The Impact of Communication Information on the Perceived Threat of COVID-19 and Stockpiling Intention

This article investigates the role of diverse nudging communication strategies on perceived threat and stockpiling intention. Across three studies, the authors examined the various effects of "nudging” on consumer behavior. Study 1 demonstrates that a commonly used picture has a stronger impact on perceived threat than a less frequently exposed picture regardless of its accuracy. Study 2 shows that the perceived threat of COVID-19, in terms of severe health consequences, is lower when using an indirect (vs. direct) explanation of the virus, as well as when reducing the amount of information about the virus. Study 3 investigates the impact of salient negative information and childhood socioeconomic status (SES). Findings reveal that negative information about deaths associated with the virus increases the level of perceived threat and stockpiling intention, especially among people of low childhood SES.

Can communication messages affect promotion of international air travel in preparation for the post COVID-19 pandemic era?

The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of message contents and framings that airline companies communicate with potential airline passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance behavioral intentions to engage in international air travel. A survey of 1300 respondents was conducted using the Posttest Control Group experimental design method. Several meaningful findings were generated. Among them, the "loss" message regarding cash-redeemable coupons was most effective in raising intentions to take an international flight and obtaining favorable assessments of the message contents. Covariates including income level, travel purpose, premium card ownership, perceived risk, importance of airline brand, and sanitation were significant in determining the intention to take international flights. The results of this study can help with establishing promotional strategies to foster international travel in the post-pandemic era. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Preference for robot service or human service in hotels? Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming more prominent in the tourism industry. Nowadays, consumers are faced with multiple options involving both human and robot interactions. A series of experimental studies were implemented. Four experiments demonstrated that consumers had a more positive attitude toward robot-staffed (vs. human-staffed) hotels when COVID-19 was salient. The results were different from previous studies, which were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the moderating role of perceived threat in consumers' preference for robot-staffed hotels was significant, the respondents' preference was attributed to the global health crisis. This research provides a number of theoretical and managerial implications by improving the understanding of technology acceptance during a health crisis.

How the COVID-19 pandemic affected hotel Employee stress: Employee perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences

This study sought to examine the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic on hotel employees' perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences. Paired t-tests and structural equation modeling were applied to examine the responses of 758 hotel employees in the United States. The findings showed that occupational stressors after the outbreak of the pandemic consisted of three domains: traditional hotel-work stressors, unstable and more demanding hotel-work-environment stressors, and unethical hotel-labor-practices-borne stressors. The impacts of these stressors differed from the hypothesis that traditional hotel-work stressors positively affect job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The findings showed that job satisfaction and organizational commitment significantly explained job performance, subjective well-being, and prosocial behavior, but they did not significantly influence turnover intention. Hotel employees' pre-pandemic perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences also differed significantly from their perceptions after the pandemic had broken out.

Preference for utilitarian or hedonic value options during a pandemic crisis: The moderation effects of childhood socioeconomic status and sensation-seeking.

This research investigated hospitality consumers' relative preferences for utilitarian or hedonic value under COVID-19 pandemic conditions. A series of four experiments and one secondary data analysis showed that the salience of the infectious disease threat increased consumers' preferences for hospitality options that provide relatively more utilitarian than hedonic value. Additionally, we identified two individual differences (i.e., childhood socioeconomic status (SES) & sensation-seeking) that moderated the effect of the infectious disease threat on the preferred hospitality consumption value. Specifically, the higher the childhood SES, the higher was the preference for the utilitarian value option, and the lower the level of sensation-seeking, the greater was the preference for the utilitarian value option. This research extends our understanding of the influence of the infectious disease threat on preference changes in hospitality decisions.

Spatial and experimental analysis of peer-to-peer accommodation consumption during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation markets. However, how the interplay between tourists and destination attributes has affected P2P accommodation consumption during the pandemic has not been investigated. To address this gap, this study first explored the spatially varying relationship between destination attributes and COVID-19-disrupted Airbnb performance change across Florida counties. Subsequently, we performed two experimental studies to examine whether trip purpose and the level of perceived threat affect Airbnb use intention. The results of the spatial analysis show that, depending on the type of destination attribute, Airbnb listings experienced different revenue losses across urban and rural areas. Additionally, results of experimental studies show that business tourists with a low perceived threat of COVID-19 are more willing to consume Airbnb listings than leisure tourists. This study contributes to ascertaining the destination and behavioral heterogeneity in pandemic-induced P2P accommodation consumption using spatial analytic and experimental studies.

Threat-Induced Sustainability: How Covid-19 has Affected Sustainable Behavioral Intention and Sustainable Hotel Brand Choice

The purpose of this research was to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers? sustainable consumption behavior. It investigated whether the perceived threat of COVID-19 increased their intention to choose a sustainable hotel brand option. It examined whether environmental concern and the perceived value of patronizing a sustainable business mediated the relationship between the perceived threat of COVID-19 and sustainable behavioral intention. Five experimental studies indicated that the pandemic contributed to elevating sustainable behavioral intention. Environmental concern and the perceived value of patronizing a sustainable business played a mediating role in the relationship between the perceived threat of COVID-19 and sustainable behavioral intention. Another important outcome was that customers showed a preference for choosing a sustainable hotel brand over a non-sustainable brand, even when the price was higher.

Guest editorial: Digital transformation and consumer experience

[...]recent advances in digital transformation, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data, have fueled the proliferation of digital marketing practices. [...]Oh and Yi (2022) focus on measuring consumer sentiments at the feature level and show their asymmetric impacts on overall product ratings. Specifically, they find that the positive and negative contributions of product attribute performance can change over time. [...]for the same amount of change, the positive and negative reviews of specific attributes will have different degrees of influence on the overall product evaluation.

The impact of socioeconomic status on preferences for sustainable luxury brands

As consumers become more aware of and concerned about the environmental impact of their consumption choices, an increasing number of luxury brands are now engaging in sustainability practices. This study examines factors influencing the effectiveness of embedding sustainability in luxury brands. Specifically, the research focus is the effect of childhood socioeconomic status on moderating consumer preferences for sustainable (vs. regular, nonsustainable) luxury brands. Four experimental studies using different product categories and luxury brands show that preferences for sustainable (vs. regular, nonsustainable) luxury brands are stronger among consumers with relatively low (vs. high) childhood socioeconomic status (Studies 1-4). Notably, these preference patterns are driven by differences in the perceived importance of cooperation in the community among consumers with low versus high childhood socioeconomic status (Study 3). However, these divergent patterns are attenuated when consumption involves the nonluxury brand category (Study 2), and when consumers experience a high-threat environment (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic;Study 4). As such, the findings of this study contribute to the literature by shedding light on the conditions under which consumers show preferences for sustainable (vs. regular, nonsustainable) luxury brands, establishing a theoretically grounded mediator (importance of cooperation in the community) and moderator (perceived environmental threat). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Can communication messages affect promotion of international air travel in preparation for the post COVID-19 pandemic era?

The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of message contents and framings that airline companies communicate with potential airline passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance behavioral intentions to engage in international air travel. A survey of 1300 respondents was conducted using the Posttest Control Group experimental design method. Several meaningful findings were generated. Among them, the “loss” message regarding cash-redeemable coupons was most effective in raising intentions to take an international flight and obtaining favorable assessments of the message contents. Covariates including income level, travel purpose, premium card ownership, perceived risk, importance of airline brand, and sanitation were significant in determining the intention to take international flights. The results of this study can help with establishing promotional strategies to foster international travel in the post-pandemic era.

COVID-19 Restrictions and Variety Seeking in Travel Choices and Actions: The Moderating Effects of Previous Experience and Crowding

This article investigates how the perceived threats caused by COVID-19 affect consumers? travel choices and actions by influencing their intentions to seek variety. Four studies show that the perceived threat of COVID-19 increases variety seeking in travel choices. Study 1 finds that travelers who perceive a greater threat of COVID-19 tend to undertake more varied activities during their travel. Study 2 shows that the main effect exists only for individuals who have previously visited the destination. Study 3 replicates the moderating effect of previous visiting experience by using a different way to manipulate the perceived threat of COVID-19. Study 4 illustrates the moderating impact of another important factor: the number of travelers included in the companies? communication messages. The article concludes by discussing the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.

The impact of COVID-19 on consumer evaluation of authentic advertising messages.

This study investigates the relationship between the COVID-19 threat and consumer evaluation of a product with authenticity appeals in advertisements. We propose that threatening situations like COVID-19 motivate consumers to lower their uncertainty and increase their preference for products with authentic advertising messages. Because individuals react differently to threatening environments according to their early-life experiences, commonly reflected in childhood socioeconomic status, we examined whether childhood socioeconomic status moderates the relationship between threat and consumer evaluation of authenticity in advertisements. First, secondary data from Google Trends provided empirical support for our predictions. In additional experimental studies, participants evaluated different target products in four studies that either manipulated (Studies 2 and 3) or measured (Studies 4 and 5) COVID-19 threat. Our results provide converging evidence that consumers positively evaluate products with authentic advertising messages under the COVID-19 threat. Consumers' motivation to lower their uncertainty underlies the effect of COVID-19 threat on their evaluation of authentic messages (Study 3). This attempt to reduce uncertainty is more likely to occur for consumers with relatively higher childhood socioeconomic status (Studies 4 and 5). These findings suggest that using authenticity appeals during a pandemic could effectively reduce consumers' perceived uncertainty and generate positive consumer evaluations.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travelers' preference for crowded versus non-crowded options.

Crowding is a critical determinant of consumers' satisfaction with and preferences for different shopping and travel situations. When considering a selection of travel and hospitality options, travelers are influenced by perceived crowding. This research examined how the current health crisis (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic) affects travelers' preferences for crowded and non-crowded options. Specifically, we predicted that travelers would have a diminished preference for crowded (vs. non-crowded) travel and hospitality options when the ongoing pandemic is salient. We demonstrated that the primary effect of the salience of the threat was persistent across different travel categories and contexts. We also found that travelers with high levels of sensation seeking and a high need for uniqueness show the opposite pattern, suggesting a possible recovery strategy from the pandemic. Five experimental studies provide several theoretical and managerial implications for travel and hospitality business marketers.

The Impact of Communication Information on the Perceived Threat of COVID-19 and Stockpiling Intention

This article investigates the role of diverse nudging communication strategies on perceived threat and stockpiling intention. Across three studies, the authors examined the various effects of ?nudging? on consumer behavior. Study 1 demonstrates that a commonly used picture has a stronger impact on perceived threat than a less frequently exposed picture regardless of its accuracy. Study 2 shows that the perceived threat of COVID-19, in terms of severe health consequences, is lower when using an indirect (vs. direct) explanation of the virus, as well as when reducing the amount of information about the virus. Study 3 investigates the impact of salient negative information and childhood socioeconomic status (SES). Findings reveal that negative information about deaths associated with the virus increases the level of perceived threat and stockpiling intention, especially among people of low childhood SES.

COVID-19 and Extremeness Aversion: The Role of Safety Seeking in Travel Decision Making

Combining conceptual perspectives from emerging research on COVID-19, safety-seeking motivations, and extremeness aversion in choice (i.e., compromise effects), we examine how and why the perceived threat of COVID-19 affects consumers? choice and decision making in the hotel and restaurant domains. Across seven studies (two studies from secondary data sets and five experimental studies), we provide novel evidence that the perceived threat or threat salience of COVID-19 amplifies the general tendency to select compromise options, avoiding extreme ones, within a choice set. We highlight the role of safety-seeking motivations as the underlying mechanism in the relationship between perceived threat and extremeness aversion in choice. We further document a boundary condition that the extremeness aversion effect is stronger for leisure travelers than for business travelers.

How the COVID-19 pandemic affected hotel Employee stress: Employee perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences.

This study sought to examine the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic on hotel employees' perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences. Paired t-tests and structural equation modeling were applied to examine the responses of 758 hotel employees in the United States. The findings showed that occupational stressors after the outbreak of the pandemic consisted of three domains: traditional hotel-work stressors, unstable and more demanding hotel-work-environment stressors, and unethical hotel-labor-practices-borne stressors. The impacts of these stressors differed from the hypothesis that traditional hotel-work stressors positively affect job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The findings showed that job satisfaction and organizational commitment significantly explained job performance, subjective well-being, and prosocial behavior, but they did not significantly influence turnover intention. Hotel employees' pre-pandemic perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences also differed significantly from their perceptions after the pandemic had broken out.

Preference for robot service or human service in hotels? Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming more prominent in the tourism industry. Nowadays, consumers are faced with multiple options involving both human and robot interactions. A series of experimental studies were implemented. Four experiments demonstrated that consumers had a more positive attitude toward robot-staffed (vs. human-staffed) hotels when COVID-19 was salient. The results were different from previous studies, which were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the moderating role of perceived threat in consumers' preference for robot-staffed hotels was significant, the respondents' preference was attributed to the global health crisis. This research provides a number of theoretical and managerial implications by improving the understanding of technology acceptance during a health crisis.

Nudging to Reduce the Perceived Threat of Coronavirus and Stockpiling Intention

Prior research in behavioral economics has examined the effects of nudging and the diverse aspects of choice on individuals’ decisions and behaviors. Based on this premise, the current research offers a novel and timely view by examining how communication messages in public service advertisements (PSAs) can alter the perception of threat under uncertain situations such as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic. This article investigates the role of additional relative statistical information on the perception of threat and stockpiling intention. First, we examine whether there is a reduction in the perceived threat of the coronavirus if information about the potential severity of an alternative threat (car accidents) is activated, when compared to offering only statistics on the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is known as COVID-19. Furthermore, we established the mediating role of a perceived threat in consumers’ decisions and behavior in times of severe crisis. This suggests that organizations and policymakers can influence individuals by increasing or decreasing their perceived level of threat depending on the desired outcomes (e.g., respecting authorities’ recommendations or avoiding stockpiling). This research offers a deeper understanding of how consumers can be “nudged” toward desired behavior in the context of public health and safety.