Kim K.P. Johnson, Jung Mee Mun and Yoori Chae
The purpose of this paper is to investigate attitude, subjective norm, perceived integrity of participants, materialism, and previous experience with collaborative consumption…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate attitude, subjective norm, perceived integrity of participants, materialism, and previous experience with collaborative consumption (CC) offline as antecedents to the CC of apparel facilitated by the internet.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey research with convenience sample of consumers from within the USA.
Findings
Attitude toward CC of apparel was significantly related to intention to collaboratively consume apparel online as was subjective norms. Previous experience with CC of apparel offline was significantly related to both attitude and behavioral intention. Perceived integrity of CC participants was related to previous experience with CC of apparel offline and attitude. Materialism was significantly and negatively related to previous experience with CC of apparel.
Research limitations/implications
Research limitations include the use of a convenience sample of consumers and the research was limited to one form of CC.
Practical implications
As a means to foster sustainable consumption, for those interested in promoting CC, consideration should be given to having existing participants of CC invite other family members and friends to try it as this might be more effective than targeting random members of the consuming public.
Originality/value
An investigation of CC of a fashion item (apparel) that identifies predictors to participation.
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Juanjuan Wu, Angella J. Kim, Lili Chen and Kim K.P. Johnson
In the context of crowdsourced new product development (NPD), the purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal level of community involvement (CI) (e.g. zero, limited, and…
Abstract
Purpose
In the context of crowdsourced new product development (NPD), the purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal level of community involvement (CI) (e.g. zero, limited, and high) when creating products from the perspectives of both ordinary and advanced users. The authors also investigate the influence of design interest and need for social affiliation on users’ attitudes toward and willingness to use community co-design.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted two survey studies using ordinary (Study 1, n=199) and advanced users (Study 2, n=131) to evaluate the co-designed T-shirts reflecting varying levels of CI (i.e. zero, limited, and high). The stimuli for both studies were the same and included ten sets of T-shirt co-designs generated from a CI crowdsourced website, Threadless. Fishbein’s (1963) multi-attribute attitude model was used to compute subjects’ overall attitude score toward the T-shirt co-designs.
Findings
Results showed both ordinary and advanced user groups rated the design quality of products reflecting limited CI lower than those of zero CI. Advanced users also rated the design quality and sales potential of products from limited CI lower than those of high CI. Further, advanced users indicated that products resulting from high CI reflected significantly better designs with regard to color, shape/line, size, general theme, and overall design as compared to products from limited CI. Design interest as well as need for social affiliation influenced users’ willingness to use community co-design and their attitudes toward a community co-design experience.
Originality/value
The research made an important differentiation between zero, limited, and high CI during the co-design process as well as between ordinary users and advanced users contributed to the extant literature addressing crowdsourcing in NPD.
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Ji Young Lee and Kim K.P. Johnson
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of four types of cause-related marketing (CRM) strategies on consumer responses to a fashion brand and to assess the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of four types of cause-related marketing (CRM) strategies on consumer responses to a fashion brand and to assess the relative effectiveness of each.
Design/methodology/approach
An experiment was conducted with young adult consumers (n=344) and undergraduates (n=415). Using a between-subject design, each participant was randomly assigned to one of four CRM scenarios and completed a questionnaire.
Findings
Across all CRM conditions, the effect of CRM strategy on consumer responses (e.g. perceived brand distinctiveness/credibility/attractiveness, customer–brand identification, brand attitude, customer loyalty) was significant. The effect of corporate social responsibility image on perceived brand distinctiveness was strongest for cause-related event marketing, followed by cause-related experiential marketing, transaction-based CRM and sponsorship-linked marketing.
Practical implications
By providing information about the relative effectiveness of four types of CRM strategies, this research aids fashion marketers in their selection of the CRM strategy that generates the best performance. Adding an event component to their CRM activity would increase the effect of CRM strategies on consumer responses.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the extant literature on CRM by identifying types of CRM strategies, their relative effectiveness, and key variables (e.g., C–B identification) that explain the impact of CRM strategies on consumer responses.
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Xiang Ying Mei, Caroline Ventzel and Ida Zachariassen
This study aims to understand how Gen Z consumers perceive fashion brands’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication through emotional appeals on Instagram and how such…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand how Gen Z consumers perceive fashion brands’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication through emotional appeals on Instagram and how such perception affects their overall behaviour towards the brand.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a qualitative research approach through photo-elicitation and 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews with members of Gen Z, using one of the world’s largest fast fashion brands, H&M, as the study context.
Findings
It is increasingly difficult to capture the attention of Gen Z as they have become immune to the typical CSR messages despite attempting to appeal to their emotions. This makes CSR communication alone challenging in influencing brand perception. However, behaviour towards the brand, such as purchase intention, is not necessarily dependent on whether consumers are convinced of the brand’s CSR activities, as greater value is placed on fast fashion’s price and availability. For Gen Z, such elements surpass their concern for sustainable fashion. Since more emphasis is placed on neutral endorsers due to their trustworthiness, CSR efforts may be disseminated through such third parties to achieve desired outcomes.
Practical implications
Understanding consumers’ perceptions of the current CSR effort allows brand managers to reevaluate their CSR communication strategies to appeal to Gen Z and encourage positive brand behaviour.
Originality/value
Contrary to previous studies, which have focused on organisational outcomes, the study has in-depth explored consumers’ perception of CSR efforts on Instagram and the implications of such perceptions for long-term brand building.
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Rural schools have typically been strong on community but weak on professional learning. Their small size and geographical isolation have meant that much of the recent reform…
Abstract
Rural schools have typically been strong on community but weak on professional learning. Their small size and geographical isolation have meant that much of the recent reform movement focused on professional learning communities has passed them by. But there is no reason why rural educators cannot participate in professional learning networks (PLNs) and benefit from heightened levels of collegiality that can be experienced across schools. However, intentional design for deeper collaborative work and face-to-face connection is necessary for PLN members to reap the benefits from increased professional capital and teacher leadership opportunities. This chapter describes the work of the Northwest Rural Innovation and Student Engagement (NW RISE) network in the United States. NW RISE brings together rural educators in gatherings that take place every six months, helps them to form “job-alike” groups focused on academic subject matter or cross-contextual themes, and provides support for shared curriculum design. This chapter describes how rural educators have seized upon the resources in NW RISE to promote student engagement and to develop their professional capacity across the network’s schools.
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Hyunjoo Im, Hae Won Ju and Kim K.P. Johnson
Little research has been done to understand how individual elements (e.g. advertisements) within a webpage are processed and evaluated when visual complexity is increased. Thus…
Abstract
Purpose
Little research has been done to understand how individual elements (e.g. advertisements) within a webpage are processed and evaluated when visual complexity is increased. Thus, this study aimed to investigate how consumers allocate attention and evaluate products and advertisements on complex webpages when they are casually browsing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted two experiments to test the causal effects of different degrees of visual complexity on consumer responses to products and advertisements. An eye-tracking experiment (n = 90) and a follow-up online experiment (n = 121) were conducted using undergraduate students as participants.
Findings
Participants formed a global impression from the overall webpage complexity, which spilled over to evaluation of individual elements on the webpage (e.g. product, advertisement). The inverted U-shaped relationships (vs. linear negative relationships) between webpage visual complexity and attitude toward the webpage, products, and advertisements were observed. The focal product was given a consistent level of attention regardless of the complexity level.
Practical implications
This study provides implications for website organization and design to maximize positive consumer experiences and marketing effectiveness. The findings provide implications for retailers and advertisement buyers.
Originality/value
This study expanded the knowledge by examining the interplay between individual elements of webpages and the whole webpage complexity when consumers browse visually complex webpages. It is a novel finding that the overall webpage complexity effect spills over to locally attended products or advertisements.
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Boram Park, SooKyoung Ahn and HaeJung Kim
Upon extending Hoffman and Novak's flow model, this paper aims to delineate the blogging motivations with an emphasis of flow mediation to predict blogging behaviors. Three…
Abstract
Purpose
Upon extending Hoffman and Novak's flow model, this paper aims to delineate the blogging motivations with an emphasis of flow mediation to predict blogging behaviors. Three objectives are to: identify determinant dimensions of blogging motivations, behaviors and flow; investigate the hypothesized relationships between blogging motivations, blogging behaviors with the mediation of flow; and control the moderating effect of individual differences (i.e. blogger and blog reader) to disperse their blogging behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the self‐administered questionnaire, the data (n=432) are collected from students at a public Southwestern university in the USA. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 7.0 identifies and validates the measurement model prior to examining the hypothesized relationships. To test the hypothesized relationships, structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis is employed in addition to the multi‐group SEM analysis to scrutinize the moderate effects of blog ownership.
Findings
The findings reveal that the desire for entertainment, information, and efficiency are the primary drivers for blogging behaviors. Specifically, information‐seeking is the decisive motivation to urge digital engagement and e‐shopping behaviors concurrently. This study concludes that telepresence of flow plays a pivotal mediating role to promote both digital engagement and e‐shopping behavior stirring entertainment and information‐seeking motivations. Interestingly, there are disparities between blogger and blog‐reader groups that entail divergent mediating effect of telepresence.
Research limitations/implications
Given the preliminary nature of this approach, there are some limitations as follows: the convenience sampling limits the generalizability of the research; the individual factors as well as social and cultural factors in a global context need to counter why the majority of internet users do not participate in blogging.
Originality/value
Blogging provides distinctive insight into comprehending e‐consumer behavior explicitly with respect to social networking and information searching behaviors while facilitating a state of flow. This approach allows e‐service providers' and researchers' efforts to be more effective and approachable in comprehending the phenomenon through the application of the appropriate theoretical platform.
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Juanjuan Wu, Hae Won Ju, Jieun Kim, Cara Damminga, Hye-Young Kim and Kim K.P. Johnson
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of three virtual fashion stores using product display methods dominant by colour, visual texture and style coordination…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of three virtual fashion stores using product display methods dominant by colour, visual texture and style coordination on consumers' retailer interest, retail pleasure, perception of merchandise quality, patronage intention, and purchase behaviour to provide empirically tested, actionable product display methods to visual merchandising researchers and practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used mixed methods for this exploratory study, combining experimental and focus group methods to gather data. For the experiment, data were collected via a between-subjects design reflecting manipulation of three variables (i.e. colour, style coordination, visual texture). After the experiment, participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire. A segment of the participants also participated in focus group discussions of the virtual stores.
Findings
Participants who shopped in the style coordination store spent significantly more money than those who shopped in colour or visual texture stores. Participants who shopped in the colour store experienced significantly more retail pleasure and showed significantly higher patronage intention than those who shopped in the visual texture and style coordination stores; and they showed more retailer interest than subjects in the visual texture store. Retail pleasure and interest were found to mediate the link between methods of product display and patronage intention. Participants' fashion involvement moderated the relationship between fashion product display methods and retail interest.
Originality/value
This research is one of the first to create three virtual stores featuring product display methods dominant by colour, visual texture, and style coordination using 3D technology – a Mockshop software package. The effect of these different display methods on shoppers' reactions and responses was tested, which provided actionable results for visual merchandising practitioners, not only in the physical but also in the virtual store environment.
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Anshul Agrawal and Sanjeev Kadam
Purpose: The study aims to explore the profound impact of virtual currencies and decentralised finance (DeFi) protocols on financial dynamics, user engagement, and operational…
Abstract
Purpose: The study aims to explore the profound impact of virtual currencies and decentralised finance (DeFi) protocols on financial dynamics, user engagement, and operational aspects within the Metaverse.
Methodology: This research employs mathematical modelling and quantitative analysis to comprehensively investigate the pivotal roles of these elements within the dynamic virtual environment.
Findings: The mathematical equations applied in our study have illuminated the intricate mechanics of financial expansion, operational efficiencies, and user dynamics in the Metaverse’s virtual currency and DeFi systems. These insights underline the transformative influence of these digital ecosystems on future economies, emphasising the critical role of quantitative analysis in navigating and maximising their potential.
Significance: This research aims to shed light on the pivotal roles of virtual currencies and DeFi protocols through mathematical modelling and quantitative analysis. It contributes to a deeper understanding of their significance in shaping the future of virtual economies and financial interactions within the ever-evolving Metaverse.
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Min Teah, Ian Phau and Yu-an Huang
This paper aims to examine the influence of social and personality factors on attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands and purchase intention between China Chinese and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the influence of social and personality factors on attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands and purchase intention between China Chinese and Taiwan Chinese consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collection was conducted using a mall intercept approach in downtown Shanghai and Taipei. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and back-translated from English to Chinese and distributed. Structural equation modelling in LISREL was used to analyze the data.
Findings
It was found that collectivism has a positive relationship with attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands for the China Chinese but not for the Taiwan Chinese. Personal gratification was found to have a negative relationship with attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands for the Taiwan Chinese consumers. Integrity and status consumption were found to have a positive relationship with attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands for both the China Chinese and Taiwan Chinese consumers.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to comparison between China Chinese from Shanghai and Taiwan Chinese from Taipei; therefore, the results may not be generalizable across all Chinese consumers or international consumers. In addition, only luxury brands were examined in this paper. Future studies would need to address other contexts or specific product categories.
Practical implications
This paper presents findings from two Chinese cities. The consumers may be from the same region; however, it is found from the study that they pose different attitudes and purchase intentions towards counterfeits of luxury brands. Therefore, the insights from this paper provide a deeper understanding into the differences between Chinese consumers and implications for practitioners, academics and policy makers.
Originality/value
Majority of the cross-national studies are often compared between the so-called Western or Eastern countries. This paper examined counterfeiting from China (which is deemed as one of the largest manufacturers of counterfeits) and Taiwan (which was one of the largest counterfeiters decades ago). This provides insights into the development and differences between regional consumers and their attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands.