Interactivity,Inspiration, and Perceived Usefulness! How retailers’ AR-apps improve consumer engagement through flow

This study investigates the antecedents and outcomes of consumer engagement through AR apps and suggests a new conceptual model. The purpose of the paper is to examine how consumer engagement is shaped via AR apps, which eventually leads to a positive attitude towards brand and brand usage intent. To this end, a face-to-face survey instrument was administered to 350 participants in Turkey, where participants tried an AR app and then answered a questionnaire. The structural equation modeling (SEM) and Hayes' Process analyses were applied to test the hypotheses and moderated mediation relationships. Findings showed that interactivity and inspiration are two major antecedents of consumers' flow experience. The flow experience with AR can generate favorable attitudes towards AR apps and more trust in AR apps, which trigger consumer engagement with AR apps and then improve brand attitude and brand usage intent. The outcomes of flow experience with AR (i.e., attitude and trust) mediate the relationship between flow and engagement. Although perceived usefulness increases the effect of consumers' attitudes towards AR on engagement, it has no moderating effect on the relationship between trust in AR and engagement. Furthermore, the results of Hayes' Process revealed that the indirect effect of flow on consumers’ engagement with AR through attitude towards AR is moderated by perceived usefulness. So that, if AR marketers aim to strengthen the link between consumer flow experience and engagement via attitudes towards AR, they should therefore consider enhancing the perceived usefulness of AR. Surprisingly, perceived usefulness had no moderating effect on the indirect relationship between flow and engagement via trust. Finally, this paper discusses both the theoretical and managerial implications.     

Humanizing voice assistant: The impact of voice assistant personality on consumers’ attitudes and behaviors

A voice assistant (VA), a type of voice-enabled artificial intelligence, is no longer just a character in science fiction movies. Currently, voice is embedded in a variety of products such as smartphones (mobile applications) and smart speakers in consumers' homes. Furthermore, voice assistants are becoming integral to our daily lives. While human personalities shape the way we interact with the world, voice assistant personalities can also impact everyday interactions with our environment. This study identifies seven voice assistant personality traits (VAP) of three commonly used mobile applications: Microsoft's Cortana, Google's Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa. To examine the effect of VAP on consumer experience, this study applies and extends flow theory to uncover why VAP has the effects it has and what facets of VAP drive the voice interaction flow experience that can influence consumers' attitudes and behavioral intentions. Our study shows that voice interaction with a VA that incorporates functional intelligence, sincerity, and creativity empowers consumers to take control of their voice interactions with the VA, focus on their voice interaction, and engage in exploratory behavior. Consumers' exploratory behavior leads to consumer satisfaction and consumers' willingness to continue using voice assistant.     

Impact of patient portal behavioral engagement on subsistence consumers' wellbeing

Subsistence consumers, representing almost half the global population, live on low incomes, possess low levels of literacy, and generally experience poor health. Technology is a tool used to facilitate stronger connections between consumers and support services, including for subsistence consumers. Given the unique characterization of subsistence marketplaces, research needs to examine potential associations between subsistence consumers' individual resource integration and wellbeing via their behavioral engagement with technologies. Research is also warranted that investigates the factors that can moderate this association. A 45-day customized patient portal app was delivered via 26 healthcare service providers, resulting in the surveying of 336 subsistence consumers who used the portal. The results indicate positive associations between subsistence consumers' individual resource integration, patient portal behavioral engagement, and wellbeing. They also indicate that these associations are strengthened by service provider's resource support and subjective norms, and weakened by medical mistrust. Theoretical and managerial implications from this study's findings are discussed.     

Book Review Index

The authors examine the impact on consumers' purchase likelihood after learning about online covert marketing practices. The findings suggest that while learning of online covert marketing practice lowers purchase likelihood, it is moderated by contextual factors including prior purchase experience, whether the company is well known or a start-up, and whether covert marketing involved information gathering or promotions. Consumer background variables were also found to moderate the negative impact on purchase likelihood resulting from consumers learning about online covert marketing activities. Conjoint scenarios were examined and a segmentation study was conducted based on a national survey of U.S. consumers. Implications for advertisers and regulatory action are discussed.     

Leaving the Home Turf: How Brands Can Use Webcare on Consumer-generated Platforms to Increase Positive Consumer Engagement

The level of brand-related consumer engagement is considered to be a key determinant of successful social media activities. However, due to the commonly high levels of consumers who merely consume instead of being actively engaged, companies seek strategies to increase consumer engagement. Additionally, a large part of consumers' engagement does not occur on platforms controlled by the brand, but on consumer-generated platforms. Based on social learning theory we propose webcare as a reaction to positive engagement to be an effective marketing tool for reinforcing observing consumers' engagement intentions, especially on consumer-generated platforms. In an experimental online study we reveal that webcare can be used to increase engagement intentions on consumer-generated platforms, and that consumers' surprise explains this reinforcing effect. Moreover, we show that in these consumer-dominated spaces, personal webcare is more effective in driving consumer engagement intentions than impersonal webcare, and that this effect is explained by consumers' perceptions of a brand's conversational communication style. The results indicate that brand managers should leave their home turf and use webcare on consumer-generated social media platforms outside of their direct control.     

The social significance of AI in retail on customer experience and shopping practices

This paper draws on practice-informed, ethnographic research to develop an understanding of the novel social consequences and opportunities afforded from consumers' interactions with AI digital humans as part of the in-store shopping experience. We reveal and interrogate consumers’ experiences with AI digital humans in an exploratory study undertaken during the launch phase of an in-store kiosk digital store greeter in a flagship store of a large national technology and appliance chain. Our findings contribute to understanding the social significance of AI in retail on customer experience (CX) and the managerial implications of consumers interactions with AI digital humans are described and discussed.     

Customizing a consumers’ story for you: The impact of protagonist geographical distance on willingness to share

Consumers' stories, which reveal the interactions between consumers and brands from the perspective of consumers, are increasingly prevalent in advertisements and service communications. Although previous research has explored the impact of consumers' story plots, elements, types, and endings on story effectiveness, the connection between the audience and story protagonist is often of greater concern to consumers. This study examines how the geographical distance between audiences and consumers' story protagonists can prompt audiences to share a consumers' story. A dataset was collected from leading social platforms, and four scenario–based experiments were conducted, which demonstrated that the geographical distance between the protagonist and audience enhanced audience–protagonist similarity and interpersonal identity leading to a more positive willingness to share the story. Additionally, the effect of geographical distance on willingness to share is stronger when the story is based on true events; this effect is attenuated when the story is fictitious. The findings provide a proximal protagonist that advertisers can use in a story to prompt audiences to share consumers’ stories.     

Okay,Google!: An empirical study on voice assistants on consumer engagement and loyalty

E‐commerce shopping has gradually become a norm in consumers’ choice of shopping channel and part of this shopping process is aided by advance technologies including voice assistants (VA). There is a variety of artificial intelligence that is being developed in the market currently, and one of which has gradually gained its presence or information acquisition is the VA. In this paper, we propose a model that investigates the technology acceptance model constructs (perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness) and its effect on the engagement and loyalty between VA and consumers. Our model also investigates the moderating role of localizing VA between transactional and nontransactional based online activities. This study highlights the implication of technology integration in an e‐commerce environment.     

Exploring the Antecedents of Brand Loyalty and Electronic Word of Mouth in Social-Media-Based Brand Communities: Do Gender Differences Matter?

ABSTRACT

Recently, social media have emerged as key marketing communication channels. In this context, consumers are increasingly gathering in online communities which have been identified as social-media-based brand communities (SMBBCs). However, notwithstanding scholars' attention towards SMBBCs, the role of consumers' gender in developing brand loyalty intention (BLI) has been scarcely explored by literature. Moreover, scant attention has been given to the analysis of whether gender is related to different propensities towards brand recommendation—identified as a proactive behavior towards a positive electronic word of-mouth diffusion (E-WOM)—in the social media context. Hence, this research aims to explore the antecedents of BLI and E-WOM by focusing on consumers' gender differences. A structural equation model has been created based on 250 surveys collected among SMBBCs of an American sportswear brand. The results showed that male consumers' BLI is influenced by engagement in SMBBCs. Instead, brand trust was the main antecedent of females' BLI.     

The Impact of Item Price Removal in Scanner Supermarkets: A Survey Study of Los Angeles Shoppers

The practice of removing item prices in scanner-equipped grocery stores has raised an important public policy issue relating to the ability of individual consumers to engage in effective shopping with less available price information at the point of purchase. This study investigated the likely impact of item price removal in scanner-equipped grocery stores as a function of consumers' use of price information, general consumer predispositions, and consumers' experience with scanner technology. Particular emphasis was placed on the likely effects of item price removal on disadvantaged consumers. The implications of the study for public policy are discussed.     

Augmented reality shopping application usage: The influence of attitude,value, and characteristics of innovation

Consumers' intentions are crucial to the wide usage of augmented reality shopping applications (ARSAs). Combining innovation diffusion, perceived value, and attitude theories, this study proposes a theoretical model that identifies the antecedents of consumers' innovation to use ARSAs and specifies their interrelationships. A total of 379 consumers were surveyed using questionnaires, and the data were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results show that the effects of the perceived relative advantage, perceived compatibility, and perceived observability on consumers' intentions to use ARSAs are mediated by consumers' attitudes toward ARSAs. In addition, attitudes have an indirect impact on consumers' intentions to use ARSAs through perceived value. Theoretically, this study synthesizes behavioral theories anchored on innovation and marketing to explain consumer's use intention. Managerially, this study provides strategic recommendations for technology companies developing ARSAs and retailers wishing to adopt ARSAs.     

How scolding can encourage consumer engagement with plastic waste issue? The moderating role of consumers’ mindset

Extant literature has reported mixed findings on the effectiveness of praising versus scolding in social marketing messages, such as how to encourage consumer engagement with plastic waste issue. Against this backdrop, this research investigates the moderating role of consumers' mindset in this regard. This research reports two experimental studies and demonstrates that consumers with a growth (vs. fixed) mindset will experience higher levels of outcome efficacy when evaluating a scolding (vs. praising) message. In addition, this research employs different methods of eliciting consumers' mindset and examines different dependent variables (product choice in Study 1 and donation allocations in Study 2). The results of this research thus offer a fresh theoretical perspective on the effectiveness of scolding (vs. praising) in enhancing consumer engagement with plastic waste issue by examining the moderating role of consumers’ mindset and establishing the underlying mechanism.     

Engaging and retaining customers with AI and employee service

Artificial intelligence (AI) permeates in service organisations as a tool to enhance operational efficiency and improve customer experience. Reports show that most consumers prefer human interactions with service employees. Drawing on this observation, the current study examines how customers' service experiences with employees and AI influence customer engagement and loyalty. Customers’ emotional intelligence is proposed as a moderator between service experience and customer engagement. The study was conducted with hotel customers in Australia. The results show that whilst both service experience with employees and AI are significantly related to customer engagement and loyalty, only certain dimensions make significant unique variances in the outcome variables. The findings indicate that customers prefer employee service. These service experiences also have significant partial mediation effects on customer loyalty. Emotional intelligence has a significant moderation effect on customer engagement. Discussion of these findings and implications derived from this study concludes this paper.     

Does impact of campaign and consumer guilt help in exploring the role of national identity and purchase decisions of consumers?

Extant research emphasized the role of consumer guilt and the importance of campaigns in consumers' willingness to buy domestic-made products. The antecedents of willingness to buy domestic-made products have not been well understood in literature. This is because the experience of national identity vis a vis the understanding of the consumers' guilt feeling has partly been explained. To address these concerns, we developed a survey in the context of Indian cities. We note that consumers' experience with foreign-made products is negative when they feel uncomfortable buying them, and thereby develop a feeling of guilt. Marketing managers are more likely to prepare consumers' experiences with their products by emphasizing the high or low impact of the campaign on consumers’ willingness to buy domestic-made products.     

The effects of influencer type,regulatory focus,and perceived authenticity on consumers' purchase intention

Companies often use influencers to promote their products, and many celebrities have expanded their activities on social media as influencers. In this work, we classified influencers into celebrity and noncelebrity groups and analyzed how they affect consumers' purchase intention. We also analyzed how psychological variables, such as regulatory focus and perceived authenticity affect this process. We conducted three studies with consumers in China, South Korea, and the United States who participated in each between-subjects experiment. The results showed that people have higher purchase intention for products recommended by noncelebrity influencers than those recommended by celebrity influencers. We also found that regulatory focus moderates the relationship between the influencer type and consumers' purchase intention. Purchase intention for products recommended by noncelebrity influencers were stronger among prevention-focused consumers. However, no significant difference in the effect of influencer type was found among promotion-focused consumers. We found that perceived authenticity mediated this moderating effect. The results of this study provide effective marketing strategies and implications for companies when they use influencers as a tool for marketing activities.     

A story to sell: The influence of storytelling on consumers' purchasing behavior

Storytelling can arouse consumers' emotions and affect purchasing behavior through desires and attitudes. While the marketing literature discusses storytelling, there is a lack of consensus because of the diverse conceptual and operational definitions used. To untangle the complexities and consolidate the fragmented knowledge about storytelling in marketing, this research examines how the marketing literature has addressed the influence of storytelling on consumers' purchasing behavior. The findings aid in understanding how the topic has been discussed from a marketing perspective in consumer behavior studies. Through a systematic literature review using a bibliometric analysis, we demonstrate that the marketing literature features four strands about the uses of storytelling to influence consumers' purchasing behavior. First, storytelling stimulates the consumer's identification with the brand. Second, storytelling allows consumers to experience emotional value. Third, storytelling supports engagement behaviors. Finally, storytelling has a downside in that it also propagates harmful speech. This study concludes with a roadmap for future research about how storytelling impacts consumers' purchasing behavior.     

“Alexa,lock my front door”: An empirical study on factors affecting consumer's satisfaction with VCA-controlled security devices

Voice conversation agents (VCAs) have moved beyond simple tasks such as information gathering. The integration of VCAs in smart technologies for security has grown in the consumer market. This paper investigates consumers' motivation to use smart technologies controlled by voice conversational agents and how that impacts their perceived hedonic and utilitarian value, which eventually leads to their satisfaction with smart technologies usage. Two cross-sectional studies and a netnography were conducted. The findings showed that the variables measuring technology acceptance mediate the relationship between consumers' motivation and the perceived value of the VCA-controlled smart technologies. Study 1 results show that ease of use and usefulness of the VCA-controlled smart technologies have a more substantial mediating effect between motivation and hedonic value than utilitarian value. For study 2, results show that the mediators had a stronger influence on hedonic and utilitarian values for outdoor voice conversational agent-controlled smart technologies than indoor smart technologies. Study 3 showed that smart technologies have both risks and benefits and depend on whether they are being used for themselves or others. The results suggest that marketers need to consider consumer's emphasis on the products' features including its ease of use and usefulness, and strategically complement it with consumers' prevention and promotion focus for each product.     

The impact of 3d virtual haptics in marketing

Tactile input plays a key role in consumers' evaluation of products' substance properties. Utilization of haptic interfaces and force feedback devices that enable consumers to feel and manipulate three‐dimensional (3D) virtual products is a promising but under‐explored area in marketing and consumer behavior research. This study investigated 3D virtual touch created by Novint Falcon haptic interfaces and its impacts on consumer behavior in the interactive marketing of automobiles. It was hypothesized that consumers' instrumental Need for Touch (NFT) plays a significant moderating role in haptic interfaces. Results from a 2 (nature of tactile stimuli: haptic input with force feedback versus no force feedback) × 2 (haptic orientation: high NFT versus low NFT) full factorial between‐subjects experiment indicated that consumers high in instrumental NFT evaluate products more positively, enjoy the test‐driving experience more, and show stronger brand–self connection when there are force feedback haptic stimuli as opposed to when there is no force feedback. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Consumers' experiences of cold chain food packaging: A qualitative study among women in South Africa

Food packaging defines a product's uniqueness and strengthens consumers' relationship with a brand, in this way offering functional and experiential benefits. Although cold chain food is predicted to become even more important to consumers, consumers' experiences of the packaging of these products have been neglected in the literature. Thus, this exploratory study investigated these experiences of female participants in Potchefstroom, South Africa, using semi‐structured interviews and a projective technique assisted by ambiguous mock packaging. The findings reveal that despite marketers' intention to use packaging to lure consumers to purchase food products, participants also valued functionality and quality in cold chain food packaging. This study also identified a dislike of carton boxes and preference for plastic bottles for this kind of packaging, as well as further negative and positive characteristics for consideration by manufacturers. Although brand loyalty and price sensitivity were stronger considerations for some participants than the packaging, the latter seemed to play a pre‐eminent role in most participants' purchasing decisions. Therefore, it is recommended that when designing packaging for frozen and refrigerated foods, product developers and manufacturers should take into account consumers' experiences, requirements and needs of the packaging specific to cold chain food. Our research offers a starting point for designing cold chain food packaging that complies as closely as possible with consumers' expectations.