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Nowadays, creating a positive experience is a key source of competitive advantage (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016). A good experience makes a person five times more likely to recommend a company and more likely to purchase in the future (Yohn, 2019). Besides, gesture interaction technology appears as a promising way to provide individuals a global richer experience than with classical user interfaces (Daugherty et al., 2015). However, we currently ignore the concrete impact of this type of interaction on the consumer experience, whereas it is necessary for an efficient adoption of such interfaces. In this work, we try to get a better understanding of the role of the gestural interaction on the consumer experience, through qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Retailers develop personalized websites with the aim of improving customer experience. However, we still have limited knowledge about the effect of personalization on customer experience and the underlying processes. With a lab experiment, this research specifically examines the effect of actual personalization and perceived personalization on playful customer experience using both subjective and objective measures, with the support of eyetracking techniques. We show that personalization, regardless of whether it is perceived or not, enhance the playful customer experience of a retailing website. In addition, we highlight the presence of two concomitant processes. Content needs to be perceived as personalized to influence the subjective playful customer experience, but actual personalization does influence objective playful customer experience. Although customers spend the same time on the website, they focus more of their attention on their favorite products when content is personalized. Such focused attention leads them to select their favorite products for purchase.

Companies increasingly use personalization to offer a better experience to their customers. Online personalization enables them to learn from customers’ data and adapt their website content accordingly. Although customers may value personalization, it may also trigger privacy concerns. In this context, both regulators and firms need a better understanding of the process underlying the effect of personalization on privacy concerns, as well as the role of information transparency in this process. Drawing on signaling theory, the authors propose how perceived control may mediate the negative impact of personalization on privacy concerns and hypothesize that the interaction effect of personalization and information transparency depends on customer need for cognition. Findings from two experimental studies show that perceived control is lower on personalized websites than on nonpersonalized websites, which leads to privacy concerns. However, the presence of a transparency message can mitigate the negative effect of website personalization for customers who are in low need for cognition.

Based on four essays, this thesis aims at gaining a better understanding of the impact of social media influencers' (SMIs) content strategies on the perceptions, behaviors, and well-being of their followers. More specifically, with the first essay, we explore followers' consumption habits, as well as their perceptions of SMIs' partnerships and drivers of influence. In the second essay, we demonstrate the positive impact of parasocial interaction - an illusion of friendship between followers and SMIs - on attitude towards the SMI but also on purchase intentions and explain the underlying process through perceived intrinsic motivations. In the third essay, we show the limit of SMIs' influence by explaining the negative impact of frequent dissatisfaction with endorsed products on purchase intentions for future endorsed products. We also examine the role of credibility and parasocial interaction in the process. The last essay extends our knowledge on the SMIs’ influence incorporating an original psychosocial perspective. We demonstrate that maintaining SMIs’ genuineness positively impacts followers’ well-being and purchase intentions. We explain this process through upward comparison and self-esteem., (ECGE - Sciences économiques et de gestion) -- UCL, 2022

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Personalisation enables companies to learn from their customers’ online data and to adapt their content accordingly. However, although customers may value personalisation, they may also have negative perceptions of it. The literature identifies these contradictory but interrelated perceptions as a paradox. This qualitative research investigates the process underlying the triggering and management of the paradoxical tensions of personalisation. In light of paradox theory, our contributions are threefold. First, we identify the different paradoxes that personalisation triggers and their triggering mechanism. Second, we emphasise how customers manage these tensions by adopting resolution and acceptance strategies. Third, we identify the levers that companies can use to mitigate these paradoxical tensions.

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Nowadays, creating a positive customer experience is a key source of competitive advantage (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016). A good experience makes a person five times more likely to recommend a company and more likely to purchase in the future (Yohn, 2019). Besides, gestural interaction (Daugherty et al., 2015) technology appears as a promising way to provide individuals a more immersive and richer experience than with classical user interfaces (Vanderdonckt & Vatavu, 2018). However, we currently ignore the concrete impact of this type of interaction on the customer experience, whereas it is necessary for an efficient adoption of such interfaces. The aim of this work is therefore to overcome this gap in order to provide a sufficient understanding allowing to efficiently design such interfaces, with the objective of providing a more complete and rich customer experience. In order to do so, we selected the most representative variables to assess and constructed a conceptual model. We then build a digital catalog controllable by our mid-air hand gestures. After a data collection phase in a controlled laboratory environment, we analyzed the quantitative and qualitative data. Doing so allowed us to answer to our research questions: “what are the key aspects to consider when designing gestural interaction interfaces?” and “how does the gestural interaction impact the customer experience?”. This work contributes to the current literature by providing understanding of the impact of new technologies in retailing, and particularly in the case of 3D gestural interaction. From a managerial point of view, we provide guidelines for the use of this type of new technology and its impact on the customer experience.

Depuis les travaux fondateurs d’Holbrook et Hirschman (1982), construire l’expérience est un enjeu majeur en marketing. Tout ce qui nous entoure s’accompagne d’une expérience et fait donc partie de ce qui nous rend humains (Gustafsson et Kristensson, 2020). De notre côté, nous définissons l’expérience comme une réaction holistique et multidimensionnelle propre à chaque à client/consommateur en réponse à une interaction avec une marque, un employé ou une technologie. Cette réponse résulte à la fois de la dernière interaction vécue mais également de l’ensemble des interactions que le consommateur/client a vécu antérieurement. Du fait de son caractère subjectif, les dimensions centrales de cette expérience sont donc les dimensions affective/ émotionnelle, sociale et comportementale. La dimension cognitive reste toutefois intéressante à considérer, particulièrement dans le cas d’une technologie où la facilité et l’utilité perçue restent des conditions indispensables à une expérience positive. Le caractère immersif qui se rapporte également à la dimension cognitive peut aussi avoir un caractère central, notamment lorsqu’on parle d’expérience dans un environnement virtuel tel que les metavers ou les jeux vidéo En lien avec la théorie des parties prenantes (Freeman, 1984) qui s’intéresse à l’ensemble des parties prenantes affectées par une action, nous considérons que la technologie et sa diffusion au sein des organisations affecte plusieurs parties prenantes au sein de la Société.En lien direct avec notre cadre conceptuel, les trois routes sont abordées dans les articles de ce numéro spécial, tout comme les différentes dimensions et caractéristiques de l’expérience reprises dans notre définition.

Companies increasingly personalize their website content to offer an optimal online experience to their customers. Personalization enables them to automatically adapt their content based on customers’ data. Although customers may value personalization, they may also have negative responses to it, such as privacy concerns. In this context, companies expect that information transparency about data collection and use will help mitigate negative responses to personalization (Kim et al. 2018). Prior studies investigating the role of information transparency in the personalization process were mainly conducted in the advertising context. While some prior research found that information transparency may improve click-through rates of personalized ads (Aguirre et al. 2015) a recent research found that it may also decrease behavioral intentions depending on the type of data being collected to personalize content (Kim et al. 2018). We still have limited knowledge about how information transparency influences the effect of personalization on online customer experience. In addition, we still have limited knowledge about the influence of customer characteristics in the processing of transparency message. This research aims at investigating the backfire effects of personalization on online customer experience. It also aims at examining the role of information transparency and need for cognition in this process. Need for cognition has been identified as an important personality trait in the processing of messages (Cacioppo and Petty 1982; Sicilia and Ruiz 2010). The results of two experiments show that perceived control is lower on personalized websites and that this perceived loss of control triggers privacy concerns. However, the presence of information transparency can reduce these backfire effects depending on customer need for cognition. This research contributes to prior research on personalization and customer experience by further investigating the backfire effects of pers

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The notion of experience has gained in popularity both in management and in computer science. To assess the quality of an information system, specialists in human-computer interaction are now referring to the user experience. On the marketing side, the concept of experience has also become key to describe the relationship between an individual and a brand. Several streams of research exist, some privileging the notion of customer experience and others of consumer experience. However, the multiplication of those works also created fragmentation and theoretical heterogeneity, as emerged through our analyses. This situation is particularly noxious to the communication between the disciplines of human-computer interaction and marketing, becoming more and more necessary. In order to promote this multidisciplinary communication, we clearly define and differentiate the constructs of experience. We also highlight the current heterogeneity in the literature through a systematic literature review and we end by formulating some suggestions to researchers and practitioners. This work contributes to a better communication between the disciplines of human-computer interaction and marketing, and more particularly to the unification of the constructs of experience.

This doctoral dissertation, built on four essays that combine quantitative and qualitative research methods, aims to better understand the process of engagement—the process by which people continue to invest efforts—in healthy behaviors using certain technologies, such as mobile health apps. The first essay aids understanding of the barriers and incentives within the engagement process regarding healthy behaviors and explores the potential influence of technologies on engagement in healthy behaviors. The second essay shows the effectiveness of a specific design element of mobile health apps, i.e., a challenge as gamification mechanic, to further investigate both how to engage users and the underlying process of engagement in different contexts associated with health issues. The third essay further examines various user profiles, focusing on users’ current stages of change in the behavior change process, as well as the influences of the latter in the engagement process. The fourth essay aims to provide a 360-degree perspective on health apps, adding the potential negative effects of a design element—an online community of users—to the positive dimensions that are usually considered in the literature. This paper examines how online communities that potentially activate social comparisons and tie strength perceptions may impact the effectiveness of a fitness application in supporting its users’ behavioral changes. Therefore, this doctoral dissertation contributes to the literature on mobile health apps by offering a better understanding of their ability to further engage users in healthy behaviors. It underlies the user engagement process to gain insights into the effectiveness of health apps as an intervention mechanism in addressing health issues. Specifically, this research provides theoretical insights into the design elements that facilitate or hinder users’ engagement with health apps. This research also contributes from a managerial perspective by guiding field, (ECGE - Sciences économiques et de gestion) -- UCL, 2021

The internal audit function has evolved over recent decades to adapt to the changing business environment. Today, the business environment is increasingly digitalised and requires organisations to adapt. Developed around three essays, this doctoral dissertation investigates how the internal audit function has evolved in a digitalised context in order to help organisations manage risks and achieve their goals. From a theoretical perspective, this doctoral thesis offers a more holistic and comprehensive view of the effects of digitalisation on the internal audit function, by gathering the perceptions of multiple stakeholders. In addition, this research considers multiple dimensions of internal audit quality and shows the positive effects of the use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities by internal auditors on internal audit quality. This doctoral research also provides managerial contributions. First, it highlights the importance for the internal audit function to adapt its scope by developing an agile approach to audit planning. Second, it highlights that developing an advisory role for the internal audit function brings value to organisations. Third, it emphasises the need for internal audit departments to improve their digital expertise to acquire the digital knowledge necessary to audit increasingly digitalised business processes, but also to harness the potential of new technologies, especially data analytics, to perform their missions., (ECGE - Sciences économiques et de gestion) -- UCL, 2021

L’analyse de variance univariée (ANOVA) permet d’effectuer des comparaisons de moyennes entre plusieurs groupes. Utilisée fréquemment pour analyser les résultats issus d’une expérimentation, elle permet ainsi de tester l’existence d’un lien de causalité entre une ou plusieurs variables explicatives (appelées facteurs), qui sont mesurées sur des échelles nominales, et une variable à expliquer (ou variable dépendante) mesurée sur une échelle d’intervalle ou de rapport. L’analyse de variance, appliquée sur des données issues d’une expérimentation, permet de choisir par exemple entre plusieurs niveaux de prix, plusieurs axes créatifs publicitaires ou encore types de promotions. L’analyse de variance multivariée (MANOVA) est une extension de l’analyse de variance univariée (ANOVA) : si l’ANOVA permet d’examiner l’effet de facteurs sur une seule variable à expliquer, la MANOVA, quant à elle, examine de manière simultanée l’effet de ces facteurs (variables nominales) sur plusieurs (au moins deux) variables à expliquer (échelles d’intervalle ou de rapport). Ce chapitre permet de comprendre les objectifs des méthodes de l’analyse de variance univariée et multivariée et de pouvoir mettre en oeuvre ces deux méthodes.

The objective of this research is to investigate the process by which health apps support health behavior change. Specifically, we question the role of the social support provided by an online community of users through two important mechanisms: social comparison (upward vs downward) and users’ ties strength (strong vs weak). Are those mechanisms as favorable to the health app effectiveness as expected? With an experimental approach, we show that upward comparison and weak ties of users negatively influences the effectiveness of a fitness app, measured through perceived social support, users’ self-efficacy, social experience and related attitudes and behavioral intentions. We contribute theoretically to the theoretical knowledge about the role of an online community of users on the effectiveness of fitness apps. We also offer insights to orient health apps designers in their design efforts to improve the effectiveness of their applications.

When an individual decides to launch an entrepreneurial project, he/she is regularly driven by a deep desire for autonomy. In this, the entrepreneur starts a journey where he/she tries to carry his/her ambitions alone. Furthermore, with the multiplication of spaces dedicated to entrepreneurship (incubators, accelerators, coworking spaces, fablabs, etc.) and with the exponential rise of digital technologies, the mobility of entrepreneurs continues to increase. They are constantly moving from one space to another, which further reinforces their isolation. However, by following several entrepreneurs in three distinct collectives, we quickly realized that they were caught in an ambivalence between a desire for independence and a strong need of others to face the challenges of their entrepreneurial journey. In other words, they seek to build their entrepreneurial practice through meetings, activities, arrangements, places and events. How then is their collaborative practice initiated and supported even if they are first and foremost focused on their own projects and objectives? How are their exchanges lasting even when they meet less and are more and more isolated? Through this doctoral thesis, we therefore propose to explore the challenges of building collaborative practices of entrepreneurs developing their project alone. We seek to understand how entrepreneurial collaboration emerges, develops and/or is maintained over time and space. To do this, we used an ethnographic methodology in three collectives seeking to bring together entrepreneurs, support their exchanges and more broadly, their collaboration: (1) Ouishare, (2) la Fabrique d'été and (3) Collaborative Innovation in Brussels. By relying on a three-way conceptual framework (the trials of Martuccelli; the boundary objects of Star and Griesemer; the communities of practice of Wenger) and by separately and transversally exploring these three case studies, we provided answers to our research question: What are the, Lorsqu’un individu décide de lancer un projet entrepreneurial, il est régulièrement animé d’une profonde volonté d’autonomie. En cela, l’entrepreneur.euse s’engage dans un cheminement où il tente de porter ses ambitions indépendamment de ses pairs. En outre, avec la démultiplication des espaces dédiés à l’entrepreneuriat (incubateurs, accélérateurs, espaces de coworking, fablabs, etc.) et la montée exponentielle des technologies digitales, la mobilité des porteurs de projets ne cesse de s’accroitre. Ils transitent en permanence d’un espace à l’autre, ce qui renforce d’autant plus leur isolément. Or, en suivant plusieurs entrepreneurs en trois dispositifs distincts, nous sommes rapidement aperçue que ces derniers étaient pris dans une ambivalence entre un désir d’indépendance et un important besoin des autres pour faire face aux épreuves jalonnant le parcours entrepreneurial. En d’autres termes, ils cherchent à construire leur pratique entrepreneuriale au fil des rencontres, des activités, des arrangements, des lieux et des événements. Comment est dès lors initiée et soutenue leur pratique collaborative alors même qu’ils sont avant tout tournés vers leurs propres projets et objectifs ? Comment se tissent durablement leurs échanges alors même qu’ils se croisent moins et sont de plus en plus isolés ? A travers cette thèse de doctorat, nous nous proposons donc d’explorer les enjeux de la construction des pratiques collaboratives d’entrepreneurs portant seul leur projet. Nous cherchons ainsi à comprendre comment la collaboration entrepreneuriale émerge, se développe et/ou se maintient dans le temps et l’espace. Pour ce faire, nous avons mené un suivi ethnographique en trois dispositifs cherchant à rassembler des porteurs de projets hétérogènes pour stimuler et soutenir leurs échanges et plus largement, leur collaboration : (1) Ouishare, (2) la Fabrique d’été et (3) Innovation Collaborative à Bruxelles. En nous appuyant sur un cadre conceptuel à triple entrée (les épreuve, (COMU - Information et communication) -- UCL, 2021

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Gesture interaction became one of the trending topics in human-computer interaction. This new modality is now starting to be used everywhere (Daugherty et al., 2015) and provide individuals a global richer experience than with classical user interfaces (Vanderdonckt & Vatavu, 2018). This is a significant asset when we know that a good customer experience (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016) makes a person five times more likely to recommend a company and more likely to purchase in the future (Yohn, 2019). However, there is currently a great lack of user-centric approaches. The performance of a system is usually measured with usability (Nielsen & Levy, 1994), which includes purely rational dimensions, while it is now accepted that consumers are not necessarily rational decision-makers (Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982). By not taking into account experiential and affective aspects of the interaction, we have an incomplete and biased vision of the performance of such systems, and particularly in the case of gestural interaction (Hassenzahl et al., 2010). Even if different forms of experience exist in the literature in marketing and human-computer interaction, the role of the affective aspects of the experience in the particular case of gestural interaction is still unknown. To address these gaps, this research aims to explore the experience underlying gestural interaction by conducting indepth interviews and observation phases with customers. The contributions of this research are threefold. First, we extend prior research on the gestural interaction experience by observing the key role of affective dimension in consumers’ responses. Then, we shed light to more specific elements such as intuitiveness, perceived control and immersion. Lastly, we show the crucial role of gestural interaction experience in particular touchpoints of the customer journey and consequently on the consumer experience, specifically in the case of impulse buying.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the internal audit function (IAF) modifies its activities and practices in relation to the digitalisation the organisation. This paper specifically examines the use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities by internal auditors. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a survey conducted with 82 chief audit executives based in the USA and members of the institute of internal auditors. Findings Results indicate a positive relation between the organisation’s level of digitalisation and the use of data analytics by internal auditors during their missions. Results also indicate that the organisation’s level of digitalisation has an indirect effect on the proportion of the internal audit planning dedicated to consulting activities. Specifically, the use of data analytics mediates the relationship between the organisation’s level of digitalisation and the proportion of the internal audit planning dedicated to consulting activities. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted amongst internal auditors based in the US Future research could investigate the insights of other internal audit stakeholders and investigate different legal contexts. Practical implications Results show that digitalisation increases the use of data analytics by internal auditors and the performance of consulting activities. The results, therefore, highlight the importance of these two aspects for the IAF to continue to bring value to organisations. Originality/value This research provides more insights on internal audit working practices. The digitalisation of the organisation leads the IAF to use more data analytics and perform more consulting activities.

L’objectif de cette recherche est de tester le processus par lequel les applications santé soutiennent le changement de comportement. Plus précisément, nous nous interrogeons sur l’impact d’une communauté en ligne d’utilisateurs en tant que support social au travers de deux mécanismes importants : la comparaison sociale (vers le haut ou vers le bas) et la force des liens des utilisateurs (fort ou faible). Grâce à une approche expérimentale, nous observons que la communauté peut avoir un rôle contreproductif en montrant qu’une comparaison sociale vers le haut et des liens faibles influencent négativement l’efficacité d’une application fitness, mesurée par le soutien social perçu, l’auto-efficacité, l’expérience sociale, les attitudes et intentions comportementales. Nous contribuons théoriquement aux connaissances relatives au rôle d’une communauté en ligne d’utilisateurs sur l’efficacité des applications fitness. Nous apportons aussi des recommandations concrètes aux concepteurs d’applications santé pour les guider afin d’améliorer l’efficacité de leurs applications.

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Purpose Digital service innovations have enabled service market access, transforming Africa. This paper aims to investigate individual and contextual drivers of experience value of mobile money transfer (MMT) service during post-adoption given impacts of individual/cultural characteristics in Senegal. Design/methodology/approach Mixed methods. Study 1 qualitatively investigates the effects of individual-contextual drivers on the experience value of MMT and behavioral intentions. Study 2 quantitatively tests the main causal effects between drivers and MMT. Findings Conceptual models of experience value including ethical and social dimensions proposed in MMT are positively related to behavioral intentions. Need for social interaction (NSI), self-efficacy (SEFF) and social pressure (SP) – sources of experience value creation/destruction – must be integrated into business practices. Results show the indirect positive influence of NSI on behavioral intentions through MMTs experience value. Moreover, traditional cultural orientation (TCO) is a source of value creation/destruction. Managers should build ethical relations with users, integrate social functions in MMT and understand users’ cultural and individual characteristics for better customer relationship management policy. Originality/value Few studies examine how MMT experience creates/destroys value in a Sub-Saharan African context, specifically in Senegal. The authors show that SP might destroy value and reveal how individual variables such as SEFF, NSI and TCO affect experience value creation/destruction. Surprisingly, NSI creates value, revealing MMT as hybrid self-service technology.

Gamification is attracting the attention of practitioners and researchers because of its power to generate experiential value for users. However, despite its wide adoption by managers, the practice is poorly conceptualized. In response to this theoretical gap, we propose a set of foundational propositions developed using a microfoundational approach. We explain gameful experience, and we construct a conceptual framework that depicts the underlying process. We expand prior research on the topic through the notion of gameplay. Our conceptual discussion of gamification suggests a research agenda that can stimulate further academic efforts.

The notion of experience has gained in popularity both in management and in computer science. To assess the quality of an information system, specialists in human-computer interaction are now referring to the user experience. On the marketing side, the concept of experience has also become key to describe the relationship between an individual and a brand. Several streams of research exist, some privileging the notion of customer experience and others of consumer experience. However, the multiplication of those works also created fragmentation and theoretical heterogeneity, as emerged through our analyses. This situation is particularly noxious to the communication between the disciplines of human-computer interaction and marketing, becoming more and more necessary. In order to promote this multidisciplinary communication, we clearly define and differentiate the constructs of experience. We also highlight the current heterogeneity in the literature through a systematic literature review and we end by formulating some suggestions to researchers and practitioners. This work contributes to a better communication between the disciplines of human-computer interaction and marketing, and more particularly to the unification of the constructs of experience.

This research investigates the effects of the use of data analytics and internal audit activities on perceived internal audit quality. We conducted a 2x2 between-subjects experiment among upper and middle managers where the use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities by internal auditors were manipulated. Results indicate that managers perceive the IAF as more competent when it uses data analytics, and that managers perceive that the quality of their relationship with internal auditors is higher when internal auditors perform consulting activities. They also perceive that internal auditors’ recommendations are more relevant when they perform consulting activities. Notably, results show that the performance of consulting activities does not affect the perceived objectivity of the internal audit function. In addition, findings show an interaction effect where the use of data analytics with the performance of consulting activities strengthens the perceived quality of the relationship between internal auditors and management.

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