Atul Dahiya and Diptiman Banerji
As avatars are increasingly becoming popular, both scholars and businesses are acknowledging the vast potential that avatars hold for the future. Despite this growing interest in…
Abstract
As avatars are increasingly becoming popular, both scholars and businesses are acknowledging the vast potential that avatars hold for the future. Despite this growing interest in avatars, no review articles have attempted to provide a comprehensive overview of avatar literature and its implications for consumers. The present review addresses this gap using the combination of descriptive analysis (for corpus performance), bibliometric analysis (for corpus performance and emerging themes), and thematic analysis (for emerging themes and implications as well as future research opportunities). We conducted a review of 47 Scopus-indexed articles from 34 journals between year 2006 and 2023. By examining the corpus performance of avatar literature, the emerging themes, and future research opportunities, this review offers scholars a comprehensive overview of the subject matter.
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Gunjan Malhotra and Navneet Fatehpuria
This paper examines the understanding of various factors that influence consumer purchase intentions of renting products as a result of growth in the sharing economy. In addition…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the understanding of various factors that influence consumer purchase intentions of renting products as a result of growth in the sharing economy. In addition, the study examines the notion of consumer minimalism, the mediating role of environmental consciousness and the moderating role of consumer scepticism to explain consumer rental consumption intention.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used a survey questionnaire to collect data from Indian consumers (N = 259). Data analysis involved using structural equation modelling with AMOS v25 and PROCESS macro. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the models involving mediation, moderation and moderated mediation.
Findings
The findings link consumer minimalism and the intention to rent products. This research contributed to the existing body of knowledge by incorporating the concepts of consumer minimalism and consumer scepticism into consumers' decisions regarding renting products. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that environmental consciousness enhances consumers' inclination to rent products, shedding light on the factors influencing this preference.
Originality/value
This research extends the existing literature on consumer purchase intentions for rented products by investigating how consumer minimalism, mediated by environmental consciousness and moderated by consumer scepticism, influences these intentions. The results offer valuable insights for both theoretical understanding and practical applications, guiding marketing developers and brands that cater to minimalist consumers interested in renting products. Additionally, it suggests future research avenues in this domain.
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Muhammad Hasnain Abbas Naqvi, Zhang Hongyu, Mishal Hasnain Naqvi and Li Kun
This study aims to determine whether or not fashion retail brands can maintain their essence by providing personalized care through conventional face-to-face interactions or the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to determine whether or not fashion retail brands can maintain their essence by providing personalized care through conventional face-to-face interactions or the use of e-services.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory investigation is being conducted to attain this goal. According to the findings of this research, Chatbots have an impact on consumer loyalty. The quality of a Chatbot’s system, service and information are all critical to providing a positive consumer experience.
Findings
The study concluded that Chatbot e-services might potentially enable dynamic and fascinating interactions between firms and their consumers. To personalize a Chatbot, firms might change the tone of the language used. Customers are more likely to use a Chatbot if it resembles a real person, which increases their pleasure and confidence in the product.
Originality/value
More precisely, the emphasis of the inquiry was on Chatbot, a relatively new digital tool that offers user-friendly, personalized and one-of-a-kind support to customers. Using information supplied by consumers, the authors examine a five-dimensional model that gauges how customers feel about Chatbots in terms of their ability to communicate with users, offer amusement, be trendy, personalize interactions and solve problems.
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Muhammad Wahab, Muhammad Aamir Khan, Muhammad Siddique and Fakhrul Hasan
This research designed, optimized and tested a context-specific scale to evaluate public sector employees' pension choices.
Abstract
Purpose
This research designed, optimized and tested a context-specific scale to evaluate public sector employees' pension choices.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors developed the scale using a comprehensive process of interviews and focus groups with experts across academia and finance. The authors used the refined scale to collect data from 564 faculty members in public sector universities following a multistage systematic cluster sampling technique. The findings revealed diversity in choice across different socio-economic and demographic variables.
Findings
The results revealed that items related to the defined benefit pension system explain most of the data variance and are preferred widely. This is followed by a preference for monetizing pension benefits and a defined contribution system. These findings indicated the need for flexible pension plans.
Practical implications
Therefore, the progressive movement towards monetization and the shift from defined benefit to a defined contribution pension system due to economic pressures must be accurately calculated and introduced where it is suitable.
Originality/value
Although the theory of introducing a defined contribution pension system and monetization system is appealing, its practical implementation may not be encouraging for all employees.
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Abhinav Srivastava, Srabanti Mukherjee, Biplab Datta and Tanmoy Bag
This study aims to investigate the impact of conspicuous consumption on the subjective well-being (SWB) of Indian bottom of the pyramid (BOP) consumers.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of conspicuous consumption on the subjective well-being (SWB) of Indian bottom of the pyramid (BOP) consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study followed a qualitative phenomenological approach. Focus group discussions were conducted with 72 Indian BOP consumers. Thematic analysis resulted in 21 categories and 9 themes.
Findings
This study revealed three distinct categories of consequences related to the effects of conspicuous consumption on SWB at the BOP. Conspicuous consumption can either enhance or diminish the BOP consumers’ SWB and sometimes even simultaneously have constructive and adverse effects (a double-edged sword). This study presents a conceptual model examining the consequences of conspicuous consumption at the BOP through the lenses of social comparison and compensatory consumption theories.
Originality/value
The literature has classified the consequences of conspicuous consumption at the BOP as constructive or adverse effects. This study reveals that conspicuous consumption at the BOP can be a double-edged sword. This study indicates that social comparison drives compensatory consumption at the BOP, which impacts the SWB of BOP consumers. Such an amalgamation of the theories of conspicuous consumption, social comparison and compensatory consumption is the unique contribution of this research. The implications for practice and policy are discussed.