smartphones. Both genders responded negatively to anthropomorphized smartphones, reflecting uncanny-valley effects in privacy-sensitive domains. These findings reveal that anthropomorphism's effectiveness hinges on product–consumer congruity, moderated by gender and category norms. The study advances affective design theory, extends uncanny-valley dynamics to marketing, and demonstrates the value of EEG–GSR–eye-tracking integration. Practically, it offers a replicable framework for identifying where anthropomorphism enhances—or harms—consumer engagement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104618"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145520366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-13DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104612
Xiaohui Sun , Zhiqi Liang , Ning Zhang , Liqin Yu
As mobile apps proliferate, app icon design has become central to shaping consumer perceptions and choices. While prior research has emphasized isolated color attributes such as hue, saturation, and luminance, limited attention has been given to figure–ground color contrast. Drawing on Gestalt theory, this study reports four experiments examining how background color (non-white vs. white) influences consumer responses. Results show that non-white backgrounds enhance perceived safety, which in turn improves brand attitudes and download intentions. Importantly, these effects are contingent on consumer characteristics and app contexts: they emerge among holistic thinkers and utilitarian apps, but not among analytical thinkers or hedonic apps. This research extends Gestalt theory to app icon design and advances understanding of how subtle visual cues shape digital branding outcomes and the findings also offer actionable guidance for developers and marketers seeking to optimize icon aesthetics in highly competitive app markets.
{"title":"The effects of Figure–Ground contrast in App icons on consumer responses: The mediating role of perceived safety","authors":"Xiaohui Sun , Zhiqi Liang , Ning Zhang , Liqin Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As mobile apps proliferate, app icon design has become central to shaping consumer perceptions and choices. While prior research has emphasized isolated color attributes such as hue, saturation, and luminance, limited attention has been given to figure–ground color contrast. Drawing on Gestalt theory, this study reports four experiments examining how background color (non-white vs. white) influences consumer responses. Results show that non-white backgrounds enhance perceived safety, which in turn improves brand attitudes and download intentions. Importantly, these effects are contingent on consumer characteristics and app contexts: they emerge among holistic thinkers and utilitarian apps, but not among analytical thinkers or hedonic apps. This research extends Gestalt theory to app icon design and advances understanding of how subtle visual cues shape digital branding outcomes and the findings also offer actionable guidance for developers and marketers seeking to optimize icon aesthetics in highly competitive app markets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104612"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145499932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-11DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104613
Lifeng He , Xinmiao Li , Yuzhuo Li , Yu Liu , Ning Zhang , Xiaohang Zhou
Live streaming commerce has rapidly grown, becoming a significant driver of online retail and economic development. Audience size is critical in live streaming events, guiding brands in streamer selection and representing a primary objective that streamers aim to maximize. However, how audience size impacts sales performance in live streaming commerce remains an unresolved foundational question. To address this, we undertake a multimethod study that includes an analysis of observational field data drawn from 61,261 live-streaming samples involving 478 streamers on Douyin (TikTok in China), complemented by two experimental studies: laboratory experiments and simulations using large language models (LLMs). The study finds strong evidence of an inverted U-shaped relationship: larger audience sizes increase the potential reach of the live streaming; they also reduce the level of interactivity and the sense of presence, which in turn decreases purchase likelihood. Furthermore, higher viewer engagement duration and product presentation bandwidth, along with lower product assortment diversity and fan density, mitigate the negative impacts of excessive audience size, flattening the inverted U-shaped relationship. By integrating these insights into managerial practice, managers can refine the live streaming strategies, balancing audience size while maintaining high interactivity and presence to maximize the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.
{"title":"Is more always better? The effect of audience size on sales performance in live streaming commerce: A multimethod study","authors":"Lifeng He , Xinmiao Li , Yuzhuo Li , Yu Liu , Ning Zhang , Xiaohang Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Live streaming commerce has rapidly grown, becoming a significant driver of online retail and economic development. Audience size is critical in live streaming events, guiding brands in streamer selection and representing a primary objective that streamers aim to maximize. However, how audience size impacts sales performance in live streaming commerce remains an unresolved foundational question. To address this, we undertake a multimethod study that includes an analysis of observational field data drawn from 61,261 live-streaming samples involving 478 streamers on Douyin (TikTok in China), complemented by two experimental studies: laboratory experiments and simulations using large language models (LLMs). The study finds strong evidence of an inverted U-shaped relationship: larger audience sizes increase the potential reach of the live streaming; they also reduce the level of interactivity and the sense of presence, which in turn decreases purchase likelihood. Furthermore, higher viewer engagement duration and product presentation bandwidth, along with lower product assortment diversity and fan density, mitigate the negative impacts of excessive audience size, flattening the inverted U-shaped relationship. By integrating these insights into managerial practice, managers can refine the live streaming strategies, balancing audience size while maintaining high interactivity and presence to maximize the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104613"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145520166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-10DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104596
Benedikt M. Brand , Alexandra Rese
While the theory of attractive quality and the related Kano method received popularity in the past, recent research increasingly criticizes its shortcomings. Two unresolved shortcomings are (i) what to do with the (many) attributes classified as “indifferent” and (ii) controlling for the link between (high levels of) satisfaction and behavior. To overcome these problems, the adaptive “Dual Response” Kano method is proposed, which allows to clarify implications for “indifferent” attributes and scrutinizes respondents’ behavioral intentions for high satisfaction levels. Additionally, it enables prioritizing which (attractive) attributes should be realized first (prioritization) to achieve a certain behavior. The Dual Response Kano method is illustrated in the context of revisiting concept stores after the pandemic with a representative sample of n = 607 German consumers. The results emphasize the necessity of controlling for behavioral intentions even for attractive attributes. Moreover, some attributes hitherto classified as “indifferent” could actually increase visiting behavior ("latent potentials").
{"title":"Introducing the adaptive “Dual Response” Kano method – conceptualization and empirical application","authors":"Benedikt M. Brand , Alexandra Rese","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104596","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the theory of attractive quality and the related Kano method received popularity in the past, recent research increasingly criticizes its shortcomings. Two unresolved shortcomings are (i) what to do with the (many) attributes classified as “indifferent” and (ii) controlling for the link between (high levels of) satisfaction and behavior. To overcome these problems, the adaptive “Dual Response” Kano method is proposed, which allows to clarify implications for “indifferent” attributes and scrutinizes respondents’ behavioral intentions for high satisfaction levels. Additionally, it enables prioritizing which (attractive) attributes should be realized first (prioritization) to achieve a certain behavior. The Dual Response Kano method is illustrated in the context of revisiting concept stores after the pandemic with a representative sample of <em>n</em> = 607 German consumers. The results emphasize the necessity of controlling for behavioral intentions even for attractive attributes. Moreover, some attributes hitherto classified as “indifferent” could actually increase visiting behavior (\"latent potentials\").</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104596"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145520233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aims to analyse the operational efficiency of Brazilian supermarkets through the application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The research is based on the premise that the lack of knowledge about efficiency among managers may compromise the performance and profitability of the sector, especially during periods of economic crisis. The final sample comprised 673 supermarkets with only one store, thereby avoiding distortions related to multi-store groups. The DEA model employed was the output-oriented SBM, with three input variables (check-outs, sales area, employees) and 1 output (revenue). The EMS software was used for DEA, while JASP was employed for statistical analyses such as Pearson's correlation and linear regression, and Python for bootstrap and cross-efficiency analyses. The results show that only sixteen supermarkets were classified as efficient, while 657 exhibited relative inefficiency. The variables that demonstrated the highest correlation with revenue were number of employees (0.83), number of check-outs (0.82), and sales area (0.91). Based on these findings, specific formulas were developed for measuring efficiency per checkout, per square metre, and per employee, thereby enabling proportional analyses even beyond the original sample. The research provides a practical contribution to supermarket managers by presenting DEA as a strategic tool for efficiency measurement, benchmark identification, and resource optimisation. In addition to documenting efficiency patterns for 673 single-store supermarkets, we introduce Frontier-Normalised Partial Productivity Indices (EFIC)—transparent indices that compare revenue per checkout, per square metre, and per employee against empirically derived efficient baselines. We demonstrate that EFIC closely aligns with DEA efficiency scores.
{"title":"Performance analysis of supermarkets: a combined approach using DEA and linear regression","authors":"Odair Telles de Proença, Thiago Coelho Soares, Gisele Mazon, Sandro Soares","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104603","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104603","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to analyse the operational efficiency of Brazilian supermarkets through the application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The research is based on the premise that the lack of knowledge about efficiency among managers may compromise the performance and profitability of the sector, especially during periods of economic crisis. The final sample comprised 673 supermarkets with only one store, thereby avoiding distortions related to multi-store groups. The DEA model employed was the output-oriented SBM, with three input variables (check-outs, sales area, employees) and 1 output (revenue). The EMS software was used for DEA, while JASP was employed for statistical analyses such as Pearson's correlation and linear regression, and Python for bootstrap and cross-efficiency analyses. The results show that only sixteen supermarkets were classified as efficient, while 657 exhibited relative inefficiency. The variables that demonstrated the highest correlation with revenue were number of employees (0.83), number of check-outs (0.82), and sales area (0.91). Based on these findings, specific formulas were developed for measuring efficiency per checkout, per square metre, and per employee, thereby enabling proportional analyses even beyond the original sample. The research provides a practical contribution to supermarket managers by presenting DEA as a strategic tool for efficiency measurement, benchmark identification, and resource optimisation. In addition to documenting efficiency patterns for 673 single-store supermarkets, we introduce Frontier-Normalised Partial Productivity Indices (EFIC)—transparent indices that compare revenue per checkout, per square metre, and per employee against empirically derived efficient baselines. We demonstrate that EFIC closely aligns with DEA efficiency scores.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104603"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145520235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-08DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104608
Mingfang Li , Askar H. Choudhury , Jiangang Du
Impulse buying is a significant factor in product returns in online retail, with previous research often attributing this behavior to decision-making errors. However, impulse buying does not always indicate poor decision-making, prompting a closer examination of its effects in non-decision-failure scenarios. Drawing on mental accounting and loss aversion theories, this study examines the impact of impulse buying on consumers' intentions to return items, with “loss recovery” serving as a mediating factor and return shipping policies as a moderating.
The results indicate that impulse buying has a notable impact on return behavior, even in the absence of decision-making errors. Loss recovery fully mediates the relationship between impulse buying and return intentions, while return shipping policies play a moderating role. Specifically, free return shipping diminishes the effect of impulse buying on the likelihood of returns. These findings enhance our understanding of the psychological processes that drive consumer return behavior and provide practical recommendations for handling returns in online retail environment.
{"title":"Impact of impulse buying on product return in online shopping","authors":"Mingfang Li , Askar H. Choudhury , Jiangang Du","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104608","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Impulse buying is a significant factor in product returns in online retail, with previous research often attributing this behavior to decision-making errors. However, impulse buying does not always indicate poor decision-making, prompting a closer examination of its effects in non-decision-failure scenarios. Drawing on mental accounting and loss aversion theories, this study examines the impact of impulse buying on consumers' intentions to return items, with “loss recovery” serving as a mediating factor and return shipping policies as a moderating.</div><div>The results indicate that impulse buying has a notable impact on return behavior, even in the absence of decision-making errors. Loss recovery fully mediates the relationship between impulse buying and return intentions, while return shipping policies play a moderating role. Specifically, free return shipping diminishes the effect of impulse buying on the likelihood of returns. These findings enhance our understanding of the psychological processes that drive consumer return behavior and provide practical recommendations for handling returns in online retail environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104608"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145520234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-08DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104611
Yang Zhang , Xuan Yang , Xuanxuan Xu , Jun Wan
The negative perception of technological innovation failure often inhibits enterprises' willingness to pursue subsequent innovation initiatives. Fortunately, with the deepening development of digital technologies, enterprises can through digital transformation (DT) to mitigate biases toward technological innovation failures, helping them assess the outcomes of such failures more objectively and restore confidence in subsequent innovation. DT has now evolved into a critical turning point for enterprises seeking subsequent innovation breakthroughs after technological innovation failures. Therefore, based on data from Chinese manufacturing listed enterprises, this study employs empirical research methods to examine how DT influences two distinct re-innovation behaviors—incremental innovation and novel innovation—following technological innovation failures. Our findings reveal that DT significantly enhances both types of re-innovation behaviors through two primary mechanisms: optimizing the allocation efficiency of technological innovation resources (including R&D investments and personnel allocation) and mitigating enterprises information asymmetry. Furthermore, institutional investors demonstrate a dual moderating effect, exhibiting negative moderation between DT and incremental innovation, while positively moderating the relationship between DT and novel innovation following innovation failures. These insights provide both theoretical foundations and practical guidance for enterprises seeking to leverage DT for post-failure innovation recovery strategies.
{"title":"Catalyzing re-innovation: How digital transformation drives recovery from technological failure in manufacturing","authors":"Yang Zhang , Xuan Yang , Xuanxuan Xu , Jun Wan","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The negative perception of technological innovation failure often inhibits enterprises' willingness to pursue subsequent innovation initiatives. Fortunately, with the deepening development of digital technologies, enterprises can through digital transformation (DT) to mitigate biases toward technological innovation failures, helping them assess the outcomes of such failures more objectively and restore confidence in subsequent innovation. DT has now evolved into a critical turning point for enterprises seeking subsequent innovation breakthroughs after technological innovation failures. Therefore, based on data from Chinese manufacturing listed enterprises, this study employs empirical research methods to examine how DT influences two distinct re-innovation behaviors—incremental innovation and novel innovation—following technological innovation failures. Our findings reveal that DT significantly enhances both types of re-innovation behaviors through two primary mechanisms: optimizing the allocation efficiency of technological innovation resources (including R&D investments and personnel allocation) and mitigating enterprises information asymmetry. Furthermore, institutional investors demonstrate a dual moderating effect, exhibiting negative moderation between DT and incremental innovation, while positively moderating the relationship between DT and novel innovation following innovation failures. These insights provide both theoretical foundations and practical guidance for enterprises seeking to leverage DT for post-failure innovation recovery strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 104611"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145466851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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