Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of influencer marketing, particularly in the fashion industry. Consequently, brands are using virtual influencers (VIs) to engage consumers in this space. Yet little is known about VIs’ credibility and their influence on purchase intentions, especially in an emerging market where they are less prevalent. This study examines the influence of VIs’ credibility (i.e., trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise) on consumers’ attitudes towards VIs and the subsequent impact on purchase intention for fashion products in South Africa, grounded in the Source Credibility Theory. Data were collected from active social media users using non-probability convenience and snowball sampling, and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings indicated that trustworthiness, attractiveness and expertise influenced consumers’ attitudes towards VIs, which influenced purchase intentions of fashion products. Furthermore, attitude was found to play a mediating role. The study offers several implications for both marketers and scholars.
Crises, such as economic downturns or global health pandemics, pose significant business challenges. Engaging in CSR initiatives that contribute to societal well-being can help mitigate the negative consequences of crises, reinforce customer gratitude, and minimize corporate hypocrisy. CSR is critical in shaping a company’s accountability and ethical responsibilities. Consequently, there is an opportunity for the firm to see the role of CSR and how it affects customers’ responses and attitudes during any difficult situation. Drawing upon attribution theory and the customer gratitude reciprocity cycle, a conceptual framework was developed to test the impact of CSR on the variables: corporate hypocrisy, satisfaction in crisis, and gratitude for the F&B industry and the telecom sectors. We gathered 1220 responses, 620 for the F&B industry and 600 for the telecom sector. The results for the telecom industry suggest that CSR impacts corporate hypocrisy, satisfaction in crisis, and gratitude. However, for the F&B industry, CSR impacts only corporate hypocrisy and gratitude, and it does not impact satisfaction during a crisis.
Online shopping non-adoption remains critically underexplored, especially in emerging markets. Addressing this gap, the authors develop and test a distrust-centric framework that applies the inhibitory logic of social exchange, trust transfer, and social presence theories to explain pre-emptive avoidance. Focusing on South Africa, where only 18.16% of the population engage in e-commerce, data was collected from 414 consumers who have never shopped online. Structural equation modelling reveals that perceived lack of reciprocity directly increases the intention of non-adoption. Moreover, distrust in online payment systems transfers to broader channel scepticism, which in turn drives avoidance. Perceived lack of social presence further amplifies this channel distrust. The study thus validates a model where non-adoption is driven by an anticipatory calculus of negative exchange, potent distrust transfer from critical subsystems, and the salience of absent human interaction. These findings provide a robust theoretical explanation for e-commerce resistance and actionable insights for trust-building in emerging digital markets.
The ever-increasing incidences of abandoned goods at checkout points threaten the viability of retail operations in many supermarkets. Abandoned products are associated with reshelving costs, deteriorating value due to multiple handling, and turning checkout points into a mess. The incidences of dumped goods at checkout points can be reduced if retail operations managers get some insights into the motivations behind such retrogressive consumer behaviour. The need to get such insights led to this study that conducted interviews with customers who had just abandoned their picked products at checkout points. The aim of the study was to find out the reasons behind the abandonment of goods by customers at retail checkout points. To achieve this objective, a phenomenological research approach was adopted. A sample of 30 conveniently selected participants, determined through reaching a saturation point, was interviewed. Data collection took 5 weeks during the months of December 2024 and January 2025. The data was analysed thematically. The results indicated that customers dump products at checkout points due to several reasons, such as insufficient funds, discrepancies between checkout price and shelf price, checkout price unavailability, checkout system failure, and slow-moving queues. The study recommended that supermarkets should engage banks to provide balance inquiry facilities inside or closer to the supermarkets, ensure matching of checkout prices with shelf prices, prompt pricing of new stocks, maintenance of robust service recovery systems, and improve order processing speeds at checkout points.
The purpose of this study is to better understand how the ethical ideologies of consumers influence their responses to perceived corporate social irresponsibility (CSI), focusing on trust and word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations. Data were collected through a survey involving 627 car owners in Poland, using a real-life case of CSI concerning a major car manufacturer fined for misleading consumers about diesel emissions. The analysis employed partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that moral idealism amplifies the negative effects of CSI on WOM, while moral relativism produces neutrality towards CSI. Specifically, it appears that highly idealistic individuals are more reluctant to make positive comments about a firm accused of irresponsible behaviour. However, individuals who are more relativistic do not appear to be more sympathetic towards or tolerant of firms that act irresponsibly. The study contributes to the literature by highlighting the role of individual ethical ideologies in shaping consumer reactions to corporate misconduct and offers insights for firms and organizations addressing CSI-related challenges.
This qualitative article explores the significance of a luxury women’s shirt brand in fostering the professional competitiveness of Brazilian Generation Y women. It does this by identifying the personal values that motivate women to wear these shirts, based on the Means-End Theory. This theory was operationalized using the Soft Laddering technique and complemented by non-participant observation. The result is that these shirts play a role in securing respect – primarily professional, but also personal – from third parties for the wearers, helping them to perceive themselves as successful in their careers. This study is the first to examine the ability of a conspicuous product to provide symbolic value to consumers, and it reveals the values of Brazilian Generation Y women that can enrich marketing tactics and thereby improve products and services aimed at them. This research contributes to the literature on status consumption by studying a category of conspicuous consumption not previously investigated in Brazilian academia in terms of its capacity to imbue symbolism in Generation Y consumers through the lens of personal values.
The presented study is a partial replication of the effect discovered in the author’s previous studies on the influence of storytelling techniques on quantitative market research participant engagement. The study was conducted using the CAWI method on a nationwide sample of N=517. In the experimental group, all questions were asked in a narrative form and were part of a coherent story. The traditional approach was used with the control group. An additional independent variable was the moment of giving instructions containing storytelling elements: before or after the presentation of the advertisement The results replicate the main effect showing that using storytelling makes the respondents more engaged and thus more productive. The Presented experiment also proved that integrating all the questions into a story makes the manipulation effect last longer – the respondents’ engagement was maintained also in the case of detailed questions. Depending on the question, giving instructions after the presentation of the material was associated with equal or greater effectiveness of the storytelling used. This proves that manipulation is also effective in a situation where instruction has no chance of influencing the way the material is viewed. The article presents a new method for increasing the engagement of market research respondents. The use of storytelling has great potential in the practice of research companies in quantitative and qualitative research. The results replicate the main effect showing that using storytelling makes the respondents more engaged and thus more productive. The presented experiment also proved that integrating all the questions into a story makes the manipulation effect last longer. The respondents’ engagement was maintained also in the case of detailed questions. Additionally, giving instructions after the presentation of the material was associated with greater or similar, depending on the question, effectiveness of the storytelling used. This proves that manipulation is also effective in a situation where the instruction has no chance of influencing the way the material is viewed. The article presents a new method for increasing the engagement of market research respondents. The use of storytelling has great potential in research companies’ quantitative and qualitative research.
The tandem issue of obesity and overweight is a serious global issue that has attained pandemic scale. Media, particularly advertising, plays an active role in shaping perceptions and behavioural patterns, influencing both how and what people eat. This paper analyses food advertising in Serbia in 2023 in the context of promoting dietary habits. Content analysis of commercials aired on a selection of television stations during the year showed the overwhelming prevalence of ads for food high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS), with confectionary products in lead positions. Commercial narratives centre on framing them as sources or catalysts for joyful, fun, and playful experiences. They encourage increased consumption, snacking outside regular mealtimes, and position HFSS foods as essential components to make meals feel complete.
This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on improving customer loyalty through the use of chatbot technology, with a specific focus on the user experience of Moroccan consumers. The increasing integration of AI into customer service, especially through chatbots, represents a significant shift in how companies interact with their customers. Given Morocco’s growing digitalization and the strategic importance of customer loyalty, it is critical to understand how consumers perceive and interact with these technologies. To achieve this, the study used a qualitative research method of semi-structured interviews to investigate consumers’ perceptions, interaction behaviours, and challenges with chatbot usage. A total of 50 interviews were conducted with Moroccan consumers over a two-month period, from January to March. Each session lasted an average of 30 minutes. The results show a mixed picture: high awareness of chatbot advances is accompanied by varying degrees of appreciation and scepticism. Users cited both the potential and limitations of chatbot interactions, particularly in terms of technical responsiveness and personalization. The findings highlight the need to close the technology gap and optimize the user experience to increase the effectiveness of chatbots in customer service. The study contributes to theory and practice through a deeper understanding of AI-driven customer interactions and offers actionable recommendations for Moroccan companies seeking to update their digital customer engagement strategies.
In Poland, non-profit organizations face challenges in attracting and engaging donors, especially of younger ages, in charity. The study explores factors such as gender and household economic standing of Generation Z’s representatives in order to determine charity engagement in the wake of the frequency, value, and channels of financial donations among Generation Z. A survey (CAWI method) was conducted among young people under 25 in Poland. Descriptive statistics and statistical tests were performed to analyse the primary data. Outcomes show that young donors mostly provide financial aid donations once a year and both online platforms and traditional collection methods were the most popular aid donation transfer channels. Moreover, significant differences were found between men and women in donation frequency and amounts, with men donating more frequently and with higher donation values. Similarly, the respondents from households with above-average economic standing donated more often and in larger amounts than those from lower-income households. The study concludes that young people seem to be one-off donors with no regular habits of providing financial aid to needy people, and they are hybrid donors using, in parallel, both traditional and modern financial transfer channels. It appears that gender and economic standing play crucial roles in shaping Generation Z’s charitable behaviours. These findings provide valuable insights for non-profit organisations, suggesting the need for developing tailored strategies based on specific socio-demographic characteristics of Generation Z to engage young donors in charity regularly and intensively.
Consumer empowerment focuses on the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and advocacy that enable consumers to recognize and defend their rights and responsibilities. This study aims to explore the relationship between consumer awareness, skills, and assertiveness, highlighting the role of consumer empowerment in defending their rights. The study involves 2,600 respondents, consisting of 1,400 individuals from urban areas and 1,200 individuals from rural areas, analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that consumer awareness significantly enhances both skills and assertiveness. Additionally, consumer skills serve as a mediator linking awareness and assertiveness. This research emphasizes that higher awareness among consumers can strengthen their competencies in defending their rights and improve assertiveness in making consumption-related decisions. Therefore, this study makes a significant contribution to the literature on consumer empowerment and provides deeper insights into the importance of awareness in supporting greater empowerment for consumers. The findings can also be used to design more effective policies in the future to enhance consumer awareness and skills.
Gamifi cation is defi ned as using game design elements in non-gaming contexts: education, management, marketing and also market research. Gamifi ed research tools help to increase respondents’ engagement and obtain more in-depth results. Up till now the eff ects of gamifi cations were tested in the domains of brand strategy and consumer experience. The article shows the results of the experiment proving the eff ectiveness of a gamifi ed approach to the qualitative advertisement testing. The experimental group with a narrative context added to a question regarding the fi rst impression performed better than the control group with a standard task. Also gender diff erences were observed: the eff ect was valid only for men – there were no signifi cant diff erences in the performance of women in both groups. Due to an uneven split of men and women and a small sample in general, this eff ect needs further examination.
Modern marketing research faces a challenge how to increase the respondents’ productivity and encourage them to give more elaborated answers in the open-ended questions. It’s relevant both for CAWI quantitative projects and the qualitative approaches. The initial research in this area shows that gamified tasks including storytelling enhancements might be a solution to the stated problem. The research project was aimed at the verification of effectiveness of the gamified methods, i.e., questions including a storytelling context, with the use of a bigger, quantitative sample of the regular marketing research respondents – participants of the professional research panel. The research was conducted with the use of the CAWI method on a nationwide sample of 300 people aged 18–40 in an experimental scheme with one control and one experimental group with a gamified task. The participants’ task was to watch TV commercials and fill out a form with an openended evaluation of various aspects of the advertisement. The word count was used as the indicator of the respondents’ engagement. The results of the initial experiments in this field were replicated: application of the storytelling elements to the regular marketing research questions resulted in significantly more elaborated answers in comparison to the traditional approach. However, this effect was valid only for the first impressions check and not for the more detailed evaluation of the commercial. This research project proves that storytelling can be an effective tool to increase the engagement of marketing research participants. It’s a first step in the search for motivating techniques that can be used in different research approaches.
Within an emerging market context, the purchase of dairy free milk alternatives is not well understood. The purpose of the article is to present a model within which purchase intentions of South African emerging market consumers can be interpreted, providing marketers with information on which product positioning upon market entry and continuous marketing strategies can be developed for the growing niche ultra-heat treated (UHT) milk alternative product category. Using a qualitative, exploratory-descriptive approach, data was gathered in-person and online from 35 participants through mini-focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Through inductive-deductive thematic data analysis, findings describe consumer purchase intention towards UHT milk alternatives. Productrelated factors comprising consumer product beliefs and product evaluation, as well as behaviourrelated factors such as expected outcome, social norm and control, were found to impact consumer purchase intention, leading to the development of the integrated attitude-intention model. The study has contributed to a better understanding of the milk alternative category within an emerging market that will assist marketers in improving the marketing strategies for this category where little was known about the milk alternative consumer.
In the context of mobile banking services, trust emerges as a pivotal factor influencing both the acceptance and utilisation of these services, significantly shaping customers’ confidence in their usage. Existing literature proposes that trust operates as a mediator in the connection between customers’ perceptions of the quality of information and the overall system in mobile banking. This study aimed to investigate whether trust acts as a mediating variable in the relationship between information and system quality within the mobile banking experiences of Generation Y customers in the South African banking sector. Employing a descriptive research design, the study distributed self-administered surveys to 334 participants who voluntarily took part in the research. The findings of the study reveal that, within the sampled group, trust indeed serves as an intermediary factor between perceived information quality and the overall system quality in the realm of mobile banking. This insight holds significant implications for comprehending customer behaviour, elevating the user experience, addressing perceived risks, and guiding strategic decision-making within the dynamic landscape of the mobile banking industry. Understanding the mediating role of trust enriches the understanding of the complex dynamics involved in customer perceptions and interactions with mobile banking services, offering valuable insights for industry stakeholders aiming to optimise their services and strategies.
Nowadays, new technologies enable practitioners to create brand experience in the virtual world of computer games. Marketers use product placement to reach potential and current customers. In the meantime, computer games have become an attractive medium because they attract an increasingly wider audience of different genders and various age groups. Therefore, an important issue is to know and systematize current methods of brand placement in computer games. For the purpose, the author carried out 20 in-depth interviews with players of chosen computer games, Second Life, Euro Truck Simulator 2 and The Sims. According to the analysis, it can be distinguished by the following typology: place of brand placement (before logging, inside the game, in separate windows, and on external websites), brand availability (paid brand appearance and free brand appearance), the source of brand placement (game producer, organizations, and players), virtual forms of promotion (advertising, public relations, direct marketing, personal selling, sales promotion, and word-of-mouth marketing), the degree of use of the branded product in game (full use and limited use of the branded product). The presented paper contributes to the theory of marketing communication and branding.
The modern consumer society is criticised for its harmful impact on individual well-being and the environment, prompting a call for a transition to responsible consumption. This article explores emerging trends in consumer behaviour towards responsible consumption. Drawing from existing literature and empirical findings, it examines the multifaceted dimensions of responsible consumption, encompassing environmental, ethical, and social considerations. Conscious consumers prioritise basic needs over excessive consumption, opting for high-quality, reliable, and environmentally friendly products, especially those derived from biomaterials called bio-based products. Furthermore, responsible consumers recognise the social and environmental consequences of their consumption behaviour, advocating for sustainable practices and supporting initiatives for societal improvement. The article discusses conscious consumption aiming to mitigate consumerism’s environmental impact, focusing on bio-based products. Insights from focus group discussions conducted in Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain, as part of the 3-CO project, shed light on consumer perceptions and concerns regarding bio-based products, providing valuable input for decision-makers, businesses, and environmental organisations seeking to promote responsible consumer behaviour and support the transition towards more sustainable consumption patterns.
Augmented Reality is a technology that is commonly used by businesses to market their products. The technology allows customers to test products online in order to deliver a more enjoyable purchasing experience. The study is aimed at investigating the impact of vividness and perceived informativeness, as a characteristic of AR, on brand attitude through perceived enjoyment. There are 204 respondents chosen using purposive sampling technique. They are women who used Augmented Reality when purchasing cosmetics online. The study used a path analysis with the assistance of Amos software. According to the findings, perceived enjoyment can strengthen the influence of vividness and perceived informativeness on brand attitude.
Technological developments and the broad availability of the Internet provide constant access to social media for users. These platforms are used to communicate with friends as well as to follow other users and brands. Also, physicians have public social media profiles on which they publish both professional and personal content. The objective of the paper is to explore and understand customers’ perception of physicians’ social media use. To obtain the purpose, a qualitative research method was adopted that involved 12 semistructured interviews with people who followed physicians’ profiles on social media. The study identifies three consumer groups: social media enthusiasts, sceptics, and those seeking authentic opinions, each with distinct attitudes toward physicians’ online presence. The findings emphasise that authenticity and consistency in personal branding are key to building trust and patient engagement. Social validation, through positive endorsements on social media, also significantly impacts consumer choices. The study highlights the need for tailored social media strategies in healthcare and suggests future research should address the ethical challenges and long-term effects of physicians’ online engagement. The research, focused on consumers’ perception of physicians’ social media presence, is novel. The results suggest directions for further research in the field of professionals’ personal branding on social media.
The social media landscape changes very fast. It regards, among others, the accessible platforms and the features of social media tools. It also concerns the broad spectrum of institutions that start their virtual activity in different ways, and museums’ participation in social media can be indicated here. Their activity mainly focuses on communication with the audience or other museums, but some new approaches can also be observed. One of them is activity on LinkedIn, which is closely connected to the professional perspective and employee-related issues. Hence, the article aims to explore the main paths and forms of the Polish museum’s activity on LinkedIn. The study was conducted using social media content analysis with the support of observations and interviews. Results revealed four main categories of museums’ activity on LinkedIn, with only a small part of them focused on “truly” profession-related issues. Still, even if LinkedIn is rather not a popular platform, some good practices in using this social media platform were observed.
