PurposeChatbots represent an innovative channel for retailers to meet young customers' needs anywhere and at any time. Being an emergent technology, however, it is important to investigate more ...thoroughly how users perceive it, and which are the variables that enhance a positive attitude towards this technology. On this premise, this study applies a social relationship perspective to the design of chatbots addressed to younger consumers.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a between-participants factorial design to investigate the effects of visual cues (avatar presence vs avatar absence) and interaction styles (social-oriented vs task-oriented) on social presence and how this, in turn, enhances millennials' perceived enjoyment, trust and, ultimately, attitude towards the chatbot. A survey experiment was employed to conduct the study on data collected from 193 Italian millennials.FindingsThe results show that applying a social-oriented interaction style increases users' perception of social presence, while an insignificant effect was found for avatar presence. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis further confirms the hypothesised model.Originality/valueThe adoption of new digital technologies such as chatbots is likely to have a far reaching effect on retailers, consumers, employees and society. For this reason, a broad understanding of the phenomenon is needed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to provide results from an experimental design in which both interaction style (social- vs task-oriented) and avatar (presence vs absence) of a chatbot are manipulated to directly explore social presence and its effect on trust, perceived enjoyment and millennials' attitude towards a chatbot applied for retailing purposes.
An increasing amount of research on Intelligent Systems/Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing has shown that AI is capable of mimicking humans and performing activities in an ‘intelligent’ ...manner. Considering the growing interest in AI among marketing researchers and practitioners, this review seeks to provide an overview of the trajectory of marketing and AI research fields. Building upon the review of 164 articles published in Web of Science and Scopus indexed journals, this article develops a context-specific research agenda. Our study of selected articles by means of Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) procedure outlines several research avenues related to the adoption, use, and acceptance of AI technology in marketing, the role of data protection and ethics, the role of institutional support for marketing AI, as well as the revolution of the labor market and marketers’ competencies.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend prior research on the influence of consumer-cause identification on the intention to purchase products from the companies supporting the cause and ...re-evaluates the role of attitude toward the cause as a mediator of the relationship between identification and intention to purchase.Design/methodology/approachUsing a questionnaire, a sample of 156 Portuguese consumers evaluated their personal identification and attitude to one of four causes. Partial least squares path modeling was used to evaluate the proposed conceptual model.FindingsThe results reveal that more than identification, a positive attitude is vital to be able to predict the intention to purchase. Together, consumer-cause identification and attitude explain 35.1 percent of the variance in purchase intention. The findings show also that attitude acts as a mediator in the relationship between the identification with the cause and intention to purchase. Several differences regarding gender and age are also revealed.Originality/valueWhile the majority of studies were single cause evaluations, the current results are based on the assessment of multiple causes. Consequently, the findings are more comprehensive and robust, providing important insights to researchers. The conclusions confirm within a wider context the role of attitude as a mediator of the identification and intention to purchase and can further assist companies in designing better targeted cause-related marketing campaigns.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand and compare how business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies evaluate the return on investment (ROI) on their social media ...marketing (SMM) programmes and how the investment is handled in these type of marketing programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods approach involving multiple cases and a survey was used. Data were collected from personal interviews with eight professionals responsible for SMM management, from four B2B and four B2C companies, complemented with responses to a web-based survey by the other 28 companies’ marketing managers.
Findings
The results show that there are some differences between B2B and B2C companies regarding SMM evaluation and investment but in general marketing managers for both types of firms use simple metrics to evaluate their SMM programmes. The main measures used relate to awareness, engagement and reach and most of the metrics identified are interaction-related.
Research limitations/implications
Given the complex and sensitive nature of the subject, more research is needed focussed on providing additional evidence from a larger sample of B2B and B2C organizations to allow the extension of the finding to the population as the non-probabilistic nature and size of the current sample impose that the findings should be interpreted carefully. Future research should focus on understanding what the firm’s characteristics predict the importance and level of effort placed in SMM and the barriers to ROI measurement in SMM programmes, especially in B2B firms.
Practical implications
The current findings confirm that the topic of SMM ROI evaluation is not a priority for B2C or B2B companies. There is a need for an update of their online marketing strategy, namely, on budget definition and allocation. Furthermore, companies should increase the autonomy of SM managers, as they are dependent from marketing managers and hire specialized professionals devoted to SMM in both B2C and B2B companies.
Originality/value
The findings of this study contribute to improve the understanding of the evaluation of SMM and to extend the literature on the subject. It also provides a relevant advance into the assessment and understanding on the measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of SMM programmes by offering a comparison on how B2B and B2C use metrics and allocate resources to the SMM management.
PurposeSecond-hand clothing (SHC) has kindled a growing interest among researchers and practitioners. However, despite all the benefits that this market presents, consumer adherence still has ...considerable room for improvement. Several studies have explored the main motivations that lead consumers to buy second-hand clothes (SHCs), but few have focused on the factors that prevent consumers from adopting this consumption behavior. Hence, this study aims to identify barriers through the differences in the perception of experienced and inexperienced consumers in SHC purchases.Design/methodology/approachData collected through an online questionnaire from 127 cases were analyzed using means comparison and binomial logistic regression.FindingsThe findings of this study revealed that having previous experience in purchasing SHCs influences consumers' perception of the barriers. The results also indicate that social embarrassment is the factor that most negatively influences the purchase of SHCs, as well as the consumers' lack of knowledge regarding the available channels.Originality/valueConsidering the importance of the SHC market and its potential, this study reveals what motivates and at the same time prevents consumers from acquiring SHCs. Original findings regarding the importance of channel familiarity and social embarrassment assist companies in defining their marketing strategies and enhancing the consumer experience in the purchase of SHCs.
This study analyses the impact of Need-for-Touch (NFT) on online purchase propensity by evaluating the influence of the consumer's country of origin. Although NFT has been a major topic of research ...over the past years, the link between NFT and purchase propensity has rarely been empirically proven. For assessing the relationship an online questionnaire was made available in Portugal and China. A total of 295 complete responses were obtained and the data studied through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, namely multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling using AMOS. The results indicate that the consumer's country of origin seems to affect the relevance of the sense of touch for apparel. Consumers with high levels of NFT are more likely to engage in additional brand touchpoints and consequently having stronger brand experiences. The impact of perceived information credibility and brand experience on the perceived product quality influences the propensity to search and to purchase online. Consumer NFT was shown having no direct influence on online purchase propensity but instead is mediated by other variables such as brand experience and the online research propensity. This study is innovative by comparing the NFT between two very different cultures and by providing insights on the relationships between cultural differences and NFT, which could be of great interest for Portuguese companies planning on investing in the Chinese market and vice versa.
•Chinese consumers have a higher level of Need-for-Touch than Portuguese.•Portuguese consumers have substantial differences in instrumental and autotelic NFT levels.•Consumers with high levels of NFT are more likely to engage in additional brand touch-points.•Perceived information credibility and quality influences the intention to purchase.•Perceived product quality is influenced by brand experience and perceived information credibility.
Purpose - The number of food products containing nutritional or health claims, such as added calcium for stronger bones, has been increasing. Accordingly, we aimed to understand consumers' ...perceptions towards products that are considered to be healthier and to know how these perceptions affect their purchase intentions. Theoretical framework - Based on consumer perception theory and how consumers process and interpret information, we sought to better understand consumer behavior in relation to the use of nutrition claims in marketing communication. Design/methodology/approach - A survey was conducted via an online questionnaire and responses were obtained from 477 Portuguese consumers. Findings - The results show that the most relevant characteristics when purchasing food are price and taste. However, the addition of a claim can increase purchase intentions. Practical & social implications of research - The reasons behind the new offerings by the food industry are related to the growing demand from individuals for products aimed at improving their health status, which has been deteriorating due to factors such as sedentary lifestyles, longer life expectancy, and a poor diet in terms of nutrition. It is important to know if these claims translate into effective changes in purchasing behavior. Originality/value - The results lead to the conclusion that claims are important in the food choices of the Portuguese respondents, who are less keen on "light" and lean. When it comes to using claims in communication, in Portugal, it is always better to use a direct, transparent, and rigorous approach; otherwise the consumer will not be induced to buy.
This article explores how cause-related marketing influences consumer response in an online environment, by analyzing the relationships between consumers’ perceptions of Cause-related Marketing (CrM) ...and their behavioral intentions toward an online store. Data was collected through an experiment using a sample of Portuguese respondents focusing on the effects of the cause–brand fit and consumer–cause identification on online stores perception and purchase intention. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results show that consumer–cause identification has a positive impact on perceived value and that the relationship is moderated by brand–cause fit but it does not influence online purchase intention. Brand–cause fit was shown to have a positive influence on trust and online purchase intention, which is also impacted by perceived value. Trust was found to be a predictor of perceived value but not of the online purchase intention. The main contributions of the findings include the improved understanding of the importance of the fit to consumer’s perception and efficacy for online cause-related marketing campaigns.
The article concerns the revision of earlier decisions to offshore production activities (so called “relocation of second degree”); more specifically it is focused on the “reshoring” (also referred ...as “relocation to the home country”, “back-reshoring” or “back-shoring”). The research aims are to investigate what types of mistakes occur along the decision-making and implementation process and how they affect the outcome, in terms of success or failure, of a relocation strategy. A multiple case study involving four companies in the fashion industry from Portugal and Italy was conducted. The cross-case analysis allowed to differentiate decision-making mistakes from implementation ones and to assess differences and similarities among the cases in terms of content of the relocation, drivers and outcomes. The research contributes to previous literature on reshoring by bringing evidence of different types of mistakes to be considered, thus requiring further conceptualization of the reshoring process. Managers and entrepreneurs should consider the importance of doing the things right also during the implementation, too often underestimated. The present article is the first one in the reshoring literature bringing evidence of cases of failure in the relocation decisions and discriminating among different kinds of mistakes.
PurposeSocial network sites are key marketing tools that allow brands to connect and engage with consumers. However, there is still a lack of evidence of their value for football brands. This ...research aims to understand the motivations for fans to engage with their favourite football brands on Facebook and Instagram.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was performed, resulting in 214 valid responses. As the social media strategy followed by the football brand analysed was built around games, the authors divided fans into two groups based on the main method in which the club's games are watched: in stadium versus mediated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between motivations and fans' engagement, through content consumption and contribution, on Facebook and Instagram. Analysis was performed first with the whole sample and then by group (stadium attendance vs mediated attendance fans).FindingsThe findings show that social influence, entertainment, searching for information and rewards are the most relevant motivations for consumers to engage with brand-related content on Facebook. Entertainment, rewards and social influence are the main motivations influencing consumer interactions on Instagram. Group moderation was only confirmed in the impact of social influence on Facebook page content consumption.Originality/valueThe results provide valuable insights into the social media marketing activities of sports brands, which will assist brand managers to develop strategies for effectively stimulating engagement with the different groups of fans.
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