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This article extends the literature on consumers' responses to green claims and their intentions to buy green products. We used an experimental approach based on three complementary studies. The first compares the effects of two claims regarding different levels of a company's environmental commitment. The second examines whether consumers can recognize exaggerated claims. The third analyzes consumers' perceptions of a company's environmental commitment and intentions to buy the advertised product when an institutional methodology is used to substantiate the message. Surveys were administered online in January 2020 to samples of the Italian population aged 18 to 75. The results suggest that consumers positively perceive the commitment that lies behind all the conditions tested, strongly influencing intentions to buy. However, consumers have either little or no understanding of differences among green claims and are also easily deceived by exaggerated claims (such as "zero impact"). Using multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM), we highlight the important role of education. Consumers with a higher level of education are more receptive to claims that imply a higher commitment and appreciate the presence of an institutional methodology as a credibility signal. However, even highly educated consumers are likely to be deceived by exaggerated claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a widely used measure of customer loyalty. It was touted as "the one number you need to grow" due to a purported relationship between the NPS and firm growth. A number of academic papers have examined this macro relationship with decidedly mixed results. In this study, we focus on the micro relationship between a customer's loyalty segment (Promoter, Passive, or Detractor) and purchasing behavior. While other studies focus on the relationship between a customer's NPS segment and word of mouth (the other driver of firm growth), only a few have examined the impact of the NPS segment on consumer retention and future spending. Unlike prior studies using consumers, we have objective measures of retention, past spending, and future spending. We explore three important research questions: (1) Does past purchase behavior vary differ across the NPS segments? (2) Does future consumer behavior vary across the NPS segments? And (3) How do the NPS segments compare to other metrics in predicting future consumer behavior? Our data comes from post-visit surveys and transaction histories from the casino gaming industry. We find Promoters have significantly higher levels of past spending, retention, and future spending (controlling for past spending) than Detractors. However, using other metrics such as satisfaction or likelihood-to-revisit provides comparable fit to the data. Furthermore, the average difference in future spending between the Promoters and Defectors is small, despite its statistical significance. While this study provides empirical validation of the use of the NPS segments to capture differences in consumer behavior, managers have options with comparable explanatory power to measure the state of their relationships with customers. This study adds to the very limited empirical research that validates the assumptions about consumer behavior that underlie the use of the NPS for predicting firm growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the connection between gamification and business success, focusing on customer retention, new customer acquisition, and transforming user perceptions. Based on a qualitative comparative analysis of 40 high-profile gamification projects, it shows that a combination of three key features—virtualization, social comparison, and tangible rewards—explain the various pathways to success. Each pathway requires the presence—and sometimes absence—of different design features, and firms do best when they focus on one or two objectives rather than all three at once. The article presents a framework for designing and implementing gamification more strategically and effectively, noting the ethical questions that arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of consumers expect brands to engage in important societal issues. Brands like Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, and Gillette have launched ads promoting their stances on highly salient issues in public discourse. While corporate social responsibility (CSR) advertising research has explored issues such as skin cancer, heart disease, and abortion, this research stream has yet to investigate how an issue's salience in society influences consumer response. Because salient (versus nonsalient) issues make information more accessible and generate debate, the advertising context (i.e., public issue salience) may influence consumer response to CSR ads. Applying the salience theory of party competition to CSR advertising, this research shows how an issue's consensus level and individual issue importance differentially impact brand attitudes and purchase intentions when an issue is salient. Through a series of four experiments with real ads, the present investigation shows how and when public issue salience affects marketing outcomes. This research adopts an issue-centric view and contributes to CSR advertising scholarship by (a) opening a new theoretical corridor, (b) demonstrating empirically how the advertising context (public issue salience) influences marketing outcomes, (c) providing a more holistic, comparative advertising perspective on issue selection, and (d) generating new insight into individual issue importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing substantially on epistemologies developed in the context of vulnerable populations and responding to calls for greater epistemic justice in marketing research, an intersectional framework involving positionality, partiality, reflexivity, and situated knowledges is proposed to reflect on undertaking market research with Muslim minority populations in non-Muslim majority countries. This population is often highly vulnerable due to stigmatisation, Islamophobia and processes of othering that affect Muslim consumer behaviour, practices and identity. The framework is derived from reflexive experiences of market research undertaken by the authors on and with Islamic consumers both on an individual and collective basis and from relevant literature. The framework highlights the relational nature of the research experience and the situatedness and positionality of both the researcher and researched. In the case of research with Muslim populations we also draw out the significance of religious identity, ideology and religiosity; intersectionalities, including gender; and religious and cultural power as framed by cultural and institutional practices and which affect notions of class and attitudes to the other. We propose an approach that helps overcome Muslim/non-Muslim binaries that flatten the lived notions of the Muslim experience and consumption practices and instead provide for a richer and more representative account of Muslim identity. However, this approach also heightens researcher sensitivity to the situatedness of Muslims within social norms and the implications that this has for anonymity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a rigorous and in-depth systematic review of the literature on Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) and its applications in marketing research. Despite the widespread use of conventional models and theories in marketing research, motivational theories, such as BPNT, which have demonstrated significant effectiveness in driving motivation, have been relatively neglected. BPNT proposes that fulfilling basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (ACR) leads to intrinsic motivation, emotional stability, and strong attachment. Our systematic review identifies how the constructs underpinned by BPNT have been utilized, as well as what research designs, contexts, and methodologies have been applied in marketing research. By integrating BPNT into marketing research, the authors aim to provide researchers with much-needed directions for future research and advocate for its continued growth. Specifically, the review notes tensions in terms of contradictory findings, identifies major gaps, and operationalizes BPNT in marketing research by establishing a set of marketing priorities (provided in the form of testable propositions) in seven major domains under the lens of BPNT. As the first systematic literature review of its kind, this theoretical study serves as an essential reference and valuable resource for scholars and practitioners aiming to explore and integrate BPNT into their research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which alternative measurement units affect consumer behaviour is the subject of a handful of studies, which, however, measure this effect at an aggregate level. This presents a gap in that it is of great importance for marketing practice to understand whether the observed effect applies to all consumers to a similar extent. Investigating the product category bottled beer and applying an importance-focused post hoc segmentation, it is discovered that no measurement-unit effect occurs for brand-oriented customers. The unit of measurement in which a unit price is indicated substantially influences the preference structure for only one in five respondents. Both strategic and operational decisions with regard to unit prices should therefore not be based on an averaged market view, but on a segment-specific perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common theme across these special issue articles is the call for collaboration between advertising practitioners and scholars to facilitate social change through inclusive advertising. The expansion and contestation of various social and cultural norms across identity categories such as race, gender, sexuality, physicality, and ability underscores the need for inclusive advertising that can reflect today's demographically diverse market and resonate with underrepresented consumer communities (Licsandru and Cui [9]). At the same time, recent industry surveys suggest that almost half of the interviewed U.S. consumers (42%) strongly care about inclusivity in advertising and may boycott brands that fail to represent diversity (Statista [20]). The study reveals that the increase in donor feelings of social connectedness to the advertising protagonist rather than the feelings of moral elevation and empathy for out-group recipients explains the effectiveness of benefactor-focused charity advertising for out-group recipients. [Extracted from the article]

In leading strategy theories, such as industry analysis and value capture theory, maximizing bargaining power with transaction partners is a critical driver of profitability. However, in recent years a new business model has emerged that contradicts this fundamental precept: With pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing, a seller allows a buyer to name any nonnegative price, even zero, for the seller's product or service, and yet, enough buyers make voluntary positive payments, and of sufficient magnitude, that the seller may earn a substantial profit. Motivated by this development, we posit a theory of how value creation and value capture—though generally treated as distinct processes in strategy theory—are in fact strongly connected through the sociopsychological framing of a transaction: If a transaction is framed as a social exchange between the buyer and seller, the seller may capture more value with PWYW than if the seller posts a price or haggles with the buyer over terms in a market-based exchange. Our theory not only offers testable predictions about the conditions determining when PWYW will be successful but also extends strategy theory to consider social exchange as a mechanism for creating and capturing value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UNLABELLED: In May of 2022, millions of U.S. parents encountered uncertainty in safely feeding their infants due to the infant formula shortage. METHODS: An anonymous, electronic, cross-sectional, retrospective survey was used. RESULTS: U.S. parents (n = 178) whose infants were ~10 weeks old during the shortage completed the survey. Of parents, 81% switched formulas during the shortage, 87% switched because they could not find the formula they typically used, 34% switched 3-5 times, 29% of parents visited ≥4 stores/24 h and 26% of parents traveled >20 miles/24 h to purchase formula. Use of infant formula increased (p < 0.01); in infants requiring specialty formula, use of intact cows milk formula increased (p < 0.05) and use of premature infant formulas decreased (p < 0.05). Infants relying on specialty formulas experienced at least one undesirable outcome compared with non-specialty users. Parents used social media, relatives/friends and healthcare providers for support during the shortage, but their helpfulness scores were suboptimal. Parents reported the need for greater infant formula availability, free prenatal lactation education and postpartum lactation support. CONCLUSIONS: Government, regulatory and healthcare policy oversight are needed to protect the infant feeding system, including more commercially available products, access to banked donor milk and lactation support.

This article explores the emergence of metrosexuals among millennial men in five South-East Europe (SEE) countries and their subculture of consumption. It qualitatively studies their beliefs about masculinity and metrosexuality, and it identifies their purchasing behaviours' of grooming products online and offline by employing digital extended self-theory to provide strategic guidance for marketers and new insights for academics. This qualitative study includes ten semi-structured in-depth interviews and one hundred qualitative open-ended questionnaires. Additionally, it employs netnography to analyze the subculture of consumption of male metrosexuality in two representative blogs. The findings reveal that SEE millennial men embrace a dual identity, a traditional masculine identity, which co-exists with their metrosexuality, creating an emotional conflict as they differ along an accepted to extreme continuum. Metrosexual men are heavy users of personal grooming products favouring online purchasing (1) due to the frequent lack of retail availability in SEE countries and (2) their sense of embarrassment––the underlying emotional conflict. This study directly challenges the existing academic literature, which supports the dominance of traditional masculine identity among developing countries. For both marketers and academics, it presents a different market reality. Metrosexual males show a distinctly different self-identity online from offline. Social media provides them with a safe space, which is often subject to public embarrassment in offline settings. These findings have note-worthy implications for marketing practitioners including communication messaging, social media strategy, brand identity and presence, and product development. They provide insights for both practitioners and academics regarding the subculture of consumption of metrosexuals in the historically macho male-dominated SEE regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Content created by employing artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, also known as synthetic content, promises to radically change the advertising and marketing landscape in the coming decades, presumably for the better. It is fundamental for advertising and marketing scholars and practitioners to have solid knowledge of how synthetic content is perceived by consumers before widespread adoption is promoted. Across three experimental studies we tested how consumers in charitable giving contexts reacted to advertising messages featuring content generated by an AI neural network. We show that potential donors responded differently to children's faces when they knew they had been generated by AI. Study 1 established that awareness of the falsity of a face or its status as an AI-generated image has a negative impact on donation intentions. This negative impact is serially mediated by empathy and anticipatory guilt and empathy and emotion perception. Study 2 investigated several motives for employing AI-generated images and indicated that charities employing those images can benefit by making their ethical motives salient. Finally, Study 3 revealed that under extraordinary circumstances the use of AI images by charities is considered acceptable by consumers and is likely to lead to similar outcomes as the use of real images. Therefore, we recommend a cautious approach to the adoption of synthetic content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual influencers, generated on the computer, are changing the advertising industry. More and more brands utilize virtual instead of human influencers as endorsers for their marketing campaigns for a variety of reasons, e.g., better control of the influencer's behavior, cost savings, or zeitgeist motives (desire to be "up to date"). However, there is currently little research on whether significant advertising goals are achieved using virtual influencers. We analyze, in an initial study, whether consumers find such influencers appealing compared to human influencers and whether they are able to identify that the influencer is not real. Our results show that consumers find it difficult to identify virtual influencers as such and that they still have more positive attitudes toward human endorsers in advertising campaigns. However, virtual endorsers can lead to higher perceived ad novelty. In a second study, we further examine whether the advertised product category functions as a moderator. Results show that perceived congruence between virtual influencers and product is dependent on the product category and leads to higher advertising effectiveness. Our studies lead to the implication that marketers should carefully consider the use of virtual influencers in accordance with the aspired advertising goals and brand values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors examine the effect of regulatory focus and privacy concerns on consumers' responses to highly personalized chatbot advertising. Findings from two experimental studies indicate that predominantly promotion-focused consumers are more receptive and respond more favorably to highly personalized chatbot advertising because they attend more to benefits they may gain from disclosing personal information. In contrast, consumers who are predominantly prevention focused are more attentive to the risks involved and feel unfavorably toward highly personalized chatbot advertising. In addition, consumers who are highly concerned about privacy disdain highly personalized ads, regardless of regulatory focus. Risk-benefit perceptions are shown to mediate interactions of ad personalization, regulatory focus, and privacy concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze a Taiwanese theatre company's ticket sales from 2008 to 2012 to investigate whether a consumer's willingness to pay for a ticket was affected by the company's disclosure of sales information (sales outcome). Sales are stratified by price band in order to understand the unique demand of each price bracket. We hypothesize that the sales outcome of a price band has a positive effect on the willingness to pay for a ticket in that price band, but that effect from other price bands is negative. Our findings support this hypothesis using the historical data of ticket sales from a Taiwanese theater. We also find that the sales speed decreases when the length of selling period becomes longer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION It is the right of the consumer to expect that food sourced and consumed will be safe, nutritious, and of high quality [1]. The primary means to ensure that [...], Food labels are the first source of information customers come across when sourcing a food product. Labels provide information about the ingredients, nutritional content, allergens, as well as the origin and advice on the food's processing and preservation conditions. This information allows the consumer to make informed food choices. Although food labels are provided to help consumers choose healthy foods, it is not established whether they know and understand the information to use to their advantage. The need to comprehend consumer knowledge, understand food labelling information, and whether it could influence consumer choices are vital to researchers, policymakers, and the food industry. The study investigated the knowledge and understanding of food labelling information among Klipgat consumers. In a cross-sectional community-based study with a structured questionnaire, 400 participants were conveniently interviewed on consumer knowledge, understanding of information, and utilization of labelling information. A chi-square for the association of variables compared differences in the districts, and p-value Key words: communities, food labelling information, labelling terminology, consumer label understanding

This research explores consumers' responses to sexual appeals in advertisements in the context of access-based consumption. The results indicate that male consumers' responses toward sexual appeals are more negative when the advertised products are access based (versus ownership based). For female consumers, sexual appeals lead to equally negative responses in the two consumption modes (Study 1). Male consumers react more negatively to sexual appeals (versus nonsexual appeals) when the advertised product is access based because of a heightened desire for possessiveness, which conflicts with the nonpossessive nature of access-based consumption (Study 2). Notably, the negative effect induced by sexual appeals in access-based consumption mode is supported regardless of whether the degree of match between advertised product and sexual appeals is high or low (Study 3). Moreover, sexually conservative consumers respond to sexual appeals more negatively when the advertised products are access based (versus ownership based) (Study 4). These findings have important implications for advertising activities in the context of access-based consumption and the sharing economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores mechanisms that influence the absorption of external information within the creative advertising development process. Consumer information, in the form of consumer research or evaluations of consumer responses, is presumed to be the building block of consumer insights for agencies seeking more effective communication with consumers. Successful agencies are presumed to have the capacity to absorb consumer insights and utilize them to develop effective advertising strategies. But consumer insights do not always translate seamlessly into a strategy dialogue. Absorbing and using external knowledge has costs beyond those of acquisition or simply employing "creative" people. Agencies, through their sociocognitive processes, have to actively identify useful information, make it accessible to the organization, and then exploit it to develop creative ideas. A study is presented on how group dynamics influence knowledge absorption, which then shapes the emergence of creative ideas. Group cohesion and interpersonal friction are examined. Subjects include 184 advertising practitioners reporting on 548 campaigns. Results show that in some group settings effective absorption of external information occurs, which improves the creative quality of promotional campaigns. However, in other situations the work changes in character, shifting from more original to more appropriate, rather than improving overall creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the focus for many advertising academics and practitioners has been on nostalgia, there is a dearth of research on future-focused appeals. We introduce a new concept, forestalgia, or a consumer's yearning for an idealized future. To understand the impact of nostalgia and forestalgia, qualitative background interviews were conducted with creative directors and other advertising creatives from numerous nationally recognized advertising agencies. Building on the insights from the interviews and using construal level theory as our foundation, we explore consumer response to hedonic and utilitarian products when appeals employ far-past, near-past, near-future, and far-future framing. Thus, we examine whether nostalgia or forestalgia is better suited for certain products. We find utilitarian products are better received with a temporal distance that is far from the present with hedonic products better suited for appeals framed in the far past and near future. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed, along with future research considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and purpose: There are many articles specifying coffee's influence on the health and behavior of consumers. However, most of the studies are conducted on populations living in the United States, Western Europe or China. We did not find many studies reporting the effects of coffee consumption on the Slavic population. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of coffee consumption in this population and its impact on such health elements as insomnia, body weight, well-being, irritation, hypertension or headache. Material and method: The anonymous survey included questions about the frequency of coffee consumption and selected health effects was created and subsequently distributed through social media (Telegram platform) in August 2023. Results: We collected a total of 89 surveys. The median age of participants was 31 (IQR: 24-38). 27 individuals indicated that they do not consume coffee at all (30.34%). The rest of the group most often choose the following options: I drink it several times a day - 24 individuals (26.97%) and 26 individuals drink it once a day (29.21%). We demonstrated a correlation between the amount of coffee consumption and the frequency of insomnia (r=0.39, p=0.028). Additionally, we observed a negative correlation between coffee consumption and body weight (r=0.18, p=0.048). However, we did not find a relationship between coffee consumption and elevated or lowered mood (p>0.05). Conclusions: In the study group, the frequency of coffee consumption was higher than the global average and in some cases led to insomnia. The positive aspects of drinking coffee outweighed the side effects and lead to the conclusion that it is a safe drink in the group of surveyed Slavs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamification, the integration of game design elements into various processes, has found application in promoting sustainability. The field of simulation and gaming has a history of using games to teach and raise awareness about sustainability issues, covering all areas addressed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Gamification has emerged as a solution to bridge the gap between knowledge and action in sustainable development. It can motivate individuals to improve sustainability, create networks to solve complex problems, and has been successful in interventions such as reducing energy consumption and promoting sustainable food choices. There are different design approaches to gamification, including instrumental design that nudges behavior and humanistic design that involves users in co-defining problems and solutions. This issue of the Simulation & Gaming journal explores the success factors of gamified interventions in sustainable development, including business models, contextual factors, and skill-building interventions. The issue includes articles on gamified sustainable consumption apps, promoting virtuous water usage practices, and teaching road safety to school children using virtual reality. [Extracted from the article]

The existing body of literature indicates a growing interest in research pertaining to the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on marketing strategies, processes, and practices. However, further studies are required to fully unravel its complete potential and the implications it holds for practical application. The aim of this special issue on "The Next 'Deep' Thing in X to Z Marketing: An Artificial Intelligence-Driven Approach" is to explore the next frontiers and delve into the various facets of AI-driven marketing, shedding light on cutting-edge research and practical insights that can shape the future of the field. It also focuses on novel ways of using AI techniques to derive innovative insights that can streamline marketing processes and make businesses more effective. The papers herein contribute not only to the advancement of knowledge and understanding surrounding the utilisation of AI in marketing but also play a crucial role in establishing a renewed and revitalised research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria treatment is faced with the challenge of access, affordability, availability, and quality of antimalarial medicines. Affordable medicines facility-malaria (AMFm) program and subsequently Co-payment mechanism were developed to help increase access to quality assured Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We explored through a qualitative study, experience of healthcare personnel on Co-payment mechanism and the implication on its use in private drug outlets in Uganda. Method: Private drug outlets that reported stocking antimalarial agents in moderate-to-high and low malaria transmission settings were purposively selected for inclusion in the study. In each drug outlet, data was collected from a pharmacist/dispenser through key informant interview. The interview was done using a key informant interview guide which covered the following areas, (i) sociodemographic characteristics, ii) awareness of healthcare personnel on the co-payment mechanism, (iii) awareness of healthcare personnel on quality assured artemisinin combination therapies (QAACT), (iv) antimalarial stocking in private drug outlets, (v) antimalarial dispensing prices, (vi) considerations made while stocking, and pricing antimalarial agents, vii) challenges in antimalarial dispensing, and (viii) access to antimalarial agents in private drug outlets. Data was managed using Atlas.ti and analyzed using framework methodology. Results: Data was collected from 25 key informants (12 pharmacists and 13 dispensers). Five themes emerged following data analysis, (i) antimalarial stocking influenced by price and client demand, (ii) access and purchasing behavior of drug outlet clients, (iii) basis of dispensing antimalarial agents in private drug outlets, (iv) awareness of QAACT, and (v) awareness of Co-payment mechanism. None of the study participants was aware of the existence of Co-payment mechanism and QAACT in the private sector. Duocotecin brand of ACTs was the most mentioned and dispensed ACT among the study participants in private drug outlets. Nearly all the pharmacists/dispensers said that many clients who request to purchase ACTs don't come with a prescription and prefer buying cheaper antimalarial agents. Study participants reported stocking and selling both ACTs and non-ACT antimalarial agents in the drug outlets. Pharmacists/dispensers in the drug outlets reported that most clients could not afford buying a full dose of an ACT. None of the study participants considered using Co-payment mechanism while stocking ACTs in the drug outlets. Conclusion: There is lack of awareness and utilization of Co-payment mechanism in stocking, pricing, and dispensing of ACTs among pharmacists/dispensers in private drug outlets in Uganda. The antimalarial dispensing in drug outlets was mostly based on prescriptions, clients' preferences, and medicine affordability. The Ministry of Health needs to create demand for Co-payment mechanism through public awareness campaigns, training of healthcare personnel and behavior change communication in the private sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve a competitive advantage, corporations are growingly adopting strategies to effectively promote their market demand. Trade credit payment and pricing strategies provided by corporates can efficiently influence customers' purchasing behavior. Although granting a trade credit strategy can increase corporations' market share, such a strategy is a risk-based financing program for corporations. Therefore, corporates should choose whether to use trade credit financing in their long-term. This paper proposes an analytical model to investigate the evolutionary behaviors of retailers regarding pricing and trade credit strategies in the long term. In the study under investigation, retailers can use two financing strategies: risk-based trade credit and non-trade credit (i.e., pricing). This study provides both numerical and analytical findings. Our findings demonstrate that the risk-based trade credit strategy is the stationary financing solution for retailers in the long term. The result indicates that when customers are financially constrained, providing a trade credit scheme to customers is a successful marketing policy in both short-term and long-term frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) technology trend is transforming business and society. This creates a need to understand strategic behavior in the consumer IoT, where firms tend to offer multiple platform devices, and new generations of devices are introduced frequently. We propose a novel analytical model that formalizes the concept of a multiplatform firm that offers a system of platforms, such as a smartphone, and a new platform device, such as a smartwatch, and orchestrates a multiplatform ecosystem. The analysis shows how a platform design decision, like offering a new standalone device, affects consumer choices and market outcomes. We identify two classes of new devices that matter, and show when a new platform device may disrupt the smartphone market. Moreover, we characterize conditions under which it is profitable for a vendor to make its new platform device look and feel more like its smartphone. Overall, we provide insights into how multiplatform firms differ from platform firms. We identify future research opportunities on the economics of consumer IoT and multiplatform ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese traditional cultural symbols possess great aesthetic and cultural value, and are widely utilized in product design. In this study, we explore the relationship between metaphor design based on traditional cultural symbols, customer experience and cultural identity, and further estimate how these three variables stimulate consumers' perceived value to generate consumers' purchase intention. Based on existing traditional cultural literature and Stimulus-organism-response theory (SOR), we proposed a theoretical research model to characterize the relationship among metaphor design based on traditional cultural symbols, customer experience, cultural identity, perceived value and consumers' purchase intention. A research survey was conducted and 262 questionnaires were collected in total with 241 valid. We used Smart PLS graph version 3.0 for data analysis. Results indicate that the cognition of metaphor design based on traditional cultural symbols and customer experience has a direct and significant impact on the emotional value thereby, eliciting consumers' purchase intention, metaphor design based on traditional cultural symbols is directly and indirectly (i.e., through customer experience or perceived value) positively associated with consumers' purchase intention, also customer experience is directly and indirectly (i.e., through perceived value) associated with consumer purchase intention, cultural identity mediates the indirect effect of customer experience and perceived value on purchase intention, the moderating role of cultural identity between customer experience and perceived value is not significant. Our findings help to expand the existing literature on consumer purchase intentions by rationally using traditional cultural symbols in the product metaphor design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns over sustainability have recently drawn more attention in a post-COVID-19 environment, particularly from developing countries. This heightened global awareness of sustainability highlights the importance of comprehending consumer behavior in purchasing green products. This study utilized an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) called the sustainability theory of planned behavior (STPB) to holistically assess the behavioral intention among green consumers in a particular developing country: the Philippines. Convenience sampling was used with 500 participants, and 54 modified questions were distributed online. Different factors, such as perceived environmental concern, perceived economic concern, perceived authority support, subjective norm, attitude, perceived behavioral control, customer perceived value, and purchasing intention, were assessed concurrently through the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Through this, it was discovered that all the STPB predictors were significant drivers affecting the consumers' purchasing intention, with customer perceived value having the highest direct effect. Moreover, it was found that the relationship between perceived economic concern on subjective norms and perceived behavioral control was insignificant. Further implications and comparisons were made based on the results of the study. The study's findings can be utilized to help policymakers and marketers devise strategies that will effectively encourage sustainability through targeted interventions and increased product awareness. The study has validated the integration of new constructs into the TPB, enhancing the predictive power of the proposed model for assessing the behavioral intention to purchase green products. Thus, the model construct can be applied and utilized to investigate other topics regarding sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study examines the behavior of wine consumers toward virtual wine experiences (VWEs), which are innovative and resilient solutions adopted by actors in the wine and wine tourism sectors during the recent pandemic, with an inherent potential for sustainability. While the phenomenon is still evolving due to the digitalization megatrend and the marketing potential of VWEs for wineries, the literature on this topic is still limited. Methods: We apply an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), relying on a large and representative sample of Italian wine consumers to analyze the effect of personal wine involvement, risk attitude, and future wine tourism intention in addition to attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Results: The results confirm that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, wine involvement, and future wine tourism intention positively influence intentions, while risk aversion negatively affects behavior. Discussion: This first application of the TPB to technology-based wine experiences. It provides key insights for researchers, practitioners (such as wineries and wine tourism stakeholders), and policymakers for the development of VWEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The research on the cultural aversion to eating insects in Western countries provides valuable insights into consumer behavior and consumption patterns. By exploring the cultural norms, historical practices, and symbolic associations related to insects, the study sheds light on why most people in Western societies find it difficult to accept insects as a food source. This research contributes to existing consumer research knowledge by delving into the roots of disgust and negative perceptions surrounding insect consumption. It situates itself within the broader context of cultural and historical influences, examining the impact of Slavic folk culture, biblical references, and symbolism associated with specific insect species. This comprehensive approach enhances understanding of the multifaceted nature of disgust towards insects as a potential food source. The research is relevant to academia and non-academic constituents, such as policymakers, food industries, and cultural influencers. Understanding the cultural and psychological barriers to insect consumption can guide marketing strategies, product development, and public awareness campaigns to promote alternative protein sources. Policymakers may use these findings to address regulatory hurdles and promote the acceptance of insect-based products in Western markets. Insects are a conventional food in many cultures worldwide. Why therefore are they treated with aversion by the majority of people in Western countries? The aim of this work is to understand cultural norms and historical practices related to insects that can explain why in the countries of the West it is so difficult to accept them as a foodstuff, and why the disgust that they arouse is more common than in other regions of the world. Insects in Western countries are associated with negative experiences resulting from cultural and religious beliefs, traditions, stories, myths and individual experiences. Although there are species of insect that have positive associations, the high number of negative terms popularized the negative image of these creatures in people's minds, as a result of which the concept of insects as a foodstuff arouses disgust in the culture of the West. Understanding the aversion to insects will contribute to the broader understanding of consumer attitudes, cultural influences on consumption, or potential shifts in food choices. It also can help develop strategies or methods that will assist in changing this reluctance and encourage the utilization of insects as a food source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organic food industry has experienced rapid growth in recent decades. The industry is relatively new to developing countries compared to developed countries. Since Iran has the potential to produce organic products, it is essential to study factors that influence consumers' intention to buy them. The present study was designed and implemented for this purpose. In this cross‐sectional study, 520 adults were selected using multistage sampling. Path analysis was employed to test a hypothesized model of predictors of consumer purchase intention for organic food. Attitude, environmental concern, and sensory characteristics directly impacted the intention to purchase organic food (p <.01). Knowledge, perceived price, and household size indirectly affected purchase intention through attitude (p <.01). Age indirectly affected purchase intention through health consciousness, environmental concern, perceived price, and sensory characteristics (p <.01). Subjective norms, health consciousness, and the perceived convenience of purchase had a positive and significant effect on purchase intention, directly and indirectly, through the mediating influence of attitude (p =.000). The educational level also affects purchase intention directly and indirectly through knowledge, health consciousness, environmental concern, and subjective norm (p =.000). The most potent total effects belonged to health consciousness, subjective norms, and education, respectively. Overall, the model could explain 47% of the intention variance and 45% of the variance in attitude. Various factors influence Iranian consumers' decision to buy organic food. This information can help professionals make well‐informed decisions in policymaking, production, marketing, tourism, and retailing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of generative AI tools come with the risk of misleading users and radicalizing existing societal biases. This study examined the effects of inoculation treatment on users' attitudes and behaviors by testing a misinformation inoculation model. Based on inoculation theory, it discusses the cognitive mechanisms underpinning the effects of inoculation messages presented by AI chatbots by addressing how users construe inoculation messages and how they influence users' resistance against misinformation. This study renders theoretical rationales and empirical evidence for cognitive immunity by clarifying how the theory can be extended to misinformation and how the framework can be practically implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A discrete choice experiment was conducted to assess the perceptions and willingness-to-pay of Italian consumers regarding plant diagnosis and sustainable cultivation attributes in outdoor ornamental plants, specifically Abelia × grandiflora. The results revealed that most Italian consumers place great importance on the health of ornamental plants during the purchasing process, with a preference for obtaining them from nursery facilities. Additionally, they demonstrated a willingness to pay a price premium for innovative plant diagnosis and sustainable cultivation in the production of A. × grandiflora, amounting to EUR 1.10 and EUR 0.90, respectively. These findings have significant implications for (i) nursery growers, enabling them to shape their sustainable nursery management and marketing strategies, and (ii) policymakers, facilitating the enhancement of communication strategies and the implementation of awareness campaigns aimed at promoting the sale of healthy Italian ornamental species, following the current EU regulation 2020/1201. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the animation market in China has flourished, and many brands use animation as a popular promotional platform to showcase their products and brands through product placement, benefitting from this marketing approach. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate the impact of product placement on Generation Z consumers—the primary audience for animation. In this study, we used popular Chinese animation to investigate Generation Z consumers' cognition, attitude, and purchase intention regarding product placement. The results show a significant correlation between brand cognition, attitude, and purchase intention. Low-profile brands achieve better product placement effects in animation than high-profile brands. This study also established a mathematical model of participants' post-cognition, post-attitude, and post-purchase intention regarding product placement in animation through factor analysis. This mathematical model intuitively shows that the effect of product placement in animation is primarily determined by the audience's post-attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes panic buying of storable consumer products accompanied by disasters, using a novel consumer‐search theoretic equilibrium model where consumers follow (S,s) inventory policies. We show that, even if consumers are fully rational, an anticipated temporary increase in consumer shopping costs (as well as conventional demand and supply shocks) can trigger an upward spiral of hoarding demand and result in serious shortages. Due to congestion externalities, panic buying leads to the misallocation of storable products and substantial welfare loss. The model is calibrated using survey data and reveals that the timing of recognizing the shopping‐cost rise is crucial for the severity of panic buying. Some policy options, such as purchase quotas and future sales‐tax reductions, are suggested to mitigate panic buying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of mental accounting, customers have different perceptions of spending. Based on this psychological principle in customer decision-making, retailers often change the number of discounts and prices. As a result, in this study, we tried to use a sample of 389 Domino Company customers to examine the effects of customers' mental accounting due to the discount offering for cheese sales using SPSS software and the Chi-Squared test in this company. Accordingly, a test was arranged in this regard, and customer opinions were measured. Results show that to maximize the understanding of customers' savings, they should use centralized discount frames, not all discount frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]