Purpose There is an area of neglect in the extant literature on the role of electronic word of mouth in the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. This study aims to investigate how social media influencer marketing impacts consumer purchase intention, focussing on key variables of social media influencer marketing, such as influencers' experience, trustworthiness, attractiveness and content usefulness, in the tourism industry. Additionally, this paper proposes investigating the moderating role of electronic word-of-mouth communication on the relationship between social media influencer (SMI) marketing and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach A moderated model was analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) by using a sample of 385 tourists. Findings Results revealed that SMI's experience, trustworthiness and content usefulness have a significant and positive effect, while SMI's attractiveness did not show any significant impact on consumers' intention to purchase tourism products. Practical implications This paper demonstrates implications for SMI marketing in the tourism sector through better-designed SMI marketing strategies. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence for the moderating role of electronic word of mouth in using social media influencers' trustworthiness in improving purchase intention, specifically in the tourism context.
Purpose The study aims to investigate the influence of excessive gadget promotion and peer pressure on the gadget usage behavior of young people, as well as to assess the prolonged physical and psychological consequences of digital overdependence. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey utilizing a seven-point Likert scale was conducted on 500 respondents aged 12 to 26 in urban Bangladesh, resulting in the analysis of 366 valid responses through structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings The SEM analysis revealed that the advertising of gadgets substantially increased screen time and impulsive purchases. Peer pressure strongly predicted gadget overuse. Excessive gadget usage was directly connected with eye strain, sleep disturbance, anxiety and diminished concentration, adversely affecting psychological well-being and health. Research limitations/implications The results offer practical recommendations for parents, educators, policymakers and technology developers to reduce hazards via digital literacy instruction, parental involvement, ethical design and enhanced regulation of marketing aimed at young people. Originality/value This study enhances the understanding of youth digital well-being by linking marketing influence to health and psychological effects, offering a South Asian viewpoint that benefits educators, policymakers and technology developers.
PurposeNegative online reviews are significantly increasing with the increasing popularity of digital payment. Strategies for managing negative reviews are limited to encouraging positive reviews from service providers. However, the role of an appropriate number of positive reviews to manage negative reviews is inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of the number of positive reviews in the relationship between negatively valenced influencing behaviors and attitude, behavior, and intention of digital wallet users.Design/methodology/approachThis paper applied a 3*2 factorial design with a sample of 140 digital wallet users. Confirmatory factor analysis and one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were used to test the proposed model.FindingsThis paper found that indirect negatively valenced influencing behaviors have a significant influence on the behavioral intention of digital wallet usage, in which discrediting reviews yield a more adverse outcome compared to regretting and deriding reviews. Likewise, the number of positive reviews significantly moderates the relationship between different forms of negatively valenced influencing behaviors, namely discrediting, deriding, regretting, on attitude and behavior intention.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the earliest studies exploring the impact of indirectly valenced negative behaviors on the behavioral intentions of digital wallet users. The findings would enrich the literature by understanding the reviews of digital wallets in Facebook reviews.
PurposeThis study explores how social media platforms shape and mediate the tourist experience at UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Pakistan. It analyses user content to uncover key drivers of visitor satisfaction and sustainable heritage tourism. The research contributes to understanding the digital dynamics of cultural tourism and provides insights for enriching heritage site management and visitor experience strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on inductive thematic content analysis of tourist reviews on UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Pakistan.FindingsThe research identifies several recurring themes that are pivotal to the visitor experience: empathy, experience, authenticity, atmospherics and service quality.Practical implicationsThese insights carry substantial implications for the management and promotion of cultural heritage tourism at UNESCO heritage sites in South Asia. They advocate for a strategic emphasis on enriching visitors' experience, improving site amenities and implementing sustainable tourism practices.Social implicationsThese insights convey considerable implications for the management and promotion of cultural heritage tourism on UNESCO heritage sites in Pakistan. They advocate for a strategic emphasis on enriching visitors' experience, improving site amenities and implementing sustainable tourism practices.Originality/valueThe findings emphasize authenticity's role in strengthening connections to history and enhancing the educational and emotional dimensions of cultural tourism. The results further highlight the significance of immersive experiences in boosting visitor satisfaction and underscore the necessity of providing high-quality services to meet diverse tourist expectations.
PurposeThe study aims to investigate the applicability of TikTok as a social media marketing tool to promote the luxury real estate industry in Sri Lanka based on the technology acceptance model (TAM).Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was utilized, and data were collected from an online survey of 96 real estate professionals. The sample was selected using the purposive sampling technique. Data analysis was conducted using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling through SmartPLS 4 version to test the hypothesis.FindingsTo achieve the study's purpose, the influence of perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and attitude (AT) on professional intention to use TikTok marketing was hypothesized. PU is not supported, indicating that the Sri Lankan luxury real estate sector is not ready to adopt TikTok marketing to promote luxury properties. However, PEOU and AT significantly influence the intention to use TikTok marketing.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical implications for real estate managers, marketers and developers. The positive AT of professionals and their perception of TikTok's ease of use indicate its potential for future adoption. However, the rejection of PU suggests that real estate marketers must strategically integrate TikTok into their luxury real estate marketing efforts.Originality/valueThere is a contextual gap in applying the TAM in TikTok marketing adoption in the luxury real estate sector in Asian and Sri Lankan contexts, an area that remains underexplored. It contributes to the literature by examining real estate professionals' adoption of TikTok marketing.
PurposeThis research aims to find the most influential attributes of airport service quality (SQ) that affect passenger satisfaction (PS) at international airports and patronage intention (PI).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 694 respondents via quick-response codes placed at key touch points throughout the airport, on the corporate website, across official social media platforms and through personal interviews. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling to derive meaningful insights.FindingsThe substantial effect of PS on PI indicates that PS is a strong predictor of PI. Airport facilities and ambience are direct determinants, emphasizing their significant association with PI.Originality/valueThe study explores how eight distinct SQ factors influence PS to drive PI based on a research model developed by integrating the SERVQUAL model with three other behavioral models (the theory of planned behavior, expectation disconfirmation theory and the stimulus-organism response). PI is discussed as a multidimensional construct, which includes positive word of mouth, revisiting intention, desire to recommend and positive behavioral tendency.
PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of fashion innovators or micro-social media fashion influencers' (SMFIs) sponsored content characteristics posted from Facebook brand pages (FBPs) in native advertising (NAD) on millennial consumers' engagement (CE) levels by drawing on the specified theories and models.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the 5 theories and models, an online survey of 317 millennial SMFI followers on FBPs' responses was conducted in Bangladesh using non-probability purposive sampling, and structural equation modeling was used to test the model.FindingsEstablished through hypothesis testing, perceived credibility (PC) partially mediates CE, with indirect effects from parasocial interaction (PSI), awareness of the disclosure statement (DS) and entertainment value, except for informativeness value (INF), mainly among female millennials aged 25 to 29.Research limitations/implicationsThis research extends the social media influencer (SMI) marketing literature's five streams by conceptualizing an integrated model as “FIIMCEB,” focusing on fashion clothing SMFIs' content uploaded on FBP, which was overlooked earlier.Practical implicationsThe partial mediating effect of PC, as a content characteristic of SMFI, is discussed for fashion marketers seeking to implement the latest strategies to engage millennial followers.Originality/valueThe study contributes five ways to SMI marketing literature by specifying how the SMFIs' sponsored content characteristics, including DS, positively affect the behavior of a focused consumer segment in an integrated approach that separates persuasion knowledge model, advertising value model, PSI theory, source credibility model and CE theory of SMI marketing research, extending FBP-based NAD.
The rapid advancement of Financial Technology (FinTech) has ushered in a new era of financial services, with innovative solutions that have the potential to transform how individuals and businesses manage their finances. This research study explores the critical factors affecting the adoption of FinTech services by integrating the TAM and the E-S-QUAL model with a special focus on the service quality of FinTech services. The study used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) for testing both measurement and structural models. Data were collected from 304 FinTech users in India. The findings supported the hypotheses that perceived ease of use (PE) and perceived usefulness (PU) significantly influence the use of FinTech services. Moreover, a strong positive relationship exists between PE and PU, highlighting the interdependence of these factors in FinTech adoption. Additionally, service quality emerges as a pivotal factor, positively impacting both PE and PU, further enhancing the use of FinTech services. FinTech companies should prioritise strategic investments in user experience (UX), user interface (UI) design and systematic usability testing, which will lead to significant improvements in user engagement. Policymakers should focus on developing supportive regulatory frameworks that both foster FinTech innovation and safeguard data privacy. The conceptual model, by integrating TAM and E-S-QUAL in the context of FinTech adoption in an emerging country, India, makes a pivotal contribution to the literature on both service quality and FinTech.
This study is aimed to explore the influence of predominant social factors such as family, peers and media on consumer socialization and to analyze the relationship between socialization agents and the consumer literacy knowledge (CLK) of youngsters. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 403 students aged between 18 and 25, from higher educational institutions in India. Structural equation modelling technique was adopted to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings suggest that among the socialization agents, family dominates the influence of youngsters' socializations. Compared with CLK, peers and family have a positive impact, whereas media possess a reverse directionality effect. In terms of gender, females are more consumer literate than males. Youngsters belonging to extended and nuclear families show better CLK than those in joint families. Our results confirmed that family and peers influence the consumer socialization of youngsters and subsequently contribute to developing CLK among them. The results from this research have several implications for researchers. Extending social learning theory, future studies may investigate different types of influences of parents and peers compared to media influences. Further, cross-country comparisons of CLK among the younger generation provide fruitful avenues for future researchers. Though this study has limitations of a small sample and social desirability bias, researchers have taken adequate steps to minimize these limitations. This study provides detailed insights into the key antecedents of CLK among the younger generation. Most importantly, parents, peers and the media profoundly influence how youngsters engage in marketing. Therefore, marketers must advertise their products so that families and peers can evaluate them and recommend them to the younger generation. Based on the literature, more studies need to be conducted on consumer socialization and CLK among youngsters in India. This study provides the necessary findings for developing CLK among youngsters and helps understand the influence of predominant social factors on youngsters’ consumer socializations.
PurposeThis study examines the role of brick-and-mortar retail store attributes (SA) on consumers' brand loyalty and perceived value (PV), which consequently influence repurchase and word-of-mouth (WOM) behavior.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a structured survey administered to 374 shoppers at leading physical retail chains. The relationships among key constructs were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS, enabling assessment of both direct and mediating effects in the proposed model.FindingsFindings revealed that structural equation modeling indicated that store-related attributes had the strongest effect on brand loyalty and PV. Both mediators, in turn, enhanced repurchase and WOM intentions. Subgroup analysis highlighted age-based differences in these pathways.Practical implicationsRetail managers can boost customer loyalty and PV by enhancing retail SA. Investing in visual merchandising, staff training, competitive pricing and omnichannel integration leads to higher satisfaction, positive WOM and increased repurchase intentions (RI). Prioritizing these strategies helps retailers build loyal customers and drive business growth.Originality/valueThis study provides unique insights into shopper expectations of SA that may be used by global retailers to create consumer brand loyalty and PV and build thriving businesses.
PurposeTourism has emerged as an important driving force for the economic development of nations worldwide. It contributes to society from economic, social and political perspectives, as well as sustainable tourism development helps increase environmental benefits and reduce negative consequences on local communities. Thus, the study aims to identify the motivational factors of religious tourists visiting Lumbini, Nepal and their impact on Behavioural Intention (BI).Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the study's objective, 21 items related to religious motivation and four items related to BI were identified from previous research studies. The data were collected from 390 tourists visiting Lumbini. Furthermore, the study employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse and confirm the conceptual model proposed for the study.FindingsThe EFA identified a four-factor model for religious motivation, such as Cultural and Historical attributes, Service Quality, Religious Belief and Socialisation. The CFA analysis confirmed that the proposed model is a good fit. The study also found that service quality is the primary motivational factor influencing BI, followed by Religious Belief and Socialisation. However, Cultural and Historical attributes have an insignificant impact on the BI of religious tourists visiting Lumbini.Research limitations/implicationsTo investigate the relationship between religious tourists' motivation and BI, the required data were collected from a single destination Lumbini. Further study can be done including a greater number of religious sites in Nepal, such as Swambhu and Namobuddha, to understand the relations better. Another limitation is that the study has identified only four factors of motivation which influence tourists' BIs. Further study may include more factors of motivation such as personal enrichment, religious learning, relaxation, pleasure-seeking, novelty-seeking, enjoyment, family togetherness, social status, etc. and also further study should investigate the mediating effect of tourists' satisfaction and the moderating role of demographic variables such as age, gender on the relationship.Practical implicationsThis study provides actionable insights for enhancing religious tourism in Lumbini. It highlights the need for improved service quality, including better accommodations, accessibility and customer interactions, as key to influencing tourists' BIs. Emphasising religious belief, it suggests creating informative materials, guided tours and collaborations with religious organizations to deepen visitors' experiences. Socialisation opportunities, such as festivals and community events, should be prioritised to foster engagement. Although cultural and historical factors showed limited impact, preserving and promoting these attributes can attract culturally inclined tourists. These strategies collectively support sustainable tourism development and Lumbini's positioning as a global religious hub.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by applying SEM to examine the structural relationship between motivational factors and BIs among tourists visiting Lumbini, addressing a gap in research on religious tourism in Nepal.
Purpose This study extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) to identify factors impacting the ongoing use of electronic payment (e-payment) systems in Bangladesh in order to create a cashless society. Design/methodology/approach Data were acquired from 442 Bangladeshi e-payment consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to investigate the correlations between the suggested variables and user behavioral intentions. Findings Trust, security, individual mobility and conducive conditions all have a substantial impact on perceived utility and ease of use. Along with social impact, these impressions strongly predict consumers’ long-term desire to utilize e-payment systems, which then affects actual use. Furthermore, self-efficacy considerably modifies the link between continuous use intention and actual usage. Originality/value This study expands on existing e-payment work by incorporating more components into TAM, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of behavioral drivers in developing nations. The findings provide practical insights for e-payment service providers looking to boost user confidence, bolster trust and security measures and increase adoption through increased user assistance and training.
In today’s world, the increasing significance of social media as a news outlet has brought its benefits and drawbacks for brands and companies. One such drawback is individuals sharing fake news about brands and organizations. While existing research offers essential insights into sharing decisions, studies focusing mainly on sharing fake news on social media remain relatively absent in the mainstream literature. In such an environment, this study attempts to identify the fake news-sharing behavior about brands across social media. The study was a quantitative survey using self-administered questionnaires distributed among 211 social media users living in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. The study sample was chosen based on the non-probabilistic purposive sampling method. The study found that social conversation significantly impacts the instantaneous sharing of news to create awareness, and self-management significantly impacts the instantaneous sharing of news to create awareness and authenticate news before sharing. Interestingly, authenticating news before sharing has a significant impact on active corrective actions and passive corrective actions when sharing fake news. This study contributes to filling the existing gap in the literature by enhancing knowledge on the sharing behavior of social media users while practically supporting marketers to control the fake news sharing about their brands by identifying the sharing behavior of customers.
Purpose: An insurer is technically ruined when its surplus falls below a specified level that is less than a defined benchmark. In ruin analysis, the classical Lundberg’s model describes the claim’s process of an insurer where the claim size and the inter-arrival times are independent of each other, but this may not be reasonable enough since it is complex to express the adjustment coefficient in terms of the distributions of claim sizes and inter-arrival times. It is, therefore, reasonable to compare the ruin probability of insurer’s portfolio under Tijim’s approximation in order to determine the level at which the insurer could survive. The objectives of this study are to estimate the adjustment coefficient using moment generating function, confirm when the net profit condition is violated and construct model for the exponential parameter of the Tijim’s model. Design/Methodology/Approach: We compare ruin probabilities Lundberg’s and Tijim’s frameworks under Gamma claims. Findings: Computational evidence from the results reveals that Tijim’s approximation is comparatively lower than Lundberg’s upper bound and, therefore, represents an improvement. The empirical analysis suggests that the insurer should avoid initial reserve below 1,800,000.00. From tables 2 and 3, at any level of the initial capital u both models seem not converging to zero very fast. Within the interval 1000000 ≤ u ≤ 1800000, the ruin probability is trivially confirming that the net profit condition E(X) − a < 0 is violated. Originality: This paper has improved the Tijim’s estimation analytically as demonstrated in our empirical analysis.
Purpose A surge in demand for ethical products, including cruelty-free products, has been well documented in recent years, with direct ramifications for businesses. This trend towards ethical consumption seemed to be swiftly replicated in Eastern countries, especially in South Asian nations, as a result of westernisation. Based on the theory of planned behaviour and the concept of the attitude-behaviour gap, this study aims to investigate the impact of westernisation on the purchase intention of cruelty-free cosmetic products. Design/methodology/approach A positivist research paradigm was utilised in this study. Accordingly, an online self-administered questionnaire was shared among 242 consumers of cosmetic products in Sri Lanka in order to collect responses. The statistical techniques of correlation analysis, the Sobel test and moderator regression analysis have been utilised in this study. Findings It was found that there seems to be a positive impact of westernisation and the cruelty-free purchase intention of consumers. Moreover, consumer empowerment appears to mediate this relationship, while the attitude behaviour gap tends to further impact the relationship between consumer empowerment and the purchase intention of cruelty-free products. Originality/value This study seems to shed light upon the impact of westernisation on the purchase intention of consumers, especially from an ethical dimension and this study is likely to extend existing studies which have focussed on consumer empowerment, attitude-behaviour gap as well as the theory of planned behaviour, especially in the context of South Asia, where there seems to be a dearth of such investigations. Moreover, this study has attempted to contextualise the construct of “Westernisation” to the South Asian region in line with the tone set by an editorial article Dewasiri et al . (2021).
Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of millennial tourists’ accommodation service experiences (ASEs) on their satisfaction, word-of-mouth (WOM) and revisit intentions (RIs) in an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach A survey instrument was used to collect cross-sectional data from millennial tourists, and the 282 valid datasets were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The results demonstrated that ASE had a beneficial impact on satisfaction and WOM but not on RI. Significant positive associations between tourist satisfaction, WOM and RI were also discovered. Additionally, WOM research sheds new light on how the ASE of millennial tourists affects their satisfaction, WOM and propensity to return. Furthermore, results show that WOM intentions and satisfaction mediate the relationship between ASE and RIs. Originality/value The study presents a unique research context, the application of advanced statistical techniques and the comprehensive investigation of key outcome variables in the context of millennial tourists’ ASEs in an emerging economy. This study contributes significantly to the body of knowledge in the field of tourism research, aiming to meet long-term goals in a sustainable way for the hospitality industry operators by integrating ASE, satisfaction, WOM and RI. Additionally, the study presents the mediating role of WOM and satisfaction in the millennial tourists’ emerging country context.
Purpose: The research focused on the insurance industry performance of India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka were supposed to find the impact of product diversification and Insurance activity towards industry performance measured by ROE. Further insurance penetration is considered a moderating variable and objectives same as mentioned above. Product diversification and Insurance activity are key indicators of the insurance industry and insurance penetration is a key indicator of country performance measurement.Methodology: This quantitative study considered countries of Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan in the South Asian Region and considered the period data from 2012 -2022. The highest developed first three countries were considered for evaluation purposes and diversified (companies operating in both Life & General) insurance companies from each country.Findings: Both product diversification and insurance activity exhibit negative correlations with insurance industry performance, indicating that increasing either factor may result in lower financial performance for insurers in these countries. Furthermore, insurance penetration significantly moderates the relationship between product diversification and insurance industry performance. The three hypotheses formulated and stated that impact is negative for product diversification and insurance activity. Further stated that insurance penetration moderated the insurance industry's performance.Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of prudent strategic planning and management for diversified insurance companies in India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka. Diversified insurance firms are advised to carefully weigh the trade-offs between diversification and profitability. While diversification can mitigate risk, it may also lead to diminishing the returns in long run.
Purpose This study aimed to test some dynamics related to YouTube advertising clutter and viewers' attitudes towards YouTube channels operated by traditional television (TV) companies (These YouTube channels tend to have a greater ad clutter since their videos have embedded ads of programme sponsors in addition to regular YouTube advertisements). Design/methodology/approach Employing a positivistic, quantitative methodology, the study collected data through an online survey from a sample of 295 YouTube viewers in Sri Lanka. Data were analysed using the regression-based PROCESS macro, utilising the SPSS software. Findings Ad clutter has a negative impact on viewers' attitudes towards the YouTube channel, but only indirectly, through irritation. Skippability of advertisements does not moderate the relationship between ad clutter and ad irritation, but non-skippability increases ad irritation (direct relationship). Practical implications YouTube channel owners should pay careful attention to having an optimum level of advertising because clutter resulting in high ad irritation leading to a negative attitude towards the channel could reduce subscriptions. Offering an ad skippability option is unlikely to reduce irritation if there is high clutter. Originality/value Although ad clutter is well-researched, its impact on viewer responses to online media channels is uncommon. With YouTube poised to become a top ad revenue-generating medium, this study contributes by examining some dynamics related to ad clutter in a possibly high-clutter context.
PurposeSwitching behavior is predominantly seen in the consumer buying behavior of the mobile industry. This research aims to identify the factors influencing consumers to switch from their present mobile service provider. The consumer of the mobile industry operates in a dynamic and ever-changing environment that is difficult to predict, so this paper aims to focus on these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe selection of factors was made with the help of qualitative study and quantitative research methods for further findings; with the help of a structured questionnaire, a total of 514 valuable responses were collected to get the results. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe finding shows that technology and edge-on-competition (TEC) and pricing have a negative influence on customer switching behavior. The switching cost (SC) is the most significant factor and has a positive impact, while service encounter failure (SEF) also positively impacts switching behavior.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings provide important implications for consumers switching brands if they are finding alternative offers that are cost-effective and SEF from service providersPractical implicationsThe study of one of the largest mobile markets is learning lessons for other markets around the world. This study will be helpful for mobile service provider companies in their branding and marketing strategies. This study will also be helpful to practitioners, educators and researchers in understanding the consumer behavior of mobile users.Social implicationsThe learning of the largest mobile market will be a great learning lesson for other mobile markets around the world. Consumer behavior will help marketers follow ethical practices and make their strategy so a consumer does not switch brands and remain satisfied with the existing brand.Originality/valueThe study provides unique learning for practitioners, educators and researchers to understand the consumer behavior of mobile users. This will help marketers create factors that stop consumers from switching brands and develop strategies to retain customers.
