Sara Quach, Felix Septianto, Park Thaichon and Billy Sung
This research examines the effect of team diversity on customer behavior (purchase likelihood) associated with sustainable luxury products and further considers the mediating role…
Abstract
Purpose
This research examines the effect of team diversity on customer behavior (purchase likelihood) associated with sustainable luxury products and further considers the mediating role of customer skepticism and the moderating role of the growth mindset in these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 aims to confirm the direct effect of team diversity on purchase intention and the mediating effect of customer skepticism. Featuring a fictitious brand, Study 2 seeks to test the moderating effects of a growth mindset. This research recruits participants located in the USA who have shopping experiences with a luxury product.
Findings
The findings support the notion that team diversity can mitigate customers' skepticism while enhancing purchase likelihood. Moreover, this effect is stronger among those with a growth mindset. As such, the findings suggest that communicating the heterogeneous composition of team members can benefit sustainable luxury brands.
Originality/value
Underpinned by the signaling theory and incremental theory, this research examines the effects of team diversity on customer behavior (purchase likelihood) related to sustainable luxury products, as well as the role of customer skepticism (as a mediator) and a growth mindset (as a moderator) in these relationships. Thus, the findings broaden the current diversity research which has predominantly focused on team decision-making and performance.
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Muhammad Farrukh Abid, Amjad Shamim, Park Thaichon, Sara Quach, Junaid Siddique and Maheen Iqbal Awan
This study examines the roles of retail experience quality dimensions, customers’ in-shop emotion valence and in-shop involvement valence in shaping the holistic retail customer…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the roles of retail experience quality dimensions, customers’ in-shop emotion valence and in-shop involvement valence in shaping the holistic retail customer experience.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a total of 25 interviews with customers who have used services at non-fuel retail stores in Malaysia, commonly known as tuckshops, which are located adjacent to fuel stations. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which led to the identification of key themes and categories that informed the development of our conceptual framework.
Findings
This study identifies three dimensions of retail experience quality: physical surroundings experience quality, interaction experience quality and service innovation experience quality. These dimensions, which were previously unexamined, are shown to influence customer evaluations based on their interactions with the retail environment, employees and digital applications. Additionally, the study finds that these dimensions impact customers’ emotions and involvement valence, suggesting that even with negative experiences, high involvement and overall positive perceptions can still occur.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it identifies key retail antecedents that shape how customers interact with, interpret and evaluate the quality of their retail experiences. Second, it examines the complex nature of customers’ in-store emotions and involvement valence, highlighting the coexistence of positive and negative emotions in certain retail contexts. Third, the study offers practical insights for retail firms, urging them to adopt a holistic approach in addressing customer emotions and involvement across diverse retail service channels.
Originality/value
The study introduces new dimensions of retail experience quality and develops a framework linking these dimensions to customer emotions and involvement valence. Unlike previous research that has focused on either positive or negative aspects in isolation, this study offers a comprehensive view of how mixed emotions and involvement can impact the overall retail experience. It provides both theoretical insights and practical guidance for creating more balanced and engaging retail experiences.
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Mojtaba Barari, Lars-Erik Casper Ferm, Sara Quach, Park Thaichon and Liem Ngo
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a pivotal technology in both marketing and daily life. Despite extensive research on the benefits of AI, its adverse effects on customers…
Abstract
Purpose
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a pivotal technology in both marketing and daily life. Despite extensive research on the benefits of AI, its adverse effects on customers have received limited attention.
Design/methodology/approach
We employed meta-analysis to synthesise effect sizes from 45 studies encompassing 50 independent samples (N = 19,503) to illuminate the negative facets of AI's impact on customer responses.
Findings
Adverse effects of AI, including privacy concern, perceived risks, customer alienation, and uniqueness neglect, have a negative and significant effect on customers' cognitive (perceived benefit, trust), affective (attitude and satisfaction) and behavioural responses (purchase, loyalty, well-being). Additionally, moderators in AI (online versus offline), customer (age, male vs. female), product (hedonic vs. utilitarian, high vs. low involvement), and firm level (service vs. manufacturing) and national level (individualism, power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation) moderate these relationships.
Practical implications
Our findings inform marketing managers about the drawbacks of utilising AI as part of their value proposition and provide recommendations on how to minimise these effects in different contexts. Additionally, policymakers need to consider the dark side of AI, especially among the vulnerable groups.
Originality/value
This paper is among the first research studies that synthesise previous research on the dark side of AI, providing a comprehensive view of its diminishing impact on customer responses.
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Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena, Sara Quach, Chinmoy Bandyopadhyay and Park Thaichon
This study examined the differential effects of printed advertisements with luxury and nonluxury brands on consumer brand attitude persuasion using a qualitative experimental…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examined the differential effects of printed advertisements with luxury and nonluxury brands on consumer brand attitude persuasion using a qualitative experimental approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopted a qualitative experimental approach and the authors conducted two experiments over six months. In the first experiment, participants were asked to view five print advertisements related to five different luxury brands. In the second experiment, the same participants were asked to view another five print advertisements on non-luxury brands. The qualitative thematic differences for each brand were analyzed using NVivo software, employing the theoretical assumptions of Petty and Cacioppo's (1981) elaboration likelihood model (ELM).
Findings
In experiments 1 and 2, it was identified that brand experience, personalized brand experience, product quality, product quantity, personal image-conscious, nonpersonal image-conscious, affordability and unaffordability as the main thematic findings leading to consumer attitude persuasion.
Practical implications
The two main contributions are as follows: theoretically, applying a social psychology theory to the advertising industry offers an understanding of the social cognition stages of a human mindset. As a practical implication, this study's findings guide advertising agencies, marketers and salespeople regarding how to design effective print advertisements in a way that persuades consumer attitudes.
Originality/value
Through the theoretical assumptions of Petty and Cacioppo's (1981) ELM, this paper can be considered one of the first studies to combine social psychology and advertising to investigate the differential effects on consumer brand attitude persuasion for luxury and nonluxury brands.
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Gwia Kim, Byoungho Ellie Jin and Heekyeong Jo
We aim to investigate the impact of different story types on small fashion business brand trust and purchase intention, guided by signaling theory. We investigate two potential…
Abstract
Purpose
We aim to investigate the impact of different story types on small fashion business brand trust and purchase intention, guided by signaling theory. We investigate two potential moderators – product aesthetic judgment (i.e. consumers’ responses to the aesthetic aspects of a product) and underdog positioning (i.e. brand’s positioning as a loser that is not a leader in the marketplace and has only a small market share but puts efforts into creating valuable products) – that may influence consumers’ responses to a story.
Design/methodology/approach
We developed video stimuli that tell business stories to empirically compare two story types bringing brand trust: identity-focused and product-focused stories. We conducted two experimental studies and tested six hypotheses with 302 datasets. Study 1 compared eco-friendly storytelling with product-focused storytelling, considering perceived product aesthetic judgment as the moderator. Study 2 repeated the experiment with a founder story and a product-focused story, considering the perceived underdog as the moderator.
Findings
The findings suggest that the influence of eco-friendly storytelling, compared to product-focused storytelling, on higher purchase intention is fully mediated by brand trust. Consumers’ perceived product aesthetic judgments toward an eco-friendly product can positively moderate the storytelling effect and brand trust. However, founder storytelling did not bring higher brand trust and, consequently, had no significant impact on purchase intention. Similarly, the perceived underdog did not moderate this relationship.
Originality/value
The study is novel as it is one of the first to compare story types based on story contents, whereas previous studies have focused on story delivery. Especially, we explored which story types and contents effectively build brand trust for small businesses, a critical factor for their success. Based on the extant literature, we categorized story types into identity-focused stories and product-focused stories based on contents. We hypothesized and concluded that an identity-focused story can be more effective in eliciting consumer responses. Furthermore, we confirm the critical role of brand trust as a mediator in bringing about purchase intention through eco-friendly storytelling.