Introduction/Objective: this study examines how risk communication (balanced vs. unbalanced information), product type (basic, mid-range, high-end), and consumer income level (low, middle, high) influence credit card use and installment payment decisions. Methodology: a discrete choice experiment was designed with 90 participants (62 women, 28 men; mean age = 29.5 years) classified by per capita income into three levels (low, middle, high). Results: the results show that balanced information increased the likelihood of choosing a credit card and reduced the number of installments selected. Conversely, middle- and high-income groups showed a greater preference for mid- and high-value products, intensified by unbalanced information, which led to longer payment terms. An ordinal logistic regression model confirmed that providing balanced information significantly reduces the number of installments, with a greater impact on low-income participants. Conclusions: these findings underscore the role of balanced communication in mitigating financial risk and highlight the importance of risk literacy strategies that complement traditional financial education. This research contributes to the literature on consumer behaviour and behavioural economics by showing that the quality of information can shape more responsible credit decisions, with relevant implications for public policy design and the regulation of financial markets in contexts of economic vulnerability.
Introduction: postmodern societies have established consumption as a central medium for social interaction. In this context, indebtedness has become naturalized as the primary means of accessing the market for the realization of life projects. Consequently, consumption facilitated by debt has been intensified, leading to an increase in delinquency rates. Within this scenario, financial well-being is positioned as a construct that allows for the measurement of individuals’ objective and subjective well-being within an economic context that emphasizes financial control and planning. Given the lack of consensus on how to measure financial well-being and the scarcity of validated scales in the Chilean context, the objective of the present investigation is to assess the psychometric properties of the Financial Well-Being Scale developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the Chilean population. Method: using a quantitative approach and a non-experimental design, the study included 714 employed adults residing in the cities of Temuco and Osorno, Chile. The factorial structure of the scale was examined through confirmatory factor analysis using the weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV) estimator. Results: the results supported a bifactorial structure with adequate model fit indices (CFI = 0.986, TLI = 0.974, RMSEA = 0.063, and SRMR = 0.020), indicating a good fit of the model to the data. Conclusion: the study provides psychometric evidence for a financial well-being scale in Chilean adults, supporting its internal structure and its theoretical contribution to consumption theory and economics. Practically, it offers a brief measure for diagnosis and evaluation in organizational, educational, and public policy settings, informing interventions and financial education initiatives.
Introduction: this paper investigates the factors influencing people’s desire to buy a home. We examine how consumer satisfaction may be influenced by factors such as price, housing features and the developer’s reputation. We adopt a more comprehensive approach which differs from the traditional view of residential choice as a purely rational process. We consider how these crucial decisions can be influenced by our emotions and overall happiness. Methodology: this research employed a structured questionnaire to gather data from 767 adult Chinese citizens and utilised partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS SEM) to demonstrate sufficient levels of reliability and validity. Results: consumer satisfaction is positively influenced by price and developer brand whereas the emotional dimension does not seem to be significantly affected by housing characteristics. On the other hand, housing features are the principal single influencer of buying intention. Similarly, consumer happiness has a relevant impact on this goal. In this type of research, price and brand are not directly related to purchase intention but indirectly linked through consumer happiness. Conclusions: both functional and emotional factors influence housing investment. This indicates that marketing initiatives to maximise consumer happiness can be profitable for real estate developers, which is especially vital for improving a trusted brand, transparent communication and homes that help with comfort and daily life.
Introduction/objective: the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped food consumption patterns worldwide. This study examines the attitudinal and behavioral changes reported by consumers in Ecuador’s two main cities (Quito and Guayaquil) toward food delivery apps (FDA) across three periods—pre-pandemic (2019), pandemic (2020-2021) and post-pandemic (2022-2025)—using retrospective questions. Methodology: a cross-sectional study with a retrospective approach and non-experimental design. A questionnaire grounded in the extended UTAUT2 model with perceived trust and perceived COVID-19 risk was applied to a convenience sample of 468 consumers (n = 250 Quito; n = 218 Guayaquil). Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis (MGA). Results: the model explains 67.3 % of the variance in continuance intention (R² = 0.673). The strongest significant predictors were habit (β = 0.52), performance expectancy (β = 0.41) and perceived trust (β = 0.29). City-level differences emerged: habit weighed more in Quito (β = 0.58 vs. 0.47) and social influence in Guayaquil (β = 0.46 vs. 0.31). Conclusions: participants reported usage that remains above pre-pandemic levels. The study provides the first systematic empirical evidence on the determinants of FDA continuance intention in the two cities that concentrate this market in Ecuador, documenting intra-country differences with implications for differentiated marketing strategies.
Introduction/Objectives: e-commerce is no longer just a sales channel. Nowadays new technologies have opened the door for e-commerce platforms such as Social Marketing (SM) or Happiness Management (HM), to engage with broader societal concerns, especially within their organisations. After a literature review where the three concepts are studied separately, a critical question yet remains underexplored: do these domains merely coexist, or can they reinforce one another in meaningful ways? And if so, what role does e-commerce play in that process? This study addresses precisely that question. Methodology: a bibliometric review of the literature on SM and HM was implemented using the Web of Science and Scopus databases, applying the PRISMA methodology and Bibliometrix and VOSviewer tools. This combination enabled the development of co-occurrence and co-authorship maps, providing the research with greater analytical excellence. Results: after filtering and analysing 65 articles, we discovered that e-commerce appears as a structural axis linking HM and SM, acting as a visibility channel for actions related to employee happiness. The analyses show that HM is still in a developmental phase, while SM demonstrates a more consolidated trajectory. However, both fields lack sufficiently robust collaborative authorship communities, unravelling the need to strengthen collaborative research synergies. Conclusions: this study consolidates e-commerce as a connecting element between organisational happiness management and social marketing strategies, shaping an emerging field of research. It also shows that organisations wishing to gain a long-term competitive advantage should use digital platforms to promote social responsibility and employee well-being.
