This study explores how AI personalization in marketing impacts consumers' mental health disorders. A mixed-method is adopted, including preliminary interviews and surveys. Our study unveils that AI-enabled personalization is positively associated with customers' dependence on AI and mental health disorders. The central role of AI obsession has been confirmed as a key factor that might cause mental health outcomes. Finally, anxiety emerges as the strongest associated factor with psychological reactance alongside technology exhaustion, whereas the impact of fear of AI is insignificant. These results highlight concerns for ethical and moral marketing in the age of AI.
Despite the expansion of digital financial services in India, e-banking adoption among rural women remains limited due to socio-cultural constraints, low digital literacy, and trust deficits. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model, this study conceptualises e-service quality as a higher-order construct and examines attitudinal mediation. Data were collected from 182 rural women in Odisha, India, and analysed using PLS-SEM. The findings show that ESQ influences behavioural intention primarily through attitude, highlighting the central role of experiential service quality in technology adoption. The study contributes to service and digital inclusion literature by theoretically integrating ESQ and TAM in an underexplored context.
Transport platforms are involved in work alliances with gig workers, such as sharing resources. However, previous research into turnover intentions has sparsely explored their work relationship. This study innovates by examining the relationship between relational competencies, psychological capital, and the fear of crime on the turnover intentions of gig drivers. Data from 200 drivers were collected in S & atilde;o Paulo, Brazil, and analyzed using SEM. The results indicate that relational competencies, psychological capital, and fear of crime influence gig workers' turnover. Relational competencies affect turnover indirectly through psychological capital, while fear of crime impacts it both directly and indirectly.
Wine tourism has evolved into an experience-based, place-centered form of special-interest tourism, raising questions about its potential integration with other local beverages. This study aims to examine whether tourists perceive traditional distilled products as compatible with wine tourism experiences and to identify the factors shaping support for integrated wine-spirit offerings. Drawing on established literature on wine, spirit, and gastronomic tourism, the study uses quantitative survey data from 395 respondents in the United States and Europe. Data were analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, and multiple linear regression with heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors. Findings suggest that support for integrated wine-spirit offerings is shaped more by anticipated experiential fit than by abstract cultural-heritage belief alone. The study contributes to wine tourism theory by conceptualizing wine tourism as a flexible, though bounded, beverage-terroir system under conditions of territorial embeddedness, authenticity, and institutional legitimacy.
Considering its resource-intensive production, complex global supply chains and substantial environmental impact, the tire industry provides a critical context for twin transition research. Using an in-depth qualitative research design, this study explores how sustainability and digitalization are jointly embedded within the strategic and operational practices of a premium tire manufacturer. The study reveals an integrated life-cycle approach that combines circular material innovation, energy transition, supplier governance, and artificial intelligence-enabled digitalization. The study illustrates the firm's engagement in the twin transition, marked by systemic tradeoffs between environmental performance, cost efficiency and market competitiveness. Both managerial- and literature-related implications are discussed.
Retail banks struggle to integrate sustainability into omnichannel service design, often prioritizing convenience over environmental and social gains. This study examines how customer-centric digital platforms, sustainable branches, and online-offline integration drive sustainability in Ghana's retail banking sector. Findings show that customer-centric digital platforms and sustainable branch designs boost environmental and social sustainability in Ghana's retail banking. However, integrated online-offline experiences enhance social sustainability but may harm environmental outcomes, suggesting rebound effects. Using service-dominant logic, this study of 900 bank customers shows omnichannel integration isn't inherently eco-friendly in emerging markets. Findings guide managers and policymakers in designing sustainable, inclusive banking services.
Wine tourism is widely framed as a driver of rural development and destination differentiation, yet the mechanisms through which product authenticity translates into sustained competitiveness remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on survey data from 399 visitors to Cassis (France), this study examines how wine uniqueness and experiential embeddedness shape visitor retention motivations. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling identify three dimensions: wine experience, wine uniqueness, and return reasons. The findings show that authenticity alone does not generate competitiveness unless activated through experiential design and loyalty mechanisms. By analytically contrasting Cassis with Sremski Karlovci (Serbia), the study proposes a structural framework explaining how authenticity becomes competitive capital.
This study aims to critically analyze scholarly knowledge on citizen satisfaction with digital public services through a systematic bibliometric literature review, proposing an integrative tripartite framework that addresses technological-functional, psychological-perceptual, and social-contextual determinants while positioning digital inclusion as a cross-cutting moderator. A bibliometric systematic literature review was conducted. The methodology combined bibliometric mapping using Bibliometrix R package with AI-assisted full-text content analysis using GPT-4o to classify determinants and theoretical constructs across the tripartite framework. The analysis reveals a significant imbalance in research focus. The framework provides public managers with a structured lens to evaluate digital service performance beyond traditional metrics.
PurposeThis study investigates how servicescape elements-physical, social, and electronic-influence customer satisfaction, tipping behavior (measured as tip size), and future tipping intention in online motorcycle ride-hailing. It further examines the mediating roles of satisfaction and attitude toward tipping and introduces warm glow as an anticipated emotional outcome shaping prosocial payment behavior.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, the study employs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test a conceptual model using survey data from 555 ride-hailing users in Indonesia.FindingsSocial servicescape-particularly driver appearance and courteous behavior-emerged as the strongest predictor of customer satisfaction, which in turn positively influences attitude toward tipping. While a favorable attitude toward tipping significantly predicts warm glow and future tipping intention, it does not directly translate into a higher tip size. Instead, tipping behavior appears largely situational and is more strongly shaped by fairness-related cues, such as ride fare. Intrinsic and duty-based (obligatory) motives enhance pro-tipping attitudes, whereas extrinsic motives exert a negative effect. Warm glow, conceptualized as an anticipated emotional reward, strengthens future tipping intention but is not associated with the monetary magnitude of the tip.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's generalizability is limited to high-contact, app-mediated services in Indonesia. Self-reported tipping behavior may be subject to bias. Future research should examine other digital service contexts, conduct cross-cultural comparisons, and employ longitudinal or platform-generated behavioral data.Practical implicationsPlatforms should prioritize improvements in the social servicescape, particularly driver appearance and interpersonal conduct. Reliability improvements in vehicle condition and app performance can also foster future generosity. While tip size is shaped primarily by situational fairness considerations, emotionally resonant and culturally aligned in-app messaging may strengthen anticipated emotional rewards (warm glow), thereby sustaining future tipping intention.Social implicationsIn contexts where formal labor protections are limited, tipping can function as a discretionary mechanism to support driver welfare. In collectivist societies, tipping may also reinforce social norms of generosity and provide customers with emotionally meaningful prosocial engagement.Originality/valueThis study advances servicescape and tipping research by demonstrating a decoupling between attitudinal evaluation and immediate monetary behavior in digital services. By reconceptualizing warm glow as an anticipated emotional outcome embedded within attitudinal processes, the study offers a psychologically grounded explanation of how prosocial payments are sustained over time in low-stakes, app-mediated service contexts.
This study examines how brand- and sustainability-related factors predict four selected consumer-brand outcomes-brand awareness, brand association, brand loyalty, and brand trust-in the green beauty sector of an emerging market. Grounded in consumer-based brand equity and brand relationship quality, data from 500 South African consumers were analyzed using machine learning models. The results show that quality perception, price perception, and green beauty product attitude are key predictors across outcomes. Brand trust and brand loyalty are the most predictable outcomes, whereas brand awareness is the least predictable. Overall, the findings show that green beauty brand outcomes follow distinct predictive logics.
Live-streaming platforms are transforming e-commerce, particularly among digital-native youth, yet limited attention has been given to Malaysian consumers. Drawing on the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study examines the effects of social interaction, entertainment, and information-seeking on attitudes and purchase intention. Data from 284 youth respondents were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, and all proposed hypotheses were supported. The results confirm that attitudes influence purchase intention and mediate the antecedents' effects. The study advances theoretical understanding and offers practical insights for live-streaming retailers.
This study investigates how customer experience (CE) drives AI-driven service innovation (ADSI) and enhances perceived firm innovativeness (PFI), with digital trust (DT) as a moderator. Focusing on South Asia's banking and financial services sector, data from 277 employees were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings reveal that CE and ADSI positively influence PFI, while DT significantly strengthens these relationships. Firms perceived as more innovative are those investing in advanced CE and ADSI, supported by higher DT. The study highlights the strategic role of CE, ADSI, and DT in fostering innovation and competitiveness within financial services.
This study examines how leaders in Nigerian service firms utilize Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) narratives to enhance customer engagement through green service branding. Drawing on Signaling theory, it examines how leadership authenticity, communication, and local context influence how ESG messages are received and trusted. Using qualitative interviews with 20 service leaders and customers across key sectors, the study finds that leaders often frame ESG as a moral and community responsibility rather than a global compliance trend. Customers, in turn, interpret these signals through lenses of trust, social identity, and collective well-being. However, inconsistent regulation and limited ESG awareness sometimes weaken the signal's credibility. The research develops a Contextual ESG Signaling Model that links leadership communication, customer interpretation, and cultural conditions, offering a framework for understanding ESG branding in emerging markets. Findings provide information for managers, policymakers, and educators promoting sustainability-driven customer engagement.
This study examines factors influencing equitable access to gym services among low-income groups. Drawing on the COM-B model, it integrates the transformative service research perspective to identify resource constraints that hinder participation. Using a mixed-method design, focus group discussions and a large-scale survey involving over 700 respondents were conducted. Findings reveal that low-income individuals exhibit lower health literacy and face barriers such as limited proximity to gym facilities and inflexible time resources. They are also more motivated by the social aspects of gym usage. The results yield important theoretical and managerial implications for promoting inclusive transformative services.
This study examines customer responses to automated service recovery in online travel booking platforms using Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory and the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework. Survey data from 420 Indonesian users were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that automated service recovery quality influences switching intention indirectly through recovery satisfaction and trust. Contrary to expectations, higher recovery quality is negatively associated with satisfaction, revealing a boundary condition of Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory in technology mediated recovery. The Need for human interaction functions as a quasi-moderator, shaping satisfaction, trust, and switching intentions.
As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms digital travel services, understanding its role in customer value co-creation (CVC) becomes crucial. Drawing on Service-Dominant Logic and Cognitive Effort Theory, this study examines how AI-enabled CVC affects choice stress, perceived effort, satisfaction, and intention to use. Data from 283 Dutch consumers with AI-assisted travel experience were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results reveal that CVC reduces choice stress and enhances satisfaction while its effect on perceived effort is nonsignificant, reflecting a facilitative rather than effort-increasing role. Satisfaction partially mediates the effects of CVC and choice stress on intention, underscoring its pivotal role in user engagement. The moderating effect of AI usage is modest, positively strengthening the relationship between perceived effort and intention and amplifying the stress-reducing impact of CVC. The findings deepen understanding of AI's cognitive-emotional dynamics in service encounters and offer actionable guidance for service marketers and travel managers to design more adaptive, user-centered AI experiences.
This study aims to examine key factors influencing customer loyalty toward branded food delivery applications. The proposed conceptual framework examines the effects of post-adoption performance and effort expectancies on perceived utilitarian and hedonic values, which, in turn, influence user loyalty. The moderating roles of customers' gender and age are also analyzed. This study contributes to the existing literature by investigating the main drivers of customer loyalty from a technology post-adoption and brand-focused perspective. It also offers practical recommendations for managers and policymakers to cultivate lasting customer relationships and segment the market by customer gender and age.
