Purpose This study aims to examine how brand coolness functions as a driver of young consumers' willingness to pay more for luxury products. Specifically, it investigates the mediating roles of luxury brand currency and luxury brand preference in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 296 young consumers (aged 18–35) with recent luxury purchases. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesized relationships, and combined importance–performance map analysis (cIPMA) was applied to identify key performance priorities for brand managers. Findings The results show that brand coolness significantly increases willingness to pay more, both directly and indirectly via luxury brand currency and brand preference. The mediation results further indicate that these two mechanisms help explain how brand coolness translates into premium willingness among young consumers. cIPMA analysis highlights the strategic importance of prioritizing brand coolness as a performance dimension in luxury brand management. Originality/value The study advances luxury marketing research by positioning brand coolness as a multidimensional antecedent of premium pricing and loyalty among younger consumers. It contributes to theory by linking signaling and assemblage perspectives with consumer-based relational mechanisms. For practitioners, the findings provide actionable insights into how coolness can be leveraged to sustain competitiveness, enhance consumer engagement, and cultivate loyalty in the evolving luxury landscape.
Purpose Despite the benefits of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in improving consumer mobility, AV adoption remains in its infancy. Drawing on the technology acceptance model, dual-process theory, and diffusion of innovation theory, this study investigates the antecedents and consequences of consumer engagement with an AV. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, data were collected from a sample of 355 consumers, which was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The findings reveal a positive effect of heightened perceived AV usefulness and ease of use on consumer engagement. In turn, the effects of consumer-perceived AV usefulness and ease of use on AV engagement are contingent on consumers' speed of switching intent to an AV, with this speed exerting a dual moderating effect. The findings also show that consumers who engage with an AV tend to display higher AV-related trust and a higher willingness to pay for an AV. Originality/value This study extends the technology acceptance model by examining the moderating role of consumers' speed of switching intent on the relationships between consumer-perceived AV usefulness and ease of use, and their engagement, trust, and willingness to pay for an AV. While building on established theoretical relationships, the study offers context-specific insights into consumers' AV adoption dynamics.
Purpose This study investigates how the political skills of B2B salespeople contribute to sales performance by enhancing customer relationship-building competence and shaping sales behaviors. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and social capital theory (SCT), political skills are conceptualized as strategic capabilities that enable salespeople to navigate complex B2B selling environments and build relational assets. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 329 B2B salespeople. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed hypotheses using validated measurement scales. Findings The results indicate that political skills enhance sales performance indirectly through customer relationship-building competence (CRBC), which fosters both customer orientation (CO) and selling orientation (SO). While CO has a stronger effect on long-term performance, both CO and SO contribute similarly to short-term performance, highlighting their complementary roles in B2B sales contexts. In addition, customer demandingness and product complexity positively moderate the relationship between political skills and CRBC, strengthening the impact of political skills under high relational and cognitive complexity. Originality/value This study advances the literature on political skills and B2B sales by identifying the relational mechanism through which political skills translate into sales performance and by specifying boundary conditions under which this effect is amplified. The findings offer theoretical and managerial implications for developing political skills in increasingly complex B2B environments.
Purpose This study investigates the relationship between marketing intensity (MI), research and development (R&D) intensity and firm performance (FP) in the pharmaceutical sector in India. Specifically, it explores R&D intensity, listing status and product complexity as potential moderators in shaping the relationship between MI and FP. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 948 Indian pharmaceutical firms from 2010 to 2024, this study applies a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator to test the main effects and moderation effects. Findings The results indicate strong linkages between MI and FP. Specifically, it has a strong positive impact on firms operating in a moderately R&D-intensive sector, while the relationship becomes negative in extremely low or very high R&D sectors. Furthermore, R&D exhibits threshold effects, documenting insignificant relationships in the short term and positive and significant effects in the long run. Research limitations/implications The study findings are based on data from Indian pharmaceutical firms, which may limit their generalizability to other sectors. Future research should explore the cross-sectoral and international settings. Practical implications Managers can enhance FP by aligning R&D and marketing efforts based on product complexity to boost marketing effectiveness. Social implications The strategic integration of R&D and marketing in the pharmaceutical sector can improve pharmaceutical firms' efficiency, benefiting society at large. Originality/value This study reveals an inverted U-shaped relationship between MI and FP. For listed firms, MI initially boosts FP but turns negative beyond the optimal levels. Medium-R&D products benefit from MI, while complex products show no MI gains, establishing complementarity with clear boundary conditions for our sampled firms.
Purpose This study aims to conceptualize and structure a digitally supported customer reacquisition protocol in business-to-business (B2B) markets from the seller's perspective. Specifically, the study examines how B2B sellers evaluate lost customers using sales potential and loss reason criticality, while also exploring the enabling role of customer relationship management (CRM) systems and social media within customer reacquisition processes. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative multi-phase research design based on triangulated in-depth interviews with experienced B2B sellers operating in industrial markets. Interview data were analyzed through iterative thematic coding procedures inspired by Gioia et al. (2013), involving first-order concepts, second-order themes, and aggregate dimensions that support the development of the proposed decision typology. Findings The findings suggest that customer reacquisition efforts in B2B markets are frequently informal, fragmented, and highly dependent on seller judgment rather than standardized organizational protocols. Two key dimensions emerged consistently across the empirical material: sales potential and loss reason criticality. Together, these dimensions underpin a seller-based customer reacquisition decision typology that guides customer reacquisition prioritization. CRM systems and social media currently support customer monitoring and communication. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to customer reacquisition literature by conceptualizing customer recovery as a seller-based resource allocation and decision-making process operating under uncertainty. The proposed seller-based customer reacquisition decision typology extends relationship marketing and customer portfolio perspectives by integrating customer recoverability and anticipated future value into a structured decision framework. The study also highlights the need for stronger integration between qualitative seller knowledge and digitally supported customer management systems. Practical implications Managers should formalize customer reacquisition protocols within CRM systems, integrate qualitative seller insights into customer intelligence processes, and support sales teams through cross-functional coordination, training, strategic account reviews, and structured customer recovery routines. The findings further suggest that organizations should progressively develop digitally supported customer reacquisition capabilities capable of combining transactional customer data with contextual seller interpretations. Originality/value The study provides an empirically grounded seller-based conceptualization of a digitally supported customer reacquisition protocol within industrial B2B contexts. It introduces a structured decision typology based on sales potential and loss reason criticality while clarifying the underexplored role of seller judgment, CRM systems and social media within B2B customer reacquisition processes.
