Save the Trip to the Store: Sustainable Shopping, Electronic Word of Mouth on Instagram and the Impact on Cosmetic Purchase Intentions

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many brands to stop using cosmetic testers to avoid the risk of spreading the infection, jeopardising the future of cosmetic testing. Consequently, consumers must find alternative methods to conduct their information searches and, more importantly, the prospects of shopping online without going to the store to test the product. With the enormous prospects of social media cosmetic electronic word of mouth (eWOM), it is imperative to examine the influence of cosmetic eWOM on social media and for cosmetic marketers to understand the antecedents that result in cosmetic consumers making a purchase. The adapted information adoption model was validated through structural equation modelling based on 341 eligible surveys. The results confirmed that information quality, source credibility, information usefulness, and information adoption are the key antecedents in eWOM on Instagram when investigating purchase intentions in the colour cosmetic industry. This study is one of the pioneers in empirically testing the relationship between information quality and source credibility on information usefulness and, subsequently, the relationship between information usefulness, information adoption, and purchase intentions in a western market based on the cosmetic industry. These new insights provide practical implications for a cosmetic marketer, suggesting the key variables leading to purchase intentions in cosmetic eWOM, which can be utilised in marketing techniques.

Food and Beverage (F&B) Consumption Behavior Changes During COVID-19 in the Taiwan's Aging Society

This study examines the relationships among perceived value, trust, electronic word of mouth (eWOM), and online purchasing intention to determine Food and Beverage (F&B) consumption behavior changes in Taiwan's aging society since the onset of COVID-19. The 305 valid online questionnaires received from people above the age of 55 who had prior online purchasing experience of F&B products in the past year in Taiwan have been obtained to implement data analysis through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model. The results reveal that eWOM positively affects trust, both eWOM and trust positively affect perceived value, and perceived value positively affects online purchasing intention. While eWOM and trust do not have a direct positive effect on online purchasing intention, perceived value has a mediation effect on the relationship between eWOM and online purchasing intention and the relationship between trust and online purchasing intention. Lastly, this study proposes pragmatic suggestions to merchants to better adapt to ever-changing consumer behavior. © 2023,International Journal of Business. All Rights Reserved.

Dataset of food delivery app users at a public university: Insights into digital transformation.

The food delivery apps (FDAs) have facilitated the connection between food service providers and consumers, enabling online ordering through smartphones and offline delivery in Vietnam. The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the food and beverage industry, accelerating the process of digital transformation and promoting sustainability through online-to-offline service. The usage of FDAs amongst consumers has exhibited a discernible escalation, primarily attributable to its ability to expedite the delivery of food in a hassle-free and convenient manner. Given the ongoing pandemic and the swift increase in demand for online food ordering services, particularly among the younger demographic, it has become imperative to comprehend the drivers that impel consumers to adopt these applications. This article aims to present a dataset pertaining to the decision-making factors that university students in Danang, Vietnam, take into account when they use FDAs and express positive feedback about them on the internet. The survey was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023 and gathered 346 usable responses. The results provide novel perspectives on the adoption of FDAs by university students, which is an emerging technology in the food and beverage sector. This dataset could be useful to various stakeholders, such as service providers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and vendors operating on these platforms, as it can help them acquire valuable insights into their customers' preferences and behavior. In addition, the dataset can serve as a basis for conducting comparative research in different universities or countries.

A moderated mediation model of situational context and brand image for online purchases using eWOM

PurposeThe moderating role of situational context in the effects of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on online purchase intention through brand image has found sparse empirical support. This study thus aims to examine whether situational context affects the direction and strength of the relationships between aspects of eWOM and brand image that lead to online purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachTo extend the existing research, the authors tested the model using a sample of 546 online shoppers during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City. Specifically, the testing of the direct relationships and the mediating role of brand image occurred using measurement and structural models. The authors then created a moderated mediation model to examine the moderating role of situational context. Furthermore, the authors probed the interactions by identifying changes in the relationships from eWOM to online purchase intention through a brand image at different levels of situational context.FindingsWithout situational context's moderating effect, brand image positively partially mediated the influence of either eWOM credibility or quantity on intention. Situational context's moderating effect then explains why high- versus low-level disease-avoidance customers seek less eWOM credibility and more eWOM quantity to develop brand images and shape their intentions.Originality/valueThe findings have theoretical implications for understanding the pressure of disease avoidance on customers' online purchase intentions. Among the practical implications of the research are tactics for profit and non-profit purposes.

Satisfaction, revisit and electronic word of mouth intention among medical tourists in Southern Thailand during COVID 19 situation

This research is a mixed method research study including both quantitative and qualitative research. The samples were divided into two groups: (1) a quantitative sample group, comprising 255 foreign medical tourists who had used medical services in the southern region of Thailand;and (2) a qualitative sample group, consisting of 30 medical personnel in an infirmary in the southern area. The quantitative data collection used questionnaires as a tool, whereas for the qualitative data collection, semi-structured interviews were used. The quantitative data analysis was performed using the structural equation model analysis process. A qualitative data analysis uses a briefing technique. The results of the study were in the same direction for both qualitative and quantitative research. Satisfaction has a direct influence on the decision to reuse the services of foreign medical tourists and affects the intention to spread the word through electronic media. As for the indirect influence, it was found that the perceived cost itself directly affected the perception of the destination image;while the perception of destination image and perception of service quality also directly affected satisfaction. However, an additional factor found in qualitative research was trust in physicians, and the perception of value directly affected the decision to reuse the services of medical tourists. It also found that food awareness, cultural perception of Thai people also affected the satisfaction of receiving medical services. © 2023 Kasetsart University.

A moderated mediation model of situational context and brand image for online purchases using eWOM

PurposeThe moderating role of situational context in the effects of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on online purchase intention through brand image has found sparse empirical support. This study thus aims to examine whether situational context affects the direction and strength of the relationships between aspects of eWOM and brand image that lead to online purchase intention. Design/methodology/approachTo extend the existing research, the authors tested the model using a sample of 546 online shoppers during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City. Specifically, the testing of the direct relationships and the mediating role of brand image occurred using measurement and structural models. The authors then created a moderated mediation model to examine the moderating role of situational context. Furthermore, the authors probed the interactions by identifying changes in the relationships from eWOM to online purchase intention through a brand image at different levels of situational context. FindingsWithout situational context's moderating effect, brand image positively partially mediated the influence of either eWOM credibility or quantity on intention. Situational context's moderating effect then explains why high- versus low-level disease-avoidance customers seek less eWOM credibility and more eWOM quantity to develop brand images and shape their intentions. Originality/valueThe findings have theoretical implications for understanding the pressure of disease avoidance on customers' online purchase intentions. Among the practical implications of the research are tactics for profit and non-profit purposes.

The effect of perceived financial risk on purchase intention in Pakistan

Purpose The purpose is to understand the fundamental mechanism of the consumer decision-making process and how perceived financial risk of search and experience goods influences electronic word-of-mouth adoption (e-WOMA) on social networking sites (SNSs), which will lead to purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on information processing theory, the study conceptualizes a moderated mediation model to investigate the underlying influence of perceived financial risk and online social ties on e-WOMA and the subsequent effect on online purchase intention. Survey data from 275 individuals were analyzed through statistical tools using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings The results revealed that e-WOMA mediates the effect of perceived financial risk of search and experience goods on online purchase intention. Strength of online social ties on SNSs positively moderates the electric word of mouth adoption for both the experience and search goods. Research limitations The limitation of this study was about the researcher's restrictions related to the length of the survey. Moreover, causal explanations can't be deduced as this is a cross-sectional study. Practical implications This research offers insight into the consumers that allow marketers to dive into the target market. Marketers should focus on social ties importance while selling products/services of markets online. Originality/value The study is novel in the context of an emerging economy to educate marketers on the product categorization of search goods and experience goods based on financial risk.

The mediating role of gender in social media shopping acceptance: from the WOM perspective.

Today, online consumers' shopping experiences are wholly transformed because of technology to maximize consumer shopping experiences. However, even after increased online shopping after the Covid-19 outbreak, no study has examined the role of demographics in online shopping acceptance. Thus, we filled this gap by employing a cross-sectional design in the UAE and conducting Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). For data gathering purposes, we used structured questionnaires and randomly selected a sample of n = 320 respondents from Al Ain city. Findings revealed strong relationships between Online Shopping, Social Media Usage, and Electronic Word of Mouth (p > 0.000, p > 0.000). Despite the relationships between Social Media Usage, Electronic Word of Mouth, and online shopping acceptance remaining insignificant (p < .384, p < .425), the relationship between Social Media Usage, Online Shopping Acceptance (p > .004) remained significant. Finally, we conducted the mediating analyses and found a substantial mediation of gender between Social Media Usage, Online Shopping Acceptance (p > .000), and Electronic Word of Mouth and Online Shopping Acceptance (p >. 001). Hence, we conclude that people from Al-Ain city primarily rely on online shopping. For this purpose, they consider different factors, including their demographics, i.e., gender, as highly influential on their online shopping acceptance. However, the major limitations of the current study involve selecting gender as the only mediating variable, rejection o two prominent hypotheses, and geographical generalizability of results. Finally, we recommend that future researchers examine the impact of other demographical variables, i.e., age, income, qualification, residence, and others, to examine their impacts on consumer online shopping acceptance.

Does nationality affect eWOM? Factors affecting customer satisfaction and eWOM in Indonesian Online Clothing Brands

During COVID-19 pandemic online shopping gained importance. One aspect of online shopping is customers recommending products to each other. Also named electronic word of mouth (EWOM), this type of marketing is effective in online marketing. Based on a survey of 206 Indonesian customers, this research examined which factors affect customer satisfaction and EWOM. The results show that price value, brand awareness, and country ethnocentricity were significantly affecting customer satisfaction. On the other hand, customer satisfaction had significant effect on EWOM. © 2022 IEEE.

The effects of self-generated and other-generated eWOM in inoculating against misinformation

This study examines the effects of self-generated and other-generated electronic word-of-mouth communication (eWOM) in inoculating individuals against potential misinformation. A three-phase between-subject experiment (N = 543) was conducted to compare the persuasive effects of inoculation messages combined with different eWOM content (self-generated, other-generated, and inoculation only) over two health topics (Covid-19 vaccine and e-cigarette). The results show that exposure to inoculation messages did not significantly increase resistance to misinformation. But inoculation messages combined with other-generated eWOM helped the participants develop more negative attitudes toward alternative smoking immediately after exposure to the inoculation stimuli. The participants who wrote eWOM after exposure to inoculation messages were more resistant to the attack of misinformation in Phase 3. Self-generated and other-generated eWOM did not significantly differ in their persuasive effects in any phases. The findings extend the literature on the effects of WOM in the inoculation process and offer theoretical implications over inoculation theory in online contexts. The study provides empirical guidance on using inoculation messages to combat misinformation in social media. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

The Relationship of Corporate Social Responsibility, Brand Trust and Electronic Word of Mouth

The COVID-19 pandemic has happened for nearly two years, and all the countries worldwide accept to live with the pandemic. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is considered a competitive strategy to help businesses gain customers' trust and strengthen their brand image in the long term. Electronic Word of Mouth (EWOM) has proven its close relationship with CSR and brand trust with digital platforms. The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship of CSR to brand trust and EWOM in the Vietnamese market during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper applied both the qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative approach is to confirm and adjust the scale, whereas quantitative research aims to find the relationship of CSR to brand trust and EWOM. The result indicated that CSR has a closed relationship with brand trust and EWOM and the impact of responsibility towards consumers to CSR is the most robust influencing relationship. The study has proposed recommendations to improve and develop CSR for Vietnamese enterprises. © 2022 IEEE.

Online shopping during the Covid-19 crisis: the impact of anthropomorphic virtual agents on consumers’ psychological states

Because of the unpredictability and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, online shopping and the use of artificial intelligence featured in the e-commerce have helped companies in attracting clients through a better online shopping environment and experience. However, the e-commerce still lacks human warmth to pretend and equalise with in-store human interactions and experience. This paper addresses this issue by examining the anthropomorphic characteristics of the embodied virtual agent and by measuring their impact on the user’s state of flow and telepresence experience. To identify the characteristics that could potentially make virtual agents more ‘humanised’, an exploratory approach was implemented. An experimentation survey with 660 internet users followed to test the relation between the anthropomorphic dimensions of embodied virtual agents and consumers’ psychological states and online word of mouth. Our findings confirm the influence of the anthropomorphic characteristics investigated in improving consumers’ psychological states. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

What is the impact of eWOM in social network sites on travel decision-making during the COVID-19 outbreak? A two-stage methodology.

Social media users share a variety of information and experiences and create Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) in the form of positive or negative opinions to communicate with others. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, eWOM has been an effective tool for knowledge sharing and decision making. This research aims to reveal what factors of eWOM can influence travelers' trust in their decision-making to travel during the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, we aim to find the relationships between trust in eWOM and perceived risk, and perceived risk and the decision to travel. These relationships are investigated based on online customers' reviews in TripAdvisor's COVID-19 forums. We use a two-stage data analysis which includes cluster analysis and structural equation modeling. In the first stage, a questionnaire survey was designed and the data was collected from 1546 respondents by referring to the COVID-19 forums on TripAdvisor. Specifically, we use k-means to segment the users' data into different groups. In the second stage, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed to inspect the relations between the variables in the hypothesized research model using a subsample of 679 respondents. The results of the first stage of the analysis showed that three segments could be discovered from the collected data for trust based on eWOM source and eWOM message attributes. These segments clearly showed that there are significant relationships between trust and perceived risk, and between perceived risk and the decision to travel. The results in all segments showed that users with a low level of trust have a high level of perceived risk and a low level of intention to travel during the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, it was found that users with a high level of e-trust have a low level of perceived risk and a high level of intention to travel. These results were confirmed in all segments and these relationships were confirmed by SEM. The results of SEM revealed that visual and external information moderated the relationship between eWOM length and trust, and experience moderated the relationship between trust and perceived risk. For the moderating role of gender, it was found that the perceived risk has a higher impact on the decision to travel in the female sample.

Mediating effects on the relationship between perceived service quality and public library app loyalty during the COVID-19 era

The demand for using library apps to search for information has been increasing after the COVID-19 outbreak. To look into how the pandemic affects the users’ perception of the loyalty of using library apps, we designed this research by amalgamating the updated IS success model and S–O-R model to evaluate the service quality of a public library app under the Hong Kong Government mobile applications initiative. A third-order model is established to demonstrate the multi-faceted aspects of service quality and mediating effects of perceived brand image, satisfaction, and e-word of mouth. Using structural equation modeling, data collected from Hong Kong, a metropolis where mobile services empower its citizens, showed the interrelationships among service quality and possible outcomes (i.e., perceived brand image, user satisfaction, e-word of mouth, and user loyalty). Findings also indicate that the influence of perceived service quality on user loyalty could only be achieved through perceived brand image and user satisfaction. This is a timely study during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the lockdown and social distancing arrangements created challenges for citizens to search for information in public libraries in person. Our findings and suggestions reiterate the importance of considering the usability concepts when analyzing the service quality of each unique app. They also provide insights for practitioners in developing the next generation of apps for smart public information services and call for further investigation into the proposed hierarchical model and other potential factors related to service quality.

Social media in marketing of ride-hailing: A systematic literature review

Social media creates digital communication channels to interact with customers and needed attention to the broadening understanding of marketing. This study aims to examine the social media marketing of ride-hailing during the covid-19 pandemic. This study analyzes all accessible articles from well-known publishers. The results are 13 dimensions that influence reuse intention namely loyalty, information quality, source credibility, reviews, trust, product usefulness, satisfaction, consumer behavior, subjective norm, service quality, cost, sentiment emotion, and organizational response. This study provides to electronic word of mouth development in ride-hailing marketing, the challenges being faced, the methods used, and the mapping model of dimensions. © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The effects of perceived ease of use, electronic word of mouth and content marketing on purchase decision

Purchasing decisions on the Traveloka application has experienced a significant decline since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. Ticket returns and refunds that occur due to travel restrictions have resulted in a decline in Traveloka's brand image. This study aims to analyze how brand image me-diates the effect of perceived ease of use, electronic word of mouth and content marketing towards ticket purchasing decisions on the Traveloka application which was conducted on 130 respondents using the Traveloka application. The research was conducted in June 2021 with data analysis using SmartPLS 3.2.0 software. The results show that perceived ease of use had a negative impact on purchasing decisions, either directly or indirectly through brand image. Electronic word of mouth had a positive impact on purchasing decisions either directly or indirectly through brand image. Content marketing had a negative and significant impact on purchasing decisions, while indirectly through brand image had a positive and significant impact. The role of brand image was very important in increasing the effect of perceived ease of use, electronic word of mouth and content marketing towards purchasing decisions. © 2022 by the authors;licensee Growing Science, Canada.

Superiority of Mild Interventions against COVID-19 on Public Health and Economic Measures.

(1) Background: During the global spread of COVID-19, Japan has been among the top countries to maintain a relatively low number of infections, despite implementing limited institutional interventions and its high population density. This study investigated how limited intervention policies have affected public health and economic conditions in the COVID-19 context and aimed to gain insight into the effective and sustainable measures against new infectious diseases in densely inhabited areas. (2) Methods: A system dynamics approach was employed. Qualitative causal loop analysis and stock and quantitative flow model analysis were performed, using a Tokyo Metropolitan area dataset. (3) Results: A causal loop analysis suggested that there were risks in prematurely terminating such interventions. Based on this result and the subsequent quantitative modeling, we found that the short-term effectiveness of a short-term pre-emptive stay-at-home request caused a resurgence in the number of positive cases, whereas an additional request provided a limited negative add-on effect for economic measures (e.g., number of electronic word-of-mouth communications and restaurant visits). (4) Conclusions: These findings suggest the superiority of a mild and continuous intervention as a long-term countermeasure under epidemic pressures when compared with strong intermittent interventions.