Purpose Quantum computing (QC), grounded in quantum mechanics, heralds a transformative era for businesses due to its capacity to solve large-scale problems involving a daunting number of variables with unprecedented speed compared with that of classical computers. While the existing literature on International Marketing Strategy (IMS) has extensively examined the role of digital transformation, the potential of QC in enhancing IMS remains largely unexplored. This study aims to bridge this gap by conceptualizing how firms can integrate QC principles – superposition, entanglement, and interference – into IMS literature. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a conceptual, interdisciplinary approach, combining literature from QC and IMS. Drawing on previous studies, it catalogs existing findings, identifies gaps, and proposes avenues for future research. Findings The study proposes a set of propositions outlining how QC can drive advancements in IMS across three critical dimensions: (1) antecedents of IMS, (2) international marketing mix strategy, and (3) IMS assessment. It also develops a comprehensive conceptual framework that maps the integration of QC technologies into IMS. Research limitations/implications The lack of empirical research on QC in international marketing presents certain limitations. However, the propositions developed in this study serve as a foundation for future empirical investigations, encouraging scholars to explore the intersection of QC and IMS further. Practical implications This study provides actionable insights for managers seeking to integrate QC technologies into their global marketing strategies. Originality/value This research introduces a novel theoretical perspective on the role of QC in IMS, an area previously overlooked in marketing and business literature. It lays the groundwork for future research and practical applications in the field by conceptualizing QC as a transformative tool for IMS.
Purpose This paper argues that longstanding inconsistencies in psychic distance research arise from a fundamental locus problem: the construct has drifted away from its original definition as barriers to information flow between the firm and the market. The purpose is to re-establish the correct locus of psychic distance and identify the multilevel antecedents that shape firm–market information flow. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual analysis grounded in Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul's (1975) definition. It synthesizes macro-, meso- and micro-level perspectives to build a multilevel framework that traces how country-level differences, firm-level characteristics and individual-level perceptions jointly influence firms' psychic distance. Findings The analysis shows that prior empirical inconsistencies stem from operationalizations that equate psychic distance with national cultural or institutional differences or with individual perceptions detached from firm–market interaction. Psychic distance emerges instead from the alignment or misalignment, between firm and market-specific information barriers. The framework clarifies that psychic distance is neither symmetrical nor stable, and that it varies across firms within the same country and across markets within the same host environment. Originality/value The paper introduces the notion of a locus problem and provides a clarified conceptual foundation for understanding psychic distance. By re-centering the construct on the firm–market relationship and specifying its multilevel antecedents, it offers a coherent explanation for mixed empirical results and a more precise basis for future operationalization and theory development.
PurposeSales force automation (SFA) tools have become central to managing international selling, yet evidence on their adoption is scattered across theories, contexts and methods. This study reviews and integrates SFA adoption research to explain how individual, organisational and technological factors jointly shape outcomes in cross-border and culturally diverse marketing environments. Design/methodology/approachWe conduct a systematic literature review of 68 peer-reviewed articles and organise the evidence using the theory–context–characteristics–methodology (TCCM) framework. The review maps the main theoretical lenses, countries and industries studied, key antecedents, mediators, moderators and outcomes of SFA adoption, and the research designs used, with explicit attention to international marketing conditions such as cultural distance, regulation and digital readiness. FindingsThe review reveals conceptually rich but fragmented SFA adoption research, with individual, organisational and technology perspectives developing in parallel and evidence concentrated in Western, high-tech and pharmaceutical settings. Human–computer interaction (HCI) and AI aspects receive limited attention. Building on this diagnosis, the article develops a cross-level framework that links antecedents, mechanisms and outcomes of SFA adoption in international markets and proposes a set of empirically testable propositions to guide future work. Practical implicationsGlobal firms can leverage the proposed framework to optimise SFA deployments, align sales technology with cultural dynamics and design more adaptive international sales strategies. Originality/valueOur study is a noble review through a TCCM framework in integration with HCI to synthesise SFA research within international marketing, bridging theoretical silos and contextual gaps by incorporating cross-cultural, infrastructural and policy dimensions into the understanding of digital sales enablement tools.
Purpose This study introduces artificial intelligence–enabled customer experience (AICX) conceptualised as distinct, multidimensional form of customer experience arising from interactions with AI-enabled technologies and develops and validates a novel scale to measure the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach The research comprises five studies and follows established scale development procedures. Study 1 generates and refines scale items; Study 2 purifies and validates the factor structure; Studies 3 and 4 establish nomological, discriminant and criterion validity with customer satisfaction and engagement; Study 5 tests cross-cultural validity across Western (UK/USA) and East Asian (Taiwan/South Korea) samples. Findings Findings reveal a reliable and valid 12-item, four-dimensional AICX scale comprising affiliation, affinity, amusement and advancement constructs. The scale demonstrates strong psychometric properties, including internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and predictive validity, and significant predictor of customer satisfaction and engagement. Cross-cultural analysis supports configural, metric and partial scalar invariance, indicating the scale's applicability across national contexts. Research limitations/implications Findings are based on online panel data and a limited set of countries. Future research should extend validation across industries and cultural contexts. Originality/value By conceptualising AICX as a multidimensional phenomenon and providing a robust measurement tool, the research advances customer experience theory and enables rigorous empirical investigation of AI-driven service interactions across global contexts.
Purpose Despite the global ubiquity of corporate social responsibility, the translation of favorable consumer attitudes into behavioral intentions remains erratic across international markets. While prior meta-analyses have examined cultural moderators, they have largely ignored the hierarchical dependency of effect sizes, leading to inconclusive findings and potential Type I errors. This study aims to resolve these inconsistencies by proposing and testing the “Gatekeeper Hypothesis,” which posits that national culture acts as a filter that selectively moderates the transition from low-threshold attitudinal responses to high-threshold behavioral commitments. Design/methodology/approach To address the methodological limitations of traditional two-level models, this study employs a three-level multilevel meta-analysis. The dataset comprises 604 effect sizes derived from 258 independent studies across 38 countries. By partitioning the total variance into sampling (Level 1), study (Level 2), and country (Level 3) components, we provide a precise estimation of cross-cultural heterogeneity. Findings The analysis reveals a significant overall effect of CSR on consumer responses (r = 0.494), yet a substantial 8.5% of the variance resides at the country level, confirming the critical role of institutional context. Supporting the Gatekeeper Hypothesis, the results demonstrate that culture exerts a minimal impact on attitudinal outcomes (universal appeal) but significantly moderates behavioral outcomes. Specifically, Uncertainty Avoidance facilitates the transition to behavioral intention by valuing risk mitigation, whereas long-term orientation, indulgence, masculinity and individualism act as significant behavioral barriers, widening the attitude-behavior gap due to economic pragmatism, hedonic prioritization, competence tradeoffs and self-interest, respectively. Research limitations/implications The findings challenge the assumption of global CSR standardization. The study suggests that while the “warm glow” of CSR is relatively universal, the “wallet vote” is culturally gated. Future research should explore the micro-foundations of these cultural thresholds using longitudinal designs. Originality/value This is the first study to utilize a 3-level meta-analytic framework to decompose the CSR attitude-behavior gap. By integrating Signaling Theory with Institutional Theory, it offers a robust explanation for why CSR builds global brand equity but requires localized strategies to convert favorable attitudes into purchase intentions.
Purpose The study examines the effect of reasons (for and against) influencing the integration of generative AI in international firms. The study also examines how integrating generative AI influences organizational performance and competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed-methods approach, this study begins with a qualitative study in phase 1 by conducting in-depth interviews. This model is then empirically validated in phase 2. A total of 212 responses were collected to examine the proposed hypotheses. The obtained data were analyzed via the SEM approach. Findings The findings of this study highlighted that strategic benefits, organizational fit, and relative advantage are significantly associated with the intention to integrate generative AI. Furthermore, the intention to integrate generative AI significantly influences organizational performance and competitive advantage. Finally, the fsQCA findings revealed five causal combinations representing sufficient conditions for developing the intention to integrate generative AI. Originality/value The study enriches the existing literature pertaining to generative AI and technology adoption. The research also enriches the behavioural reasoning theory. Further, this study will also be helpful to organizations that intend to adopt Generative AI in the future.
PurposeScholars have increasingly recognised the significant role emotions play in decision-making within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Nevertheless, the incorporation of emotion research into internationalisation of SMEs remains fragmented and theoretically underdeveloped. To advance the current debate, this study addresses three research questions: (1) What themes drive research on emotions in SMEs' internationalisation? (2) Which implicit assumptions structure this research? and (3) What theoretical blind spots emerge from these assumptions? Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a problematising review methodology and critically analyses and synthesises conceptual and empirical studies from the SME internationalisation and emotion literatures, published over the last two decades. Through an in-depth critical discussion and integration, the study examines how emotions have been theorised in SME internationalisation research and encourages closer scrutiny of the assumptions underpinning existing explanations. FindingsThe study discusses emotions across the pre-entry, entry and post-entry stages of SME internationalisation and identifies three core assumptions that remain largely unarticulated and insufficiently scrutinised. Building on these insights and integrating perspectives from the broader emotion literature, the study develops a theoretical framework and proposes exemplary research questions to support future research. Originality/valueRather than merely synthesising prior research, this study problematises the assumptions shaping how emotions have been theorised in SME internationalisation. By identifying implicit theoretical assumptions, it demonstrates that dominant explanations have remained primarily cognitively oriented while overlooking the emotional dynamics accompanying decision-making under uncertainty. The study offers an alternative conceptual framing that positions emotions as dynamic mechanisms shaping internationalisation decisions across time and context.
PurposeThis review identifies and categorizes the key theories applied in the extant literature, analyses how those theories contribute to understanding the dynamics and mechanisms of learning in early internationalizing firms (EIFs), highlights theoretical gaps, and proposes directions for future research to advance knowledge in the field international marketing. Design/methodology/approachIt reports on a systematic literature review conducted to collate and synthesize the prior research on the theoretical foundations of learning processes in EIFs. FindingsThe review identified new research areas based on existing theories, emphasizing the need to expand and refine established frameworks to explore underdeveloped dimensions. It also highlighted emerging theoretical perspectives, introducing alternative lenses to uncover novel insights and address current knowledge gaps. Research limitations/implicationsWhile this review primarily focuses on EIFs, its findings may not fully capture the factors affecting other firm types. Expanding future research to explore learning mechanisms across diverse internationalization trajectories, such as firms with gradual expansion models or established multinational corporations, would provide deeper insights and broaden the applicability of the theoretical perspectives. Practical implicationsInternational marketers and entrepreneurs could leverage this review to strategically build networks to bolster successful market entry and strengthen learning mechanisms. The strategy could include pre-entry collaboration with experienced international firms that offer critical market insights, regulatory guidance, and operational support, as well as external relationships, such as those with industry partners, mentors or local distributors that help overcome knowledge gaps and mitigate risks in unfamiliar foreign markets. Originality/valueIt emphasizes the dynamic nature of learning in EIFs and its critical role in driving market adaptability, innovation, and international performance in global settings.
PurposeOver the past five decades, international market entry has been a focal point of research across business, marketing, entrepreneurship and management. With rising de-globalization and geopolitical shifts, scholarly attention has expanded to encompass firms' international trajectories and de-internationalization. Yet, there remains a limited understanding of how these behaviors inform and are shaped by adjacent domains and how key themes interact across these areas. Therefore, this study seeks to review the literature on market entry, exit and re-entry and examine knowledge diffusion patterns across adjacent intellectual domains. In so doing, we derive five theoretical implications that we suggest should underpin future research endeavors. Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports two interrelated studies. The first one employs bibliometric methods with a hierarchical clustering approach to map the intellectual landscape of the core literature and evaluate its influence and permeability across adjacent fields. The second adopts advanced polynomial forecasting to identify emerging research trajectories signaling promising directions for future inquiry. FindingsWe report our findings derived from bibliometric analyses of 822 publications encompassing 21,613 citations in 43 leading academic journals on international market entry, exit and re-entry, over the past five decades. The literature mapping revealed six core themes: ownership and governance in internationalization, market exit and re-entry dynamics, early and rapid internationalization, foreign market entry modes, internationalization challenges and responses and internationalization in the digital era. Additional analysis identified that the impact of the core themes has dissipated into fifteen diffused themes, reflecting the field's permeability and broader influence beyond myopic disciplinary boundaries. Findings based on forecasting research trends for the next five years highlight untapped and emerging research opportunities pertaining to an integrated approach to studying international market dynamics; with particular emphasis on family firm-focused internationalization, the role of ownership, control and governance in internationalization decisions, performance and operating risk management. Originality/valueThis study distinguishes itself from prior reviews by employing novel bibliometric techniques to comprehensively map the international market entry and exit (and re-entry) (IMEE) domain, explaining both core and diffused knowledge structures. This is the first attempt to interdependently review and map IMEE research using empirical methods. Combining data-driven analyses with forecasting methods, we reveal novel thematic connections and provide predictive validity to emerging research trajectories that provide valuable priorities within this domain.
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to synthesize the fragmented body of knowledge on COO effects in the context of luxury brands’ international marketing strategies. The study aims to uncover how luxury marketers utilize COO images to shape consumer perceptions and decision-making processes. Additionally, it seeks to bridge gaps in the literature by providing a structured research agenda for future studies that addresses the unique role of COO-based international marketing strategies in luxury markets. Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a systematic literature review of 79 research articles on international marketing strategies used by luxury brands leveraging country-of-origin effects. The PRISMA protocol guides article selection, while bibliometric analysis identifies publication trends, theories, methods, and contexts. Finally, the Antecedent–Decision–Outcome (ADO) and Theory–Context–Method (TCM) frameworks are applied to structure the literature into key strategic drivers, consumer responses, and outcomes related to country-of-origin strategies. FindingsThe review identifies six categories of antecedents: four strategy-related (COO competence and image strategies, international brand management strategies, international product management and attribute differentiation strategies, and international pricing and marketing investment strategies) and two context-related (cultural and psychographic dynamics of international consumers, and economic and market entry conditions). These antecedents influence two decision categories: brand and product evaluation, and consumer identity expression. These decisions lead to three key consumer-level outcomes: purchase likelihood, value assessment, and brand performance. Overall, the review provides a structured understanding of how COO-based strategies impact luxury brand marketing and consumer behaviour across global markets. Originality/valueThis review is the first systematic synthesis of country-of-origin strategies in international luxury marketing. By using the ADO and TCM frameworks together, it offers a clear, structured view of how luxury product manufacturers use country-of-origin cues to influence consumers across global markets. Its originality lies not just in organizing past research, but in exposing key gaps in theories, methods, and contexts. It shows the overuse of narrow information-processing models and highlights opportunities to apply richer theories like identity and cultural frameworks. The study also presents a detailed agenda for future research and provides practical insights for managers on how to use international country-of-origin related strategies more effectively in the marketing of luxury products.
PurposeThis research systematically investigates the main themes in international marketing and management (IMM) literature published between 1983 and March 2025. Drawing on a comprehensive review of academic publications, it uncovers prevailing research trends and outlines a future agenda, with special attention to the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the field. A distinctive feature of this review is its focus on international selling, which serves as the lens for examining how AI is reshaping IMM theory, practice and research development. Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on a dataset of 450 peer-reviewed articles sourced from 38 top-tier (Q1) marketing journals. These articles were selected through a keyword-based search strategy targeting titles and keywords explicitly related to IMM. The study employed a hybrid systematic review combining bibliometric analysis and qualitative content analysis, utilizing KH Coder 3.0. Techniques such as multidimensional scaling and co-occurrence network analysis were applied to extract thematic structures and research patterns. FindingsThe findings indicate a notable shift in IMM research over time, reflected in evolving topics, methods and theoretical approaches. Four main themes and eleven sub-themes were identified. These include (1) international management strategies; (2) market entry strategies – covering cultural distance, strategic alliances, Chinese market contexts, international joint ventures and cross-border acquisitions; (3) digital marketing strategies, with emphasis on platform-based sales and online retail and (4) internationalization and global expansion, informed by transaction cost theory, institutional environments and the roles of small and medium-sized enterprises and multinational corporations. Five emerging themes in the application of AI contribute to enhanced customer satisfaction, stronger engagement and loyalty, more effective co-creation processes, refined market entry strategies, deeper insights into consumer behavior and technological trends and improved performance in omnichannel retailing. Originality/valueUnlike prior reviews that examine digitalization and international marketing in isolation, this study uniquely positions international selling as the central lens to explore how AI is transforming research themes, theoretical foundations and managerial practices in IMM.
Purpose This study aims to examine the applicability of a consumer segmentation framework that integrates domain-specific personal beauty values and evaluative beliefs about beauty brands for international market segmentation, targeting and positioning. Grounded in self-congruity theory, the study also investigates how self-brand congruity corresponds to the three stages of the brand resonance model and whether brand preferences are country-specific or universal within a given segment. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 940 women and men in France, Japan and the USA. Using biclustering, the study identifies consumer segments based on shared beauty value profiles and brand evaluations and analyzes segment-specific imagery, attitudes and purchase intentions toward five cosmetics brands. Findings Consumers who prioritize authentic beauty values emphasize functional brand attributes and exhibit stronger purchase intentions for brands aligned with their self-image, supporting a global marketing strategy. In contrast, consumers who conform to societal appearance norms demonstrate culture-specific brand preferences, indicating the need for localized strategies. Originality/value This study develops a framework integrating self-concept, self-brand congruity, beauty values and attitudes. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of biclustering for international consumer segmentation, offering novel insights into self-brand congruence and customer-based brand equity.
Purpose Despite a robust stream of international marketing research on greenwashing, it remains unclear how corporate political engagement (CPE) activities create conditions that allow greenwashing to flourish. This study investigates how CPE activities drive greenwashing across different markets. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a conceptual review of the literature, complemented by illustrative cases of internationally active firms, this study develops an integrated conceptual framework to capture market dynamics and institutional effects. Findings The analysis sheds new light on how greenwashing has gained momentum, undermining and diluting sustainability communications while fueling consumer skepticism toward environmental claims. Moreover, greenwashing risks further eroding the credibility of other firms' green initiatives and claims. The analysis also demonstrates that institutional impediments typical of emerging markets contribute to the exponential growth of greenwashing. Originality/value This study advances an integrated conceptual framework that accounts for differential contextual effects interacting with CPE activities to drive greenwashing. Accordingly, greenwashing partly stems from the blurring of boundaries between politics and business in both advanced and developing economies.
Purpose This study examines how material conspicuous consumption (MCC) and experiential conspicuous consumption (ECC) influence perceptions and romantic responses across cultural contexts. While earlier research emphasized MCC as a dominant status signal in mate selection, this study explores whether ECC now functions as a more effective signal, and whether effects vary by culture and gender. Design/methodology/approach Two online experiments were conducted with single adults from South Korea and the United States using a between-subjects design. Participants were randomly assigned to evaluate a potential romantic partner who displayed either material or experiential conspicuous consumption on social media. Findings In South Korea, participants responded more favorably to ECC than MCC, an effect mediated by perceived competence and moderated by gender: women viewed men who engaged in ECC as more competent and desirable, whereas men showed no differences. In the US, overall differences in romantic behavioral intention were nonsignificant, as were indirect effects, but a gender-contingent pattern emerged in the opposite direction, with men evaluating ECC partners more positively than MCC partners. Originality/value This study examines how different forms of conspicuous consumption shape mate selection across cultural contexts. It extends research on mate choice and shifting luxury norms by showing how the romantic signaling value of conspicuous consumption varies with cultural norms and gender.
Purpose The paper examines the influence of institutional technologies on global supply chain management (SCM) and international marketing efforts of multinational corporations (MNCs) in African emerging markets, with a focus on their impact on international trade resilience. It addresses a 4-decade-long empirical gap, examining the applicability of these institutional technologies to SCM and international marketing of MNCs in the context of the resource-constrained environment of Africa. Design/methodology/approach The research employs a qualitative method with an interpretivist approach, conducting thirty in-depth qualitative interviews with mid-and senior-level managers involved in global SCM and international marketing efforts of MNCs drawn from a wide range of sectors in Nigeria. Data analysis utilizes an inductive thematic approach, which combines Braun and Clarke's six-step framework and Gioia's suggestions for qualitative rigour. Findings The paper reveals institutional voids in the digital business environment, including inadequate social amenities, prevalent informal business practices, challenges in navigating complex regulatory environments and limited access to advanced technological resources. These challenges create disparities between local practices and established standards, resulting in resource constraints and a lack of business opportunities. Our findings reveal that, in response, MNCs adopt “glocalization” strategies in SCM and international marketing, tailoring technological solutions to local conditions, fostering relationship and optimization of resource allocation, contributing to international trade resilience. Originality/value This pioneering research explores the interlinkages between institutional technologies, SCM and international marketing efforts of MNCs in an under-researched African context, offering valuable managerial and theoretical implications.
Purpose We develop and empirically test a model of antecedents to export improvisation, underpinned by a systematic literature review (SLR) and an exploratory study. Export-specific drivers include export commitment, market orientation, experiential skills, learning orientation and inter-functional coordination, modelled as antecedents of three dimensions of export improvisation, namely export action-orientation, spontaneity and creativity. Design/methodology/approach The SLR was performed to identify the state of the art in our knowledge and understanding of improvisation, its antecedents and its manifestation in export contexts. An exploratory qualitative study of 10 UK export manufacturers was then conducted, aiming to generate specific insights into drivers of export improvisation. Data were analysed via within- and cross-case displays. Insights contextualised the SLR findings and aided in the development of a survey instrument administered to 197 export manufacturers in the UK. The quantitative data resulting from the survey were analysed via structured equation modelling in LISREL. Findings Export commitment and inter-functional coordination boost spontaneity and creativity, while generation of export information hinders these. Meanwhile, export learning orientation and dissemination of export information enable action-orientation. Originality/value Theoretical and empirical examinations of the antecedents to export improvisation have largely been overlooked in export literature, despite export improvisation likely being more widespread, and paradoxically trickier, than domestic improvisation. Given the growing importance of improvisation to export performance, an understanding of how to foster greater export improvisation is timely. Therefore, we address this research gap using multiple methods of enquiry.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to advance understanding of how informal institutions, including digital platform-type institutional technologies, influence institutional voids and exporting mode decisions of transition economy firms. The study also examines how informal institutions evolve and interact as they influence institutional voids and exporting mode choices, and how such decisions might be explained from a knowledge-based perspective of firm internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an exploratory case study approach. Our empirical evidence is obtained from internationally oriented firms and expert informants in Kyrgyzstan during two separate fieldwork periods. This longitudinal design facilitated our understanding of how institutions evolve. Findings We find that older informal institutions and their newer counterparts, including digital platform-type institutional technologies, influence institutional voids, but the latter appear to be increasingly influential over time. The study firms seem to be evolving away from relying on older informal practices in favour of newer arrangements and mechanisms. As the latter become more dominant, they, particularly collaborations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and digital platforms, appear to steer firms towards more direct exporting options, including virtual presence and associated value chain activities. Social implications Our article highlights the importance of combining traditional informal institutions with emerging digital platform-type institutional technologies in supporting firm internationalisation. Fostering collaboration among firms, NGOs, industry associations, and digital platforms can help alleviate institutional constraints, enhance international market access, strengthen inclusion in global value chains and promote more sustainable and equitable socio-economic development in transition economies. Originality/value Our article makes original contributions to the institutional theory and internationalisation theory, specifically the knowledge-based view of firm internationalisation. It advances understanding of the influence of compensatory mechanisms on exporting mode choice, by showing how increasing reliance on newer informal structures, including digital platform-type institutional technologies, leads to greater adoption of more direct exporting modes. The study's longitudinal design also shows how informal institutions evolve to influence both institutional voids and exporting mode decisions. Furthermore, our study offers important insights regarding how newer informal institutions interact to steer small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) towards more direct engagement in international markets and value chains, with attendant international marketing knowledge benefits. Additionally, the article extends scholarly debates to the under-explored transitional context of Central Asia.
PurposeThis study investigates the interdependencies among environmental activism, materialism, cosmopolitanism, and consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption. Specifically, it examines dual-pathways of activism's role in sustainability - weakening materialism and reinforcing cosmopolitanism - and how these dynamics vary across cultural and institutional contexts.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in Value-Belief-Norm theory, social representations theory, and institutional theory, we develop and test a cross-national structural equation model using representative survey data from Canada (n = 673) and Spain (n = 2,589). The model assesses direct and mediated pathways linking environmental activism, materialism, cosmopolitanism, and consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption.FindingsResults reveal that environmental activism significantly predicts sustainable consumption behavior both directly and indirectly through value orientations. Cosmopolitanism acts as a value reinforcement mechanism, amplifying the activism-consumption link, while materialism operates as a resistance mechanism, weakening this link. These effects are context-dependent in that cosmopolitanism plays a stronger mediating influence in Canada, while materialism is more salient in Spain, illustrating how cultural and institutional environments moderate the pathways from activism to consumption.Originality/valueOur research advances sustainable consumption scholarship by positioning activism as a driver of value change and by integrating culturally embedded value systems as mediators. It proposes a dynamic, context-sensitive framework that enriches the classic Value-Belief-Norm model and offers psychographically grounded insights for international market segmentation and strategy.
Purpose This paper examines how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is transforming cross-cultural consumer engagement by reshaping how people encounter, learn and perform culture. We conceptualize GenAI as a cultural intermediary that enables “model-mediated contact,” extending acculturation theory beyond both direct and media-mediated forms of cultural learning to explain how algorithmic systems reshape cultural exposure, identity formation and adaptation in international marketing contexts. Design/methodology/approach We integrate acculturation theory, affordance theory and research on global consumer culture to build a conceptual framework linking four GenAI affordances – translation and localization, synthesis, role-play and simulation and conversational memory – to four mechanisms that shape AI-mediated cultural learning: secondhand acculturation, algorithmic cosmopolitanism, curated curiosity and the control illusion. The framework patterned tensions and trade-offs that affect both consumers and marketers, which we theorize as paradoxes rather than linear effects. Findings GenAI broadens cultural access but compresses nuance. It enables surface fluency while weakening pragmatic competence and authenticity. The four mechanisms reveal how algorithmic mediation fosters breadth over depth, legibility over meaning and efficiency over originality. These dynamics generate four paradoxes: Understanding–Authenticity, Connection–Resonance, Choice–Creativity and Democratization–Dominance. Together, they show how greater technological reach can simultaneously erode cultural richness, symbolic depth and brand distinctiveness. Originality/value This paper advances international marketing theory by introducing model-mediated acculturation and distinguishing algorithmic cosmopolitanism from experiential cosmopolitanism. It redefines consumer agency as interactive in form but bounded in substance and calls for updated frameworks that reflect GenAI's role in shaping cultural contact, authenticity and identity. It further specifies how GenAI-mediated acculturation reshapes core international marketing constructs, including brand authenticity, legitimacy, consumer–brand identification, perceived cultural distance and standardization–adaptation dynamics. For managers, it offers diagnostic guidance on preserving cultural depth, balancing AI and human mediation, redesigning journeys for model-shaped discovery and protecting provenance in a GenAI-driven marketplace.
PurposeConsumer purchase intention in cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) has received momentum in international marketing. However, little is known about purchase intention toward smaller retailers with country-specific websites, known as partial online internationalization (POI) retailers. While consumer CBEC purchasing involves uncertainty, it is particularly challenging toward POI-retailers due to their unfamiliarity, hampering consumer purchasing and relationship building. Past research overlooks how purchase intentions can be increased in the presence of uncertainty, thereby creating prerequisites for relationship building. Drawing on relational exchange theory and consumer attitude literature, this study aims to explore purchase intention toward POI-retailers in CBEC from a relational view.Design/methodology/approachBased on a survey with 364 respondents exposed to a real-life POI-retailer, the proposed model demonstrates greater predictive power for purchase intention compared to previous CBEC studies.FindingsThe findings reveal that uncertainty negatively affects consumer trust but does not impact their attitude. Unexpectedly, purchase intention toward POI-retailers is primarily driven by consumer attitude and commitment, with trust having an insignificant effect on both commitment and purchase intention. Results also show the importance of nurturing favorable attitudes, as they serve as a key mediator of trust's effect on commitment and purchase intention.Originality/valueBuilding on relational exchange theory and extending its scope with attitude literature, we introduce its concepts into a unified model for developing a relational framework that has, thus far, been overlooked in scholarly research. The proposed relational framework offers novel insights into consumers' development of purchase intentions, highlighting the prerequisites for building relationships in the presence of uncertainty.
