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PurposeAvatars have become increasingly prevalent on brand websites, yet their impact on consumers' use of these sites remains underexplored. The current study focuses on avatars, which are three-dimensional animated graphical web interfaces that verbally aid the brand stakeholders (e.g. customers, employees and suppliers). Avatars provide administrative and technical information through the brand website. Drawing upon the stimuli–organism–response (S-O-R) paradigm, this research examines the impact of avatars as an information provision and interacting tool (vs a traditional format) on consumers' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors toward a brand. It also investigates the roles of familiarity with avatar use and the language used by an avatar in shaping consumers' responses.Design/methodology/approachAcross two laboratory experiments, the authors examined and confirmed causal relationships between the use of avatars (vs a traditional format) on a website and attitudinal and behavioral constructs.FindingsWe show that avatars (vs written information) had a significant effect on controlling information. The users in our experiments had greater control over the information provided when it was presented as text on a website compared to the case of avatars “telling” the information. Different languages and familiarity with avatar use also affected the consumers' hedonism in terms of website use.Originality/valueWe advance the understanding of avatar use in website design, particularly avatars' verbal interaction, in shaping consumers' cognitive, affective, attitudinal and behavioral responses and add important empirical evidence to the growing body of research and practices involving avatar use in interactive marketing.

The study explores how consumer-brand value congruence affects the quality of consumer relationships and drives the propensity to leave and consumers' voluntary performance. It also examines how the quality of consumer-brand relationships mediates the relationships between value congruence and both propensity to leave and consumer voluntary performance. The study also examines the moderating role of relationship length and consumer age. Data from an online survey of 371 consumers drawn from contrasting service contexts (restaurants and hospitals) were collected. In both service settings, the results reveal that value congruence is positively related to consumer-brand relationship quality and voluntary performance, and the consumer-brand relationship quality is negatively related to the propensity to leave. Furthermore, while consumer-brand relationship quality influences voluntary performance in the restaurant context, its influence does not exist in the hospital context. Contrary to expectations, the length of a relationship with a brand does not enhance the quality of the relationship; rather, value congruence takes precedence. We emphasize the need for special efforts in fostering congruent perceptions among older consumers to get them engaged in voluntary performance. Since a few marketing scholars have examined the role of value congruence as an antecedent of consumer-brand relationship quality, we advance extant literature in examining the impact of value congruence on consumer-brand relationship quality and its outcomes. 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. Scopus

PurposeBased on the foundations of the schema theory, the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and customer experience literature, this research examines how the interplay between a consumer's previous shopping experience(s) and perceived credibility of negative online word-of-mouth (PCNWOM) leads to improved consumer–firm relationship quality (RQ).Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilised series of scenario-based experiments (N = 918) to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe authors show that a focal customer's previous shopping experiences attenuate the perceived credibility of negative word-of-mouth on social media by other customers, which in turn weakens consumer–firm RQ. The authors also show that positive and negative perceptual experiences are asymmetric.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the online shopping experiences described in the experimental scenarios were generic and did not refer to any particular product/service. Thus, calibrating products and services into categories, and studying how product type differences impact online shopping experiences warrant further research.Practical implicationsFrom a practical perspective, the authors demonstrate that not only does enhancing consumer–firm relationship quality demand meticulous integration of consumers' website and social media experiences but also in positive vs negative perception scenarios, RQ wane as review frequency increases.Originality/valueThe authors contribute significant insight into the existing literature by specifically adopting the premise that consumers' previous online shopping experience(s) will influence how credibly they will perceive negative online WOM posted on social media.

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to study the changing consumer behavior toward broiler meat and apprise its consequences toward food insecurity.Design/methodology/approachThis is a sequential exploratory mixed-method study in which qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 38) by snowball sampling. The quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire survey (n = 975) by convenience sampling. The qualitative data were analyzed through NVivo 10 software by using thematic analysis, i.e. the qualitative content analysis (QCA). The theory of consumer alienation provides the theoretical underpinning for a quantitative study. The established scales were adopted and adapted. The quantitative data was analyzed through AMOS 24 software by using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsIt was found that people have many reservations regarding broiler meat. Thus, consumer alienation negatively (ß = −0.10) and the subjective norm positively (ß = 0.82) affects the intention to buy broiler meat.Research limitations/implicationsThe ongoing consumer alienation toward broiler will force them to avoid using this cheapest protein and ultimately will lead to food insecurity in developing countries. It is recommended that people must be adequately educated about the real broiler business and its operations to counter their ongoing misperceptions.Originality/valueIt is the original empirical Research Work.

Purpose This study aims to explore consumption practices of new middle-class Indian women to explicate how they are challenging traditional social norms and redefining their identity through their consumption practices. Design/methodology/approach A total of 32 semi-structured and photo-elicitation interviews were conducted with new middle-class women between the age group of 23 and 40 years in India. Findings This study illustrates how the doing of consumption practices that involve creating, controlling, knowing and transforming is enabling new middle-class Indian women to undo gender disparities embedded in hegemonic patriarchal social order. Also, the study provides new insights into how class and symbolic capital intersect gender to redefine middle-class women’s feminine self. Research limitations/implications This study specifically illustrates how new middle-class women are using consumption practices to uplift their position in household; bring about new modes of social interface; and identity expression and a reversal in gender roles. Practical implications The conflation of women’s independence with consumerism underlines the need for marketers to position consumer goods in a manner that strengthens women’s self and alleviates cultural perceptions of women as subordinate to men in the household. Indian market has considerable growth potential for publicly visible brands that affirm the elevated social status of women and allow them to effectively demonstrate their capital resources. Originality/value An under-researched consumer segment is explored by focusing particularly on the intersection of discourses of women’s individuality with that of their consumption practices. Additionally, pioneering use of photo-elicitation technique coupled with hermeneutic approach enabled to elicit effectively women’s reflections on their behaviours, values and motivations underlying their consumption practices.

Our research examines the effectiveness of monetary compensation and the promptness of response during electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM)-triggered service recovery. Drawing upon restorative justice theories, we explore three main questions: whether the hotel's response to negative online reviews are always beneficial; whether offering compensation or responding promptly is more efficient under different levels of service failure severity; and how the hotel's response influences consumers' future engagement through eWOM media. Experimental results reveal that making minimum online service recovery effort is only effective in fixing consumer attitudes for less severe service failures. Compensation is the optimal solution for less severe failures, while prompt response is optimal for more severe service failures. The hotel's responsiveness to negative reviews and the service recovery outcome positively influence consumers' future eWOM behaviours through the same online medium. Implications for hotels seeking cost-effective management of negative reviews and for online media owners are offered.

Despite increased research into electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in the hospitality sector, the role of emotion in consumers’ eWOM behavior remains underexplored. Highlighting media differences in eWOM, we utilize the online disinhibition effect and social sharing of emotion theory to investigate the consequences of consumption emotion for consumers’ eWOM behavior and emotion-specific media preferences (social networking sites [SNSs] vs. review sites). Experimental results identify emotional intensity as the key driver of consumers’ eWOM-giving intention on both media, whereas emotional valence shows media-specific effects on eWOM-giving. Satisfaction demonstrates a ‘positivity bias’ in consumers’ eWOM-giving, but only on SNSs. Expressive suppression also regulates the impact of emotional intensity on eWOM-giving intention. We push the boundaries of valence-centered assertions in eWOM research and advance theoretical understanding of consumers’ eWOM behavior through the lenses of emotion and media differences. Our findings have important implications for practitioners in the hospitality sector and for eWOM media providers.

Purpose The influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) information, such as online reviews, on consumers’ decision making is well documented, but it is unclear if online reviews still matter in post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which online reviews (aggregate rating (AR) and individual reviews (IR)) influence consumers’ evaluation and post-purchase behaviour by considering the valence congruence of online reviews and consumption experience (CE). Design/methodology/approach Following social comparison theory and relevant literature, the authors conduct an online experiment (pre-test: n=180; main study: n=347). The authors rely on a 2 (CE valence) ×2 (AR valence) ×2 (IR valence) between-subjects design. Findings Congruence/incongruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR affects consumers’ post-purchase evaluation at the emotional, brand and media levels and review-writing behaviour. In comparison to aggregated rating, IR are more important in the post-purchase stage. Similarly, consumers have a higher eWOM-writing intention when there is congruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR. Practical implications The authors demonstrate the importance of service providers continually monitoring their business profiles on review sites to ensure consistency of review information, as these influence consumers’ post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. For this reason, the authors illustrate the utility of why media owners of review sites should support the monitoring process to facilitate the engagement of both businesses and customers. Originality/value The authors break new ground by empirically testing the impact of online review information post-purchase seen through the theoretical lens of social comparison. The approach is novel in breaking down and testing the dimensions of post-purchase evaluation and behavioural intentions in understanding the social comparison elicited by online reviews in the post-purchase phase.

This paper examines the effect of shopping goals and switching cost on customer commitment from the notional lens of the self-determination theory (SDT) through a survey-based data retrieved from Nigerian online shoppers. Findings indicate that (i) utilitarian shopping goal influences hedonic shopping goal; (ii) utilitarian and hedonic shopping goals influence shoppers’ commitment to online shopping; and (iii) switching cost moderates the effect of utilitarian shopping goal on customer commitment. Thus, this paper provides an extended understanding of online shopping acceptance from the viewpoint of the SDT by demonstrating how intrinsic and extrinsic motivators influence shoppers’ commitment to online shopping. We also extend the SDT by illustrating the moderating role of switching cost in the link between utilitarian shopping goal and customer commitment.

In this paper, we examine the influence of employee orientation (EO) on converting constituent dimensions of market orientation (MO) into customer-based performance (CBP) and consider the robustness of these relationships in the context of firm age and size. Based on a sample of 410 mid-to-senior-level managers working in UK service industries, we find that all three dimensions of MO positively influence CBP. While highlighting the utility of employing a multidimensional approach to evaluate the customer-based outcome of MO implementation we highlight the nuanced role of EO in strengthening the MO–performance relationship and emphasize the crucial role employees play in implementing different strategic orientations in a perceivable way to customers.

This study examines the relationships between religious beliefs, brand personality, and new religion-compliant product adoption (NRCPA) in Islamic markets. Findings confirm that religious c...

Increasing technological innovation means level 5 fully autonomous vehicle pods (AVPs) that do not require a human driver are approaching reality. However, the adoption of AVPs continues to lag behind predictions. In this paper, we draw on Mowen's (2000) 3M model taking a multi-analytical approach utilising PLS-SEM and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, to investigate how personality trait sets motivate consumers to adopt AVPs. Based on a survey of 551 US respondents, we identify four necessary traits and five combinations of traits that predict adoption. We contribute to consumer psychology theory by advancing the understanding of the motivational mechanisms of consumers’ adoption of autonomous vehicles that are triggered and operationalised by personality traits and conceptualising innovativeness as a complex multidimensional construct. From a managerial perspective, our findings highlight the significance of incorporating elements that are congruent with target customers’ personality traits, when designing, manufacturing and commercializing innovative products.

Purpose Although customer experience has been widely researched, its effects on behavior toward a government policy are still unclear. Drawing on two theories with some similar and opposing perspectives, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of three components of customer experience (i.e. utilitarian experience, hedonic experience and relational experience) and customers’ intention on behavior within the context of the BVN policy implemented by the Nigerian apex bank. Design/methodology/approach Data emerged from one of the most populous districts in south-eastern Nigeria. Participants were recruited by mall-intercept. Out of the 283 participants approached, 246 participated but only 82.9 percent were valid for analysis. After subjecting data to statistical screening to confirm its suitability for parametric statistical analysis and examining data for the potential effects of common method variance as well as sample representativeness, a partial least squares structural equation modelling technique and the Preacher and Hayes bootstrapping procedures were utilized to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings Based on data obtained from Nigerian bank customers, the paper demonstrated that the customer loyalty arising from the implementation of a government policy is determined more by hedonic experience, followed by relational experience and very much less by utilitarian experience. Findings also indicate that the relationship between the components of customer experience and customer loyalty is complementarily mediated by intention to open new account(s). Research limitations/implications Though the theoretical grounding of the paper strongly supports the study design, the authors strongly recommend that future research should examine customer experience-customer behavior models in situations of policy implementation with longitudinal design. Additionally, since intention to open new account(s) is a complementary mediator of the links between the components of customer experience and customer loyalty, there is need for future researchers to integrate other mediators into the conceptual framework that the authors examined in this paper. Practical implications This paper cautions that whilst the research findings play out effectively in situations where the benefits of the introduced policy and the consumers’ belief in the good intent of the policy are congruent and customers are susceptible to the manipulations of the social class leading to absence of volitional control; firms should not be deceived into relying too heavily on this kind of loyalty because it is situational and consequently promiscuous. Nevertheless, deploying more resources to seamlessly meet the needs of customers in such situations is counter-productive for service organizations. Social implications Based on the findings, it has come to the fore that consumers will be at the receiving end of a government policy poorly implemented by service organizations. When such policies are rolled out therefore, governments should enforce operational modalities that will forestall potential negative experiences that consumers could possibly encounter. Originality/value By examining the effects of three components of customer experience and intention to open new account(s) on customer loyalty within the context of BVN implementation in an emerging banking sector, the authors contribute to the broad stream of literature that focuses on the effect of customer experience on company bottom-line. The strength of this contribution is based on the premise that this paper draw on the similarities and opposing orientations of two theories to uncover these effects. The authors show that the effects of the three components of customer experience on customer loyalty is different from the results of previous research because of the unique perspective adopted in this paper.

Although practitioners-based survey indicated that trust in businesses and other societal institutions wane simultaneously whilst academic literatures support the view that externally sanct...

Purpose While e-commerce has been widely cited as the new marketing frontier, thus necessitating the need to deliver seamless shopping experiences across various online channels to achieve success, very few firms have the well withal to clearly tie customer experience investments to marketing outcomes. Theoretically speaking, the understanding of the drivers and outcomes of online shopping experience especially group behavior is imprecise. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the drivers and outcomes of online shopping experience (OSE). Design/methodology/approach A combination of netnography and conversation analysis was used on a pool of qualitative data generated from the Facebook page of a leading online retailer that has online presence in 11 African countries. Findings Two broad categories of OSE under seven drivers and five distinct behavioral outcomes of OSE emerged from the study. The two categories of OSE drivers, though unique, widely fit into the existing frameworks of OSE. The study also indicates that shoppers seize other shoppers’ reviews as a suitable platform to engage in a wide range of behaviors. Research limitations/implications The main theoretical implications include the following: complaint handling is not only a behavioral construct but also a stimulator/driver of online shopping experience; consumer behavior is stimulated more by cognitive drivers; trust is an outcome of OSE which leads to not only electronic word of mouth but also external response to service failure; and shoppers perceive external response to service failure as the last resort and this last resort can be activated by regrets and poor internal response to service failure. The major limitation of this study is that the proposed conceptual model was not empirically tested. Future research is required to validate the model. Practical implications The managerial implications of the findings are that in addition to providing superior shopping experience through enhancing the drivers of OSE identified in this study, online retailers must work assiduously to reduce incidents leading to service failures and promptly undertake service recovery actions whenever service failure occurs. Online retailers especially those operating in emerging markets will therefore benefit from their service recovery investments if they proactively install processes that enable them to promptly and satisfactorily recover failed services. Originality/value This paper contributes to service science research by proposing a unique belief-attitude-intention model of the drivers and outcomes of OSE on a relatively underexplored field. The proposed conceptual model advances the stimulus-organism-response framework, theory of planned behavior, satisfaction theories and shopping behavior literature in several directions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers with an overview of the service quality and delivery domain, focussing on the inclusion of customer co-production and customer integration. Specifically, this paper concentrates on service quality (including quality measurement), the service environment, controls and their consequences. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review of the literature is conducted, analysed and presented. Findings The review shows that service delivery is both complex and challenging, particularly when considering the unique characteristics of services and the high level of customer involvement in their creation. The facilitation, transformation and usage framework identifies how failures can occur at each stage of service delivery, beginning with the characteristics of the service environment, while control theory offers insights into the formal and informal controls that may be applied in the facilitation and transformation stages, which may reduce the likelihood or extent of such failures. Originality/value Despite the fact that it is widely accepted that service quality is an antecedent to customer satisfaction, it is surprising that this customer co-creation aspect has been largely neglected in the extant literature. As such, the role that customer co-production plays in service quality performance has been examined in this paper. It is hoped that this examination will enhance both theoretical and practical understanding of service quality. It would be useful to find modern tools that can help in improving service quality performance.

Understanding how consumers make ethical purchases has numerous benefits for firms and other stakeholders. Although several ethical decision-making frameworks seek to explain such purchasing behaviour, they typically focus on the content of such decisions, rather than considering how such decisions unfold in a given context. Yet, the complexities of consumer choice suggest that greater insight into how consumers make ethical purchases in store can enhance understanding. We report our findings from a survey of a geographically disperse sample of 688 UK shoppers and argue that a naturalistic theory of decision making, image theory, enhances our ability to explain consumer behaviour in this setting. As well as contributing to theoretical understanding of consumer choice, this has implications for the merchandising of ethical products, such as Fair Trade and ‘green’ goods.

Do large firms exert power to shape the CSR behavior of their SME partners?” We answer this question by proposing a model built on the stakeholder theory and the shareholder theory, and go on to explain how this impact influences the commitment of the SME towards their large partner. The model highlights the central role that different forms of power exercised by the large firm play in the process. A survey of 291 SMEs confirms the key hypotheses, including the mediating role of reward power. The effects of coercive power are noteworthy and they illustrate the complex and competing forces at play in influencing CSR behavioral change in SMEs. The research makes a novel contribution to practice by highlighting among other things, how power, as a negative force via coercion or positively through expert or reward benefits, support or becomes counterproductive to the change process. peerReviewed

Concern over the effect of industries on the natural environment is growing on a multitude of levels. This study examines the effects of how perceptions of (a) environmental values, (b) green image and (c) perceived value of industrial customers influence their loyalty towards suppliers in existing relationships, and how the length of B2B relationships may moderate these linkages. A conceptual framework is developed and data are collected from a global sample (N =121) of B2B customers. We find that both green image and perceived value have a direct positive link with customer loyalty and that environmental values are positively linked to the green image of the supplier. Moreover, the effect of green image on loyalty is mediated by perceived value, with environmental values only indirectly linked with perceived value of the supplier. As the length of relationship increases, on one hand the positive relationship between green image and customer loyalty is strengthened, while on the other the positive relationship between environmental value and green image is weakened. Regardless of how environmentally aware the customer is, green image is a strong predictor of both perceived value and loyalty.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents of word-of-mouth (WOM) in long-term service settings. Specifically, the authors examine the moderating role of action inertia in the relationships between satisfaction and repatronage intention, satisfaction and WOM, and repatronage intention and WOM. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model was empirically tested using survey data from 1,385 telecommunications service subscribers. The data were analyzed using partial least squares path modeling. Findings Results suggest that a positive link between repatronage intention and WOM, hereto a neglected relationship in the marketing literature, in contrast to previous literature, the behaviors of long-term customers are not predictable, and action inertia strengthens satisfaction – WOM and repatronage intention – WOM links and weakens satisfaction – repatronage intention link. Research limitations/implications This study examines customers of a utilitarian service. To further determine the potential of the model, it is desirable to explore the validity of the model in other service settings, particularly those with high hedonic values. Practical implications The study provides valuable insights into repatronage intention – WOM link, with particular emphasis on the measurement and analysis of action inertia. This is important in understanding and evaluating inertia influences and identification of the drivers of WOM. These insights can be used by managers to better allocate their resources when investing in customer loyalty-building exercises and in generating WOM. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature in three main ways. First, it examines the nuances of customer loyalty in continuous service contexts. Second, the study empirically tests the role of repatronage intention as an antecedent of WOM. Third, the study introduces and tests the moderating role of action inertia on positive WOM.

Despite the surge in interest in research on customers’ adoption of internet banking (IB), how discontinued users can be brought back to IB has not received much attention. To respond to this question and to provide a comprehensive understanding of IB customer behaviour, we develop a conceptual model grounded on the extended technology acceptance model, and empirically validate it using a sample of 614 IB customers (including those yet to adopt, current users and discontinued users) from China. Perceived value is the most important driver for explaining all categories of customers’ IB-related behaviours. Banks that implement measures that aim to increase the perceived usefulness of IB and enhance the value of IB are likely to be rewarded with increasing IB adoption amongst its customer base.

How does consumer-brand relationship quality (CBRQ) influence behaviors attributed to personal values? We answer this question by proposing a model that links customer voluntary performance and propensity to leave with CBRQ that stems from customer-brand value congruence. We collected data from an online survey of 371 consumers of restaurants and hospitals in Egypt. Irrespective of the service context, we find that, (1) value congruence is positively related to CBRQ, (2) there is a negative relationship between CBRQ and propensity to leave, and (3) a positive relationship with customer voluntary performance. However, the positive relationship between value congruence and customer voluntary performance was only observed in the hospital context. Furthermore, CBRQ partially mediates the effects of value congruence on customer voluntary performance and fully mediates the effects of value congruence on propensity to leave. Our findings suggest that, by focusing on the notion that brands have similar values to those of consumers, brand managers could achieve some important and desired consequences, most notably consumers voluntary behaviors such as cooperation, participation, and loyalty. In addition, invest in building customers relationships pays dividends as high quality customer-brand relationship acts as a deterrent to customers' willingness to leave. By synthesizing the literature from relationship marketing and branding research streams, the current study represents a new endeavor to specify the direct association between value congruence and propensity to leave and customer voluntary performance and the indirect associations through CBRQ in the services context. This opens the door for future conceptual and empirical evaluations. Given that a considerable bulk of research on value congruence and CBRQ has been developed in Western contexts, our contribution is salient in that we test hypothesized associations in an emerging market. Overall, our study takes relationship marketing and branding literature one step further by identifying the role of value congruence might play in enhancing the relationship quality with the service brand as well as projecting the outcomes of both constructs in a new research setting. 2016, Academy of Marketing Science. Scopus

Building enduring relationships with consumers is a key marketing objective for most firms, but how can they develop such relationships? Drawing on social identity and self-verification theories, this research postulates that value congruence and customer-to-customer similarity drives consumer-brand identification directly and indirectly through brand attractiveness, which in turn paves the way for the development of deep relationships with brands (captured through brand loyalty and resilience to negative information). The findings show that (1) brand identification extends to both private and public consumption settings, but the respective drivers of identification markedly differ; (2) the similarity-attraction paradigm helps explain why consumers are attracted to some brands and not others; (3) identified consumers tend to ignore negative information they receive about the brand. Findings suggest that managers should identify the salient determinants for enhancing identification and create the highest possible congruence between the values of the target market and the brand. Scopus

Despite making significant investments in enhancing the customer service experience, long-term customer loyalty remains an elusive dream for many service providers. Particularly in the telecommunications industry, switching providers even from within continuous contract relationships is easy and companies struggle to retain their customers. Trust and value are considered cornerstones of long-term relationships, so it is perhaps surprising that previous research on how relationship age and usage level actually affect value, trust and loyalty is inconclusive. The current research is set in the telecommunications services field and draws on a large-scale survey undertaken in Finland. The findings support the contention that perceived value relates positively to loyalty, and that trust mediates that relationship. Surprisingly, in the telecommunications industry, increasing relationship age and usage level strengthen neither value and loyalty nor the links between trust and loyalty. The results may be explained by the unique characteristics of the highly competitive mobile telecommunications sector, and confirm the view that “loyalty does not pay” without strategies that value long-term customers and thereby build trust with new customers. peerReviewed

Fair trade (FT) is of growing interest to those carrying out research into ethical decision making. In this paper, we report findings from a recent survey of FT purchasing among 688 retail shoppers in the United Kingdom. We examined the relationship between individual differences, in terms of gender and age, and three outcome measures: purchasing, word of mouth (WOM) recommendation and social advocacy. Though age appeared to have no significant effects, we found evidence of gender difference in each outcome measure. Females in our sample were more likely to purchase FT goods, to recommend them by WOM, and to advocate FT purchasing to friends and family. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of the literature on ethical decision making and gender difference.

In spite of the large number of studies examining the factors influencing purchase intentions, the influence of substitutability, that is, the ability of Internet shopping (e-shopping) to compensate for the lack of sensory inputs as compared to traditional ‘bricks’ shopping, and its effects on purchase intentions has not been adequately examined. This study conceptualises and empirically examines the influence of substitutability on Internet shopping (e-shopping) purchase intentions. Specifically, we examine the direct and indirect effects of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, trust, e-shopping experiences and substitutability on purchase intentions. Data analysis incorporates structural equation modelling on 150 respondents. While we find that attitude, trust and substitutability influence purchase intentions, we find no significant effects of subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. The study also suggests that substitutability exerts moderating effects on the relationships between attitude, e-shopping experience and trust on purchase intention. Finally, the authors discuss both the theoretical and practical contributions of the findings and offer directions for further research.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the impact of service encounter quality within a service evaluation model. The conceptual model seeks to incorporate the following constructs: service encounter quality, service quality, customer satisfaction, perceived value, loyalty to the firm and loyalty to the employees.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model was developed based on a comprehensive literature review. A questionnaire was developed with item measures that captures the constructs in the conceptual model. A survey of business customers was undertaken, and a response rate of 18.6 per cent was obtained. The data are analysed via confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.FindingsService encounter quality is directly related to customer satisfaction and service quality perceptions, and indirectly to perceived value and loyalty. The paper offers insights into the specifics of business‐to‐business service dynamics by examining the role of service quality, satisfaction, value on loyalty to both employees of the firm and the firm itself. It demonstrates how firms may be able to contribute to the achievement of organisational objectives through careful and creative management of the service encounter.Originality/valueResearch examining the role that service encounter quality plays within service evaluation models is scarce. Moreover, most service evaluation models are operationalised within a retail customer context. The paper addresses both these shortcomings, by examining a comprehensive service evaluation model which incorporates service encounter quality within a business‐to‐business context.

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the antecedents of online shopper excitement, its consequences for behavioural intentions as expressed by intent to return, and positive word‐of‐mouth communication.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model is developed based on the literature. Instrument item scales to measure all constructs in the model were as informed by the literature and adapted from prior studies. An online structured questionnaire survey was sent by e‐mail to a UK consumer panel (n=626). The results were analysed using LISREL 8.7.FindingsConvenience, involvement, attributes of the web site and merchandising all collectively influence shopper excitement. The attributes of the web site and merchandising directly influence intent to return. E‐shopper excitement leads to positive word‐of‐mouth (WOM) and increases the intent to return.Research limitations/implicationsThe study may be limited in that no differentiation is made between the types of goods that e‐consumers purchased. A future extension of this work could be to investigate how the study can be applied to various products, including experience goods such as entertainment.Practical implicationsIt is shown that shopping excitement can increase intent to return and positive WOM. Understanding online shopper excitement can explain some of the reasons why consumers shop online, which in turn can help e‐tailers improve their offerings to their consumers.Originality/valueThe study presents a comprehensive model of online shopper excitement. This is the first study to validate such a model empirically, and therefore the study adds to the understanding of the antecedents and consequences of consumer excitement in the online shopping environment.

PurposeThis paper's aim is to develop a conceptual model to examine the influence of four antecedent factors (personal trust, institutional trust, perceived control and experience) on consumers' willingness to participate in permission‐based mobile marketing. The model is to be tested empirically across three European countries and gender.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from surveys of consumers in Finland, Germany and the UK. The partial least squares (PLS) approach is utilised to test the model fit.FindingsThe main factor affecting the consumers' decision to participate in mobile marketing is institutional trust, which is a significant factor in all three countries and across gender. The influence of other antecedent factors are less pronounced. On the whole, it is found that the more experienced consumers become with mobile marketing, the less influence perceived control will have on permission. There are notable variations across gender, with perceived control being an important determinant of permission for men, while it is not so for women.Research implications/limitationsThe results indicate the relative importance of four antecedents in the likelihood of consumers giving their permission to companies to send mobile marketing messages.Practical implicationsAs institutional trust is the most important determinant of permission based mobile marketing, mobile marketers should focus on building a strong and positive media presence and image, and thereby influence consumers' likelihood of giving permission to mobile‐based marketing.Originality/valueThis is the first international empirical investigation of the different antecedents of permission‐based mobile marketing.

This study conceptualizes and tests a theoretical framework that investigates customers' intention to engage in permission-based mobile marketing communications with a firm in the hospitality sector and examines the effects of gender. The model proposes that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived trust affect attitude toward advertising, which in turn, together with perceived behavioural control over mobile communications and reference group influence, affects intention to engage in permission based mobile communications with a firm. Data is collected by the means of an online survey (n = 8,578) and analysis incorporates confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The results support the conceptual model and show specifically that perceived usefulness of mobile communications explains a considerable amount of attitude toward advertising. Attitude was found to explain a considerable amount of the intention to receive messages from a firm. Furthermore, women are found to have a stronger relationship between mobile marketing communications with both intentions to visit and actual visits compared to men. The implications of these results are discussed, together with managerial implications, study limitations, and future research directions.

Contemporary accounts of customer behaviour emphasise reductionism and rationality. They are myopic since they construct customers as homogenous, or reducible to types, and motivated by discrete, separable forces. In Levitt's terms, current research into customer behaviour has been more concerned with the mechanics of selling than marketing, and this is a cause and consequence of contemporary 'marketing myopia'. Taking retail as our context, we advocate greater diversity in representing the complexities of customer behaviour. We summarise contemporary thinking on choice in the customer behaviour literature and critique two commonly used ways of representing choice: trait/type accounts, and stimulus – organism - response models. We then propose and outline an alternative framework for thinking about shopper choice based on Beach's (1990, 1998) image theory. The paper draws out implications for merchandising, and proposes a research agenda.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a three‐country comparison of personal and institutionally based trust as factors affecting consumers' willingness to participate in permission‐based mobile marketing.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model of different dimensions of personal and institutionally based trust and their effect on the consumer's willingness to provide personal information and the permission to use it is tested with data from surveys of young consumers in Finland, Germany and the UK. The data were analysed by structural equation modelling (LISREL8.7).FindingsThe main factor affecting the consumers' decision to participate in mobile marketing is the company's media presence, which is a significant factor in all three countries.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the results of this study establish the sources of trust that play a role in permission‐based mobile marketing, the study of trust in the context of mobile marketing would greatly benefit from research that addresses the process of how trust emerges and develops over time. As a company's presence in the media weighs more than the customer's own experiences or control, mobile marketers should focus on building a strong and positive media presence and image in order to gain consumers' permission for mobile marketing.Practical implicationsAs a company's reputation conveyed by the media weighs more than the customer's own experiences, mobile marketers should focus on building a strong and positive media presence and image, and thereby gain consumers' trust.Originality/valueThe paper is the first international empirical investigation of the different antecedents of trust in the context of mobile marketing.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the purchase intentions of online retail consumers, segmented by their purchase orientation.Design/methodology/approachAn e‐mail/web survey was addressed to a consumer panel concerning their online shopping experiences and motivations,n=396.FindingsIt is empirically shown that consumer purchase orientations have no significant effect on their propensity to shop online. This contradicts the pervasive view that internet consumers are principally motivated by convenience. It was found that aspects that do have a significant effect on purchase intention are prior purchase and gender.Research limitations/implicationsThere are two limitations. First, the sample contained only UK internet users, thus generalisations about the entire population of internet users may be questionable. Second, in our measurement of purchase intentions, we did not measure purchase intentper se.Practical implicationsThese findings indicate that consumer purchase orientations in both the traditional world and on the internet are largely similar. Therefore, both academics and businesses are advised to treat the internet as an extension to existing traditional activities brought about by advances in technology, i.e. the multi‐channel approach.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the understanding of the purchase orientations of different clusters of e‐consumers.

PurposeThe last ten years have seen a gradual withdrawal of retail facilities from many local areas and the consequent growth of “shopping deserts” resulting in social and health disbenefits. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential for e‐shopping to fill the vacuum and to assist disadvantaged shoppers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses prior published research to comment on the extent to which e‐retailing may be the shopping solution of the future?FindingsThe internet has limited potential to compensate for shopping deserts, as consumers who do not have a good range of physical shops within walking distance also tend to lack access to the internet.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is based solely on prior research. The authors recommend action research that may hopefully help excluded shoppers to become more included by addressing the problems of access to e‐shopping.Practical implicationsGovernment, service providers and e‐retailers may consider interventions such as subsidised internet access, training and the provision of e‐cash.Originality/valueThe paper links research from diverse fields relating to shopping deserts, the digital divide, health, wellbeing, social and experiential aspects of (e‐)shopping.

A value‐attitude‐behaviour model was applied to investigate the roles of personal values in e‐shopping consumer behaviour. Structural equation modelling identified that personal values (self‐direction values, enjoyment values and self‐achievement values) were significantly related to positive attitudes toward e‐shopping. Individual attitudes toward e‐shopping were a direct predicator of e‐shopping behaviour and mediated the relationship between personal values and behaviour. This hierarchical relationship among personal values, attitudes and behaviour may be exploited by e‐tailers to position e‐shops and provide a persuasive means for e‐shoppers to satisfy their needs.

Service quality measurement in Internet banking services is an area of growing interest to researchers and managers. Building on a synthesis of the extant literature on service quality in traditional services and that of Internet delivered services, this study develops a battery of measures that can be used to measure customer service quality in e-banking services. The study shows that service quality in e-banking can be measured using twenty-one parsimonious measures spread across five dimensions, namely, access, Website interface, trust, attention and credibility. The article discusses the importance of these findings for practitioners and for future research on service quality in Internet delivered services.

In this paper, the authors conceptualize and test a theoretical framework linking service quality, utilitarian and hedonic value, and trust with three individual loyalty dimensions. The direct relationships between trust and different dimensions of loyalty have received little attention in previous research. Data analysis incorporates confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling on 1385 mobile users. The results indicate that trust is a strong predictor of action loyalty, while utilitarian and hedonic value mainly influence cognitive loyalty and word of mouth communication. The findings of this study offer new insights in increasing revenue per user in this dynamic sector by illustrating the dominating role of trust as an important driver of customers’ action loyalty as well as the importance of value-for-money in enhancing cognitive loyalty and word of mouth.

The authors investigate the role of service bundling in the formation of consumer attitudes toward service providers. Drawing upon theory on service bundling and customers’ perceived risk and value, the authors develop and test the moderating effect of service bundling on attitude and its antecedents based on a sample of 1152 telecommunication subscribers of a Northern European mobile carrier. The research reveals among other things that service bundling moderates the links between perceived risk and price value as well as between functional value and attitude. Specifically, we find that 1) the effect of risk perceptions on price value is less for those who subscribe to bundles, and that 2) the effect of perceived functional value on attitude towards a service provider is also less for those subscribing to a bundle, vis-a-vis those who do not.

There is growing interest in the use of mobile devices and services in firm-client relationships, and especially in sales force management (MSI 2012). Accordingly, we investigate the behavioural intentions of B2B sales managers to use mobile CRM in the course of their work. A conceptual model of mobile CRM adoption is developed and empirically tested with data from 105 sales managers representing five B2B companies. The results highlight the role of perceived usefulness in determining a user’s attitude to mobile CRM and their intention to use it. In addition, perceived reachability and perceived behavioural control were found to explain intention to use. Contrary to expectations, neither attitude or the user’s experience of CRM software nor their experience of mobile devices explains the adoption of mobile CRM.

This study explains the formation of loyalty based on green values, perceived value and marketing communication. A conceptual framework is developed and tested with a global sample (n=121) of industrial customers. The results indicate that a) green values have a positive relationship with perceived value, b) perceived value has a positive effect on communication quality and loyalty whereas its effect on channel effectiveness is insignificant, c) channel effectiveness has a direct positive relationship with loyalty whereas the effect of communication quality on loyalty is insignificant, and d) relationship length has a moderating effect on perceived value-loyalty, channel effectiveness-loyalty and communication quality-loyalty links. The moderating effect is positive for the communication quality-loyalty links whereas, surprisingly, the effect is negative for channel effectiveness-loyalty and perceived value-loyalty links. The study provides both theoretical and managerial contributions.

Academics and practitioners have long recognized the importance of understanding customers' perceptions of service evaluation. While research examining customers' service evaluation is evolving, investigation of the antecedent role that service employees play in the overall service evaluation process seems less well developed. This is surprising given that service employees are recognized as having an important role to play in the formulation of customers' service evaluations. With this in mind, we develop a conceptual model, where the effects of service employees' customer orientation and service orientation behaviors are encapsulated within an extended service evaluation model encompassing service quality, service encounter quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction and behavioral intensions. The model is empirically tested using data collected from 271 customers. Data analysis incorporates confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings indicate that: i) customer orientation is positively related to service orientation, customers' perceptions of service encounter quality and service quality; ii) service orientation influences customers' perceptions of service encounter quality and service quality; iii) customers' perceptions of service encounter quality influence customers' perceptions of service quality and customer satisfaction; iv) customers' perceptions of service quality influence value perceptions; v) service quality influences customer satisfaction; and vi) customer satisfaction influences customers' behavioral intentions. The importance of these findings for practitioners and academics, research limitations and future research avenues are subsequently discussed.