Luxury fashion brand customers’ perceptions of mobile marketing: Evidence of multiple communications and marketing channels

Previous studies have addressed some of the issues of customers' perceptions of mobile marketing, particularly the affordances of multiple communications and channels. Despite a proliferation of studies in this field, the theoretical exploration of luxury fashion customers' perceptions of multiple mobile communications and marketing channels remains at an exploratory stage. Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model and a social constructivist perspective, the current study conducted 37 in-depth interviews with Generation Z mobile luxury customers. We specifically examined how customers' emotionally and cognitively based perceptions emerge as they navigate multiple mobile marketing channels and message communications. Our model conceptualizes four elements of customers' perceptions of their mobile marketing journey that can drive mobile customer engagement and acquisition behavior. The integrative model opens up interesting avenues for further research on mobile marketing and luxury fashion consumers’ perceptions of the effects of multiple communications and marketing channels.     

How social distance affects the intention and behavior of collaborative consumption: A study based on online car-hailing service

In recent years, advances in mobile communications technology have enabled collaborative consumption or product sharing between consumers on a large scale. Unlike traditional consumption, collaborative consumption is based on collaboration among individuals, so that the decision-making mechanisms of individual consumers may be different from those in traditional consumption scenarios. The current study focuses on how the social distance between consumers and drivers affects collaborative consumption intention in the case of online car-hailing services. In this study, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) is used as the foundational framework, and we innovatively add the concept of social distance to the TPB to form a new, and integrated model. We test the model based on data collected from 315 online car-hailing users. The results shows that behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, positively influence collaborative consumption intention and behavior. More interestingly, we find that social distance has both direct and indirect impacts on collaborative consumption intention: The greater the social distance, the lower the collaborative consumption intention. Moreover, social distance also moderates the influence of subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on collaborative consumption intention. To be specific, the influence of subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on collaborative consumption intention is weakened when consumers perceive less social distance. The results suggest that the integrated model has a stronger explanatory power on collaborative consumption behavior. This study enhances the traditional TPB model and offers insight into promoting collaborative consumption in the context of the sharing economy.     

Factors influencing buying behavior of Lebanese consumers towards fashion brands during economic crisis: A qualitative study

The purpose of this article is to contribute to an understanding of the impact of the Lebanese economic crisis on fashion buying behavior. It uses a qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with 29 Lebanese consumers. The study reveals that consumer fashion purchases are motivated by emotional, social, and functional drivers. It also indicates that subjective norms, such as societal and cultural values dictate buying behaviors. The findings provide further insights into social media and highlight its influence on shaping trends and making fashion products desirable. The article concludes that Lebanese consumers exhibit impulsive buying behavior, and explains how fashion brands can remain relevant amidst a wrenching economic crisis.     

Physiological responses and advertising effects: Is the cup half full or half empty?

A debate has arisen in this journal regarding the utility of psychophysiological measures in general; and of electroencephalographic measures in particular, for evaluating the specific effects of advertising executions. We briefly summarize the positions and replies that have been set forth. Although each is found to have something to contribute, it is also clear that additional basic research using complex persuasion materials in consumer settings is necessary before specific cognitive, emotional, and behavioral advertising effects can be inferred from psychophysiological data. This raises general questions regarding the goal and value of the psychophysiological enterprise. It is suggested that a psychophysiological approach is potentially informative, especially when studying theoretical issues regarding processes underlying social behavior. Research on yet another physiological response system, electrbmyographic activity recorded over the muscles of facial expression, is discussed for purposes of illustration. It is concluded that research has not and is not likely to demonstrate invariant psycho-physiological links nor has it revealed so little about social processes and behavior that physiological responses and systems can be disregarded. An alternative conception of the psychophysiological enterprise is outlined.     

Why Forward Viral Fashion Messages? The Moderating Roles of Consumers’ Fashion Traits and Message Orientation

Businesses are now using social media as platforms for viral marketing. However, little is known about the motivations, attitudes, and behaviors of fashion consumers who engage with this marketing instrument. This study examines the factors that influence consumers’ use of social media and their behavioral intentions to forward viral fashion messages. An attitudinal model was proposed through the integration of uses and gratification theory and the elaboration likelihood model. Individuals’ fashion trait and message orientations were specified as moderating factors. An online survey was administered to collect data, and 381 college students participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings showed that individuals’ intention to forward a message was affected by favorable functional and expressive attitudes towards the message, while motivations of using social media had only slight effects on individuals’ attitudes. Group comparisons showed significant moderating effects from identified individuals’ fashion trait and message orientation.     

Social media user behavior analysis applied to the fashion and apparel industry in the big data era

With the rapid development of the Internet and new media, the enormous data from social media and other public platforms have attracted increasing attention to user behavior research. Fashion is a hot topic for both the general public and the social economy, so there is great potential for exploring and manipulating social media data for the development of the fashion industry in the current era. This paper aims to explore the current status of social media user behavior analysis applied to the fashion and apparel industry for advanced product development, branding strategy planning and the resolution of other decision-making problems in the big data context. First, articles were retrieved from the database "Web of Science". With the assistance of experts, 201 articles were determined for further study. Next, the evolution of hot topics within the domain was visualized and discussed through bibliometric analysis. Then, the application of social media data in the fashion domain was investigated, and common data mining methods were discussed. Finally, the paper summarized the development status of social media user behavior analysis (SMUBA) applied to the fashion and apparel industry and put forward the future prospect under the framework of mass customization in the big data era.     

Female images in advertising: the implications of social comparison for marketing

Does advertising create insecurities and dissatisfaction with the self? This exploratory study investigated how British women consumers, aged 24–50, responded to a range of ideal images presented in fashion magazines. Congruent with previous research, British women compared themselves with idealised advertising images. However, consumers actively and selectively interpreted the meanings of idealised images represented in advertising stimuli. Although some women raised their standards of comparisons and lowered their own self-assessments after viewing the ideal images, there was also evidence that women employed a variety of strategies when consuming the idealised images portrayed in fashion advertising, depending on the goal of the social comparison process. These strategies are interpreted in the context of social comparison theory, and the implications for integrated marketing communication strategies are discussed.     

一蹶不振或再次出发？领导拒谏对员工行为动机的影响研究

员工谏言被拒绝是现实中常见的一种现象,领导拒绝谏言、选择沉默或没有给与回应都可以被认为是一种社会排斥行为。社会排斥相关理论能够为我们理解领导拒绝谏言后的员工行为动机提供一个好的理论依据。Williams在大量实验基础上提出的需要威胁时间模型是社会排斥研究中较成熟且适用广泛的理论模型。本研究将拒谏作为独立的排斥事件,在需要威胁时间模型下构建了领导拒谏影响员工行为动机的理论模型,探讨了在拒谏事件发生后,动态时间变化过程中,因拒谏这一排斥行为造成的消极情绪和需要威胁在不同个人特质和情境因素下如何影响员工的行为动机。通过厘清影响员工行为动机的相关因素和行为结果,丰富了谏言反应的相关研究,为组织获取长效、持续的员工谏言提供现实参考。     

The Road to Unintended Consequences Is Paved with Motivational Apps

Myriad automated interventions have been designed to help consumers set and achieve behavioral goals. Firms and governments are making significant investments in applications that help consumers manage their behavior. However, scant evidence demonstrates their effectiveness. Are such interventions effective? Are they worth our time and money? Might they do more harm than good? This study presents the results of an exploratory experiment using Self Determination Theory to test the efficacy of one type of motivational aid used in many apps—the automated prompt. We examine how effective this approach is at helping people make long‐term behavioral changes. We also test whether providing people with motivational wisdom—i.e., “it takes three weeks to form a habit”—has an effect on behavioral change. In addition to practical implications for consumers' health, productivity, and happiness, and policy implications, our project contributes to the literature on consumers' motivation and goal pursuit.     

Building engagement in online brand communities: The effects of socially beneficial initiatives on collective social capital

Using social capital theory, this study investigates members' perceptions of socially beneficial initiatives on collective social capital. A total of 359 valid surveys were collected from two types of online brand communities (OBCs). The results demonstrate that high levels of empathy can lead to increased prosocial behavior. In both product and social OBCs, social trust affects affective and cognitive engagement, while reciprocity impacts affective and behavioral engagement. Moreover, our findings show that the link between prosocial behavior and reciprocity is partially mediated by social trust. This study provides several implications for the management of OBCs.     

基于消费者预期的在线零售企业社会责任行为研究--量表开发与验证

通过文献回顾、访谈、预试和大样本调查,从消费者预期视角对我国在线零售企业社会责任行为的维度结构和测量量表进行实证研究。其中,运用筛选条目和预测试等程序初步确定在线零售企业社会责任行为的测量量表,并经由探索性因子分析与验证性因子分析发现,消费者预期的在线零售企业社会责任行为包括经济责任、消费者责任、员工责任、法律责任、公益慈善责任五个维度,其测量量表具有良好信度和效度。结果还显示,消费者最看重在线零售企业承担消费者责任,其次才是法律责任、员工责任、公益慈善责任,相对不看重经济责任。另外,不同性别、年龄、受教育程度、网购频率的消费者所预期的在线零售企业社会责任行为存在差异。     

A New Look at Constructed Choice Processes

Normative models of choice assert axiomatically that preferences are consistent, coherent, and determined only by relevant alternatives. In contrast to this classical economic perspective, behavioral models derived from research in psychology and consumer behavior assert that preferences are not guided by an internal, stable utility function but are constructed during the choice process. The current paper is based on a session on constructed choice processes (CCP) at the 2004 Choice Symposium that focused on how the standard CCP model can be enriched by bringing theories and tools from modern research in social cognition to bear on choice phenomenon. The richer conceptual framework presented by new, currently unpublished empirical work provides a novel perspective on choice construction by integrating the roles of subjective construal, experiential information, attribution, goals, and satisfaction in understanding preference construction processes in choice.     

Cooperative Agent Systems: Artificial Agents Play the Ultimatum Game

We explore computational approaches for artificial agents to play the ultimatum game. We compare our agents' behavior with that predicted by classical game theory, as well as behavior found in experimental (or behavioral) economics investigations. In particular, we study the following questions: How do artificial agents perform in playing the ultimatum game against fixed rules, dynamic rules, and rotating rules? How do coevolving artificial agents perform? Will learning software agents do better? What is the value of intelligence? What will happen when smart learning agents play against dumb (no-learning) agents? What will be the impact of agent memory size on performance? This exploratory study provides experimental results pertaining to these questions.     

Behavioral Factors Affecting Students’ Intentions to Enroll in Business Ethics Courses: A Comparison of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Cognitive Theory Using Self-Identity as a Moderator

The current study used both Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) and Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine the intentions of business undergraduate students toward taking elective ethics courses and investigated the role of self-identity in this process. The study was prospective in design; data on predictors and intentions were obtained during the first collection of data, whereas the actual behavior was assessed 10 days later. Our results indicated that the TPB was a better predictor of behavioral intentions than was SCT. As expected, self-identity served as a moderator in the relationship between perceived behavioral control and behavioral intentions posited by the TPB and in the relationship between outcome expectancy and behavioral intentions posited by SCT. Self-identity was a crucial factor in predicting actual behavior within both theoretical frameworks.     

Online shopping adoption during COVID-19 and social isolation: Extending the UTAUT model with herd behavior

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new reality for consumers all around the globe. To cope, users of digital technologies have faced the necessity of adopting and using specific technologies practically overnight. They are doing this under the condition of social isolation, all while facing the fear of catching the disease. The purpose of the paper is to study the way unexpected circumstances cause disruptions in existing theoretical models and their implications for the post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, the paper examines the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation, and it identifies herd behavior as a possible new mechanism affecting behavioral intention under these unique decision-making circumstances. Behavioral intention toward online shopping was analyzed using data from 420 individuals aged 60 and older who present an increasingly important potential market for electronic commerce and who are particularly affected by COVID-19. The main results show that performance expectancy still has the most important influence on behavioral intention, whereas the impact of social influence was not supported under these conditions. Rather, herd behavior was identified as particularly influential for behavioral intention. Based on the study results, the option to reconsider the social influence factor in the UTAUT model and its possible complementary mechanisms are discussed.     

How fashion cewebrity influences customer engagement behavior in emerging economy? Social network influence as moderator

Social media provides opportunities for individuals to become cewebrities by gaining fame via their presence on different platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. But, how cewebrities are engaging consumers is an under-developed research area that needs researchers' attention. Therefore, this research aims to determine the influence of fashion cewebrity on opinion leaders and customer engagement behaviors in the apparel fashion industry. Also, the moderating role of social networking influence in the relationship between opinion leadership and customer engagement is tested. The data was collected from 472 consumers following fashion cewebrities of five luxury apparel brands, and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The results confirmed the validity of the newly established scale of fashion cewebrity and endorsed the fashion cewebrity's impact on opinion leadership while opinion leadership mediates the fashion cewebrity – customer engagement behavior relationship. This study proposes that the managers should involve fashion cewebrities during all product development and promotion stages and establish collaboration to reap profit and create strong brand equity.     

Eliciting Consumer Preferences for Certified Animal‐Friendly Foods: Can Elements of the Theory of Planned Behavior Improve Choice Experiment Analysis?

Models used in neoclassical economics assume human behavior to be purely rational. On the other hand, models adopted in social and behavioral psychology are founded on the “black box” of human cognition. In view of these observations, this paper aims at bridging this gap by introducing psychological constructs in the well‐established microeconomic framework of choice behavior based on random utility theory. In particular, it combines constructs developed employing Ajzen's theory of planned behavior with Lancaster's theory of consumer demand for product characteristics to explain stated preferences over certified animal‐friendly foods (AFF). To reach this objective, a Web survey was administered in the largest five EU‐25 countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Findings identify some salient cross‐cultural differences between northern and southern Europe and suggest that psychological constructs developed using the Ajzen model are useful in explaining heterogeneity of preferences. Implications for policymakers and marketers involved with certified AFF are discussed.     

Drivers of eWOM engagement on social media for luxury consumers: Analysis,implications, and future research directions

The rapid industrialization and growth across the world have fostered the consumption of luxury fashion brands. Electronic word-of- mouth on social media (eWOM) is fast becoming an effective and germane strategy to engage luxury consumers through posting pictures, sharing reviews, and communicating information on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Extant research has not examined the antecedents and drivers that lead to eWOM behavior. We leverage self-congruity theory and through its focal lens, our study addresses this research gap through a survey conducted with 453 consumers in Mexico, Latin America's fastest growing market. Our results indicate that need for status, susceptibility to normative influence, and luxury brand involvement, moderated by authentic pride and social media influencers lead to eWOM behavior on social media. We also demonstrate that luxury brand involvement and susceptibility to normative influence mediate the relationship between need for status and eWOM behavior on social media. The study provides important implications to managers and researchers by suggesting long-term actionable strategies for growth that can help luxury firms develop a sustainable competitive advantage over rivals and competitors.     

Innovative and sustainable business models in the fashion industry: Entrepreneurial drivers,opportunities, and challenges

New and existing companies are looking for ways to thrive in a competitive environment with innovative business models while respecting society and avoiding actions that harm the planet. Trends such as circular economy, fair trade, lowsumerism, and sharing economy are some of the many emerging entrepreneurial approaches that address this issue, but there is still a gap between what theory argues and the levels of environmental and social sustainability realized when theory is put into practice. In fact, most research on the topic of sustainable business models is still exploratory and does not fully acknowledge these emerging approaches, whose definitions, boundaries, and defining characteristics are still somewhat vague. This study seeks to contribute to the understanding of the inner entrepreneurial dynamics of innovative sustainable business models. In particular, we focus on the fashion business, a resource-intensive industry in which opportunities to reduce environmental impacts and to innovate business models abound. The aim of our research is to investigate innovative business models in the fashion industry that have sustainability as their defining characteristic, especially in terms of value proposition. In order to do that, we combine a systematic review of the literature with empirical research comprised of six interviews with specialists in sustainability, business model innovation, and the fashion industry, along with eight case studies on innovative fashion startups we define as ‘born sustainable.’ As a result, we propose a synthesizing framework that discloses trends and drivers of innovative and sustainable business models in the fashion industry. We also highlight opportunities and challenges for researchers and entrepreneurs interested in this topic.     

Research on the influencing factors of consumers’ green purchase behavior in the post-pandemic era

The severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world has caused consumers to think about environmental issues. Although green products are very important to environmental sustainability, the factors that influence consumers' purchase behavior of green products is unclear. This study aims to explore the impact mechanism of social media marketing on consumers' green product purchase behavior in the post-pandemic era. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study constructs an extended TPB model to understand the influencing factors of Chinese consumers' green product purchase behavior in the post-pandemic era. The empirical results of 489 questionnaires show that social media marketing, product knowledge and crisis awareness have a direct or indirect positive influence on purchase intentions. Perceived behavioral control and intentions have positive effects on behavior. The attribution of responsibility facilitates the relationship between intentions and behaviors. The results have important implications for enterprises’ sustainability strategies and provide a framework for investigating green buying behaviors in Chinese culture in the post-pandemic era.