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.

How do hotel star ratings affect the relationship between environmental CSR and green word-of-mouth?

Hotels have increasingly engaged in environmentally responsible initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to environmental concerns and sustainable hospitality and tourism. These initiatives are expected to become even more popular in the context that the COVID-19 crisis has driven people to further acknowledge the importance of the ecosystem. This study aims to examine how hotels' environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects customers' green word-of-mouth (WOM). Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze data from an online survey of 749 Chinese respondents. The findings reveal that hotels' environmental CSR indirectly enhances customers' green WOM intention via green perceived value (i.e., cognitive route) and green hotel pride (i.e., emotional route). Furthermore, the indirect effects of hotels' environmental CSR on customers' green WOM are more substantial for hotels with higher star ratings. These findings offer valuable insights for hoteliers to develop genuine environmentally responsible initiatives that can generate positive customer responses.

Factors Predicting Hotel Recommendations: A Comparison of Guest Feedback Before and After the Hotel Closures During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted the hospitality industry. The current study explored potential factors (i.e. cleanliness, location, room, service, and value) influencing guests' hotel recommendations before the shutdown of hotels due to COVID-19 and after the reopening of hotels. This study employed secondary data and random forest analysis to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that before COVID-19, the value factor had the most significant effect on a guest's willingness to recommend, followed by service, cleanliness, room, and location. A year after the shutdown period, the value factor still had the most significant effect, followed by service, room, and cleanliness, while location had an insignificant effect. Hotel managers can utilize the findings to create new strategies to attract guests and allocate resources to better address guests' evolving expectations. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Homefluencers' endorsement of millennial consumers' purchase intention in new normal

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how "homefluencers" sponsored posts on millennial consumers' purchase intention in the international marketing sphere can be impacted in the new normal by drawing on source credibility, parasocial interaction (PSI) and persuasion knowledge model (PKM) theory.Design/methodology/approachThis research applies structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation analysis as the data analysis method using non-probability purposive sampling of a total of 217 local millennial Instagram and Facebook users, who have followed homefluencers sponsored posts in fashion-beauty, yoga-fitness and food sectors.FindingsBased on hypothesis testing, advertising recognition strongly mediates purchase intention with the indirect effects of expertise and trustworthiness than attractiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThis research extends the international marketing literature on source credibility, PSI, PKM and purchase intention theory in the new normal by proposing "Homefluencer's Endorsement Model for Purchase Intention" (HEMPI). Specifically, the mediating role of ad recognition of homefluencers sponsorship disclosure (#paidad, #sponsored), positively affects "change-of-persuasion meaning" on Instagram and Facebook, where research is rare.Practical implicationsThis research provides valuable suggestions for global brand owners, consumers and authorities of Instagram and Facebook to consider post-COVID consumer behavior highlighting homefluencers sponsored collaboration.Originality/valueThe authors have contributed to the use of the source credibility model and PSI to identify the antecedents in determining how the homefluencer's effective sponsorship disclosure can positively activate ad recognition on millennial consumers' purchase intention in a crisis period from an international standpoint with the practical implications in post-COVID.

Managing students' attitude, learning engagement, and stickiness towards e-learning post-COVID-19 in Australian universities: a perceived qualities perspective

Studies have been conducted on university students' acceptance of e-learning systems during COVID-19. However, less attention has been paid to students' use of e-learning post-pandemic. This research provides a more comprehensive framework to investigate the effects of e-learning students' various quality perceptions on attitude, learning engagement, and stickiness toward e-learning platforms. A survey-based quantitative method is adopted by this study in which sample data are collected from students in Australian universities. A total of 403 valid samples were analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling. This study found that students' perceived educational quality, service quality, information quality, and technical system quality play different roles in their attitudes and behaviours towards e-learning. It expands the information system success model by comparing the effects of students' various perceived qualities on their ongoing commitment to e-learning. It provides insights to e-learning providers in pursuing better designs and more sustainable development of educational information systems.

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.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the influence of word-of-mouth on purchasing decisions?

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to drastic changes in influential media for purchasing decisions. Which media have been used more frequently after COVID-19? Do these changes differ between product types? To provide insights into these questions, we analyzed 12,000 respondents between 2018 and 2021. The results show that the influence of word-of-mouth on purchase decisions decreased after COVID-19, while the influence of social media advertising increased. We also find that the influence is moderated by product type;for example, video advertising, a subset of social media advertising shows a higher influence for search goods than for experience goods.

Factors Contributing to Recommendation Intention of Foreign Tourists in Times of Crisis: A Moderated Moderation Analysis

Purpose - As a leading source of foreign exchange and investment, tourism has grown in importance as a component of international trade. Accordingly, in recent decades much attention has been directed toward attracting foreign tourists and, in turn, positively affecting the recommendation intentions of foreign tourists. Despite such interests, there remains a dearth of empirical research on this issue. Moreover, prior research has focused primarily on the simple main effect of a certain factor on recommendation intentions. Therefore, the present study aims to (1) investigate the effect of overall satisfaction on the recommendation intentions of foreign tourists, and (2) examine the potential moderating effects of personal factors (i.e., age and destination image) on the association between overall satisfaction and recommendation intention. Design/methodology - Using a moderated moderation analysis of the data drawn from the 2018 International Visitor Survey conducted by the Korea Tourism Organization, this study proposes the three-way interaction effects of overall satisfaction, age, and destination image on recommendation intention. Findings - The findings of the study indicate that overall satisfaction is positively associated with recommendation intention and this relationship becomes stronger among younger tourists. The findings further indicate that the moderating effect of age on the relationship between overall satisfaction and recommendation intention depends on changes in the image of the destination. Specifically, the destination image exerts a positive moderating impact on the influence of age that moderates the overall satisfaction and recommendation intention relationship. Originality/value - Considering that the tourism economy has been severely affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic, this study contributes to a more accurate understanding of the factors affecting the recommendation intention, especially in times of crisis.

Analysing the influence of websites quality and content on leisure travellers star category hotel selection in the state of Uttar Pradesh

The present study focuses on analysing the impact of website quality and content on leisure traveller's hotel selection. A structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to respondents through online platform using Google Forms. Chi square test has been used for checking the association between website quality, content and leisure travellers. The findings of the study revealed that out of ten identified features of websites quality: clear language, high resolution photographs, videos of hotel products and services, user friendly and easily accessible websites, 'influence more' to leisure travellers in the selection of star category hotels of Uttar Pradesh. The findings of the study also concluded that out of ten identified features of website content;information about cleanliness and hygiene standards especially followed in the COVID pandemic, places of tourists interest in city and discounts and offers 'influence more' to leisure travellers in the selection of star category hotels of Uttar Pradesh.

Consumer Complaints and Complaint Management in the Tourism Sector

Introduction - In today's intense competitive environment, businesses that want to have a sustainable competitive advantage must put the customer at the centre of all their activities and create customer loyalty by offering products and services that will provide customer satisfaction. One of the key elements of ensuring customer satisfaction is the effective handling of customer complaints, which is defined as the customers expressing their dissatisfaction with unmet expectations and unsatisfied needs verbally or in writing. The concept of a complaint as a response of customers' dissatisfaction with the products and services they experience is an invaluable feedback mechanism for businesses to resolve issues relating to their products and services. Aim - The aim of this chapter is to emphasise the importance of the concept of complaint as an important part of customer relations management and an effective marketing tool for the tourism sector. As a service sub-sector, the simultaneous production and consumption of services in the tourism sector ensures customer satisfaction more than concrete products, due to their inseparable nature. For this reason, handling, evaluating and finalising customer complaints has an important function and value in providing the necessary information for tourism enterprises to become aware of their deficiencies and mistakes. Complaint management has started to play an even more critical role for the tourism industry in preventing customer losses due to dissatisfaction, especially considering the shrinkage in demand in the sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Method - Firstly the concept of complaint and the importance of complaints for businesses were explained, customer complaint behaviour and the factors affecting this behaviour were examined in detail, the concept of online complaint was mentioned and the subject was evaluated in terms of tourism businesses. Results - While the effective management and resolution of complaints should be seen as a goal by every tourism business, it is vital that they understand customer complaint behaviours, the factors affecting this behaviour and how complaints should be managed in a way that will result in favour of the business. Conclusion - A complaint management process that enables customers to easily report their complaints to businesses and produces solutions as soon as possible will positively affect customer satisfaction. In this context, in order to reduce the negative effects on tourism enterprises, especially through the pandemic, business need to have clear and easy-to-access procedures, provide a quick response, show reliability and consistency in providing a solution, keeping the complainant informed of progress, have employees who can communicate with empathy and courtesy, have enough employees to deal with the situation, and adopt proactive approaches to prevent complaints rather than reducing the volume of complaints. Originality/Value - This research contributes to the literature in terms of complaining behaviour, examining the factors affecting this behaviour and emphasising the importance of the concept of complaints in the tourism sector. In addition, the research is important in terms of examining the contributions of an effective complaint management system in reducing the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector, which is one of the sectors mostly affected on a global scale.

Barriers of food delivery applications: A perspective from innovation resistance theory using mixed method

Introduction: Food delivery applications (FDAs) have altered the way customers order and consume food. This was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed restrictions on people's mobility. In this study, the authors have tried to determine which barriers affect consumers' emotions and feelings, leading to satisfaction, repeat visit, and WOM recommendations. Method: ology: The Innovation Resistance Theory has been used to conduct the study. The Mixed Model is also framed to address the barriers faced by FDA users. This study also identifies key barriers of FDA (Value Barrier, Image Barrier, and Environment Barrier) and also studies their effect on consumer emotions and feelings in addition to the impact on repeat purchase behaviour, customer satisfaction and word of mouth recommendation. The data is collected from 392 respondents. Findings: The findings demonstrate that apart from the value barrier, all the other barriers have negative and significant impacts on consumers' feelings and emotions. It further supports the mediation effect amongst consumer feelings and emotions, satisfaction, repeat purchase, and WOM recommended. The moderating effect of transaction cost has been shown with different associations. Implications: The service providers should make sure that all transactions are safe and secure and that food is delivered on time. They should also have good ways for customers to get in touch with them, so they will get orders from them. Originality: The focus of the study is on the link between satisfaction, repeat purchases, and word-of-mouth recommendations for FDA, which hasn't been looked into in any previous studies. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Managerial Response to Hotel Guests' Review in Bangkok

The service industry is hard to measure due to its characteristics which are perishability, intangibility, inseparability and variability so the service industry like the tourism industry highly relies on the guests' WOM. This research is aiming to help hotel managers in Bangkok investigate what makes a good response. Since the research is limited to the hotel industry in Bangkok. It is a remarkable way to conduct interviews with managers and tourists to gather data with a qualitative approach. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with three managers and three tourists to collect data. Due to Covid-19 pandemic regulation, numbers of interviewees are limited;also, some interviews were conducted online by Zoom and Microsoft team. The researcher analyzed data by the classic content analysis technique. The key findings of the research are: first, the speedy managerial response has a positive impact on guests' opinion;next, response numbers have a positive effect on guests' WOM;then the manager should concentrate on both positive and negative responses;finally, relevant managerial response affects guest' points of view. Based on researcher's findings, managers should be empathy when response to guests' reviews. Putting them in the guests' shoes will make it easier to understand what problem guests have faced.

The Effects of Social Media Communication and e-WOM on Brand Equity: The Moderating Roles of Product Involvement

As brand equity (BE) is a valuable, but intangible, asset of any firm, understanding BE represents a primary task for many organizations. Factors that influence the development of BE are of inordinate academic and practical significance and a source of continuous investigation. While the current literature on social media communication (SMC) and BE provides a wealth of information, our study pioneers the most recent processes of mediation and moderation of electronic word-of-mouth and product involvement (PI) in BE research. Accordingly, the results of this work will likely become one of the key sources of information in sustainable marketing planning and in the development of strategies. To accomplish this goal, we assessed the structural relationships among SMC, electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), PI, and BE. A questionnaire survey was administered concerning consumer brands in China. In this survey, due to the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the questionnaire was distributed and collected via the internet. A total of 369 data sets were analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results of our investigation reveal that: (a) social media firm- and user-generated content have a positive impact on e-WOM, (b) social media firm- and user-generated content have a positive impact on BE, (c) e-WOM has a positive impact on BE and serves as an intermediary role between SMC and BE, and (d) PI exerts specific moderating effects between SMC and BE.

Knowledge Learning of Replacement Judgment Using Word-of-mouth Data.

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has also affected the camera industry, and various events have been cancelled. In addition, the recent improvement in the performance of cameras installed in smartphones has reduced the demand for replacement cameras, as it is easy to take pictures without carrying a camera. For customers, online word-of-mouth is what they refer to when purchasing a product. This data is important not only for customers, but also for companies. In this research, we will use online word-of-mouth data and focus not only on numerical data but also on textual data and use text mining to learn knowledge about the decision to replace a camera.

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.

Teleconsultation management in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: The impact of Perceived Justice on satisfaction and Word-Of-Mouth

Following the restrictions on movement imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the greater demands placed on physicians and many healthcare infrastructures, a large number of health teleconsultation platforms have emerged around the world. The aim of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of the acceptance of teleconsultation platforms by patients. To this end, a survey of 1273 patients was carried out using a teleconsultation platform during the pandemic period in France (from 9 July to 29 October 2020). The questionnaire mobilized existing scales to measure Satisfaction, Perceived Justice and, finally, the intention to disseminate by Word-Of-Mouth (WOM). Data were analysed using a Partial Least Squares approach. The study confirms the impact of Distributive, Informational and Procedural Justice on Satisfaction and the impact of Distributive and Informational Justice on WOM. The findings emphasize the influence of Satisfaction on WOM. The results detect a mediating effect of Satisfaction on WOM and moderating effects of gender, age and long-standing use. This research contributes to both theoretical and practical COVID-19 research and may be used by healthcare professionals to develop teleconsultation services, one of the means of supporting interaction and satisfying patients' treatment requirements during the pandemic. © The Author(s) 2023.

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.

Exploring international customers' luxury service experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated strain on consumption activities, demand for luxury hotels has risen steadily as a safe way to enjoy leisure services. This study aims to examine the consequences of congruence and identification. An online survey generating 315 datasets from international customers of luxury hotel services is conducted. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses. The results demonstrate that perceived brand authenticity by customers influences both revisit and word-of-mouth intentions via engagement. Also, brand congruence leads to customer engagement with luxury hotel services and word-of-mouth intention. In contrast, no direct impact of congruence on revisit intention was found. Results regarding the effects of brand authenticity and congruence demonstrate that luxury service brands have the potential to influence customers' patronage behaviors through different approaches. The findings confirm the importance of engagement with brands in the luxury service setting. © The Author(s) 2023.

The mediating role of vaccine hesitancy in the relations of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and vaccination outcomes: Which dimensions matter?

COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs have a powerful detrimental influence on COVID-19 vaccine perceptions and behaviors. We investigate an expanded range of outcomes for COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, and we test which vaccine hesitancy dimensions mediate these relations. Our results show that COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs relate to COVID-19 vaccination willingness and receipt, flu vaccination willingness and receipt, as well as vaccine word-of-mouth. Many of these relations are mediated by vaccine hesitancy dimensions that represent perceptions that vaccines pose health risks as well as perceptions that vaccines are not needed because the respondent is healthy. Our discussion identifies directions for future research.