Endorsers such as social media influencers who aim to match consumers’ personality to strengthen their credibility must consider that actual self-congruence and ideal self-congruence have different ...effects on the main dimensions of credibility: perceived trustworthiness and perceived competence. In our study, we conceptually argue that actual self-congruence is associated more strongly with a closer psychological distance and, in turn, with trustworthy information, and we empirically show that perceived trustworthiness solely mediates the effect of actual self-congruence on consumer behavior. Subsequently, we conceptually argue that ideal self-congruence is more strongly related to ideal skills and therefore should be more strongly related to perceived competence, and we empirically demonstrate that perceived competence solely mediates the effect of ideal self-congruence on consumer behavior. Our findings explain the mechanism behind the effects of actual and ideal self-congruence and demonstrate important differences in authentic and aspirational marketing strategies with regard to creating the perception of trustworthiness and competence via social media influencers.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of telepresence while using a smartphone-based virtual reality system (SBVR) to explore a hotel virtually and to determine the ...influence of this immersive experience on the booking intention of the potential customer.
Design/methodology/approach
Within the scope of this study, a conceptual research model was developed which covered utilitarian and hedonic aspects of the user experience of SBVRs and showed their relevance for the booking intention. A virtual reality application was programmed especially for the study, in which the test persons were able to virtually explore a hotel complex. A total of 569 people participated in the study. A questionnaire was used for the data collection. The structural equation modelling and hypothesis verification were carried out using the partial least squares method.
Findings
The immersive feeling of telepresence increases the perceived enjoyment and usefulness of the potential customer. In addition, the user's curiosity is aroused by the telepresence, which also significantly increases the perceived enjoyment as well as the perceived usefulness. The hedonic and utilitarian value of the virtual hotel experience increases the probability that the customer will book the travel accommodation.
Research limitations/implications
The virtual reality application developed for the study is based on static panoramic images and does not contain audio-visual elements (e.g. sound, video, animation). Audio-visual elements might increase the degree of immersion and could therefore be investigated in future research.
Practical implications
The results of the study show that the SBVR is a suitable marketing tool to present hotels in an informative and entertaining way, and can thereby increase sales and profits.
Originality/value
For the first time, this study investigates the potential of SBVRs for the virtual product presentation of hotels and provides empirical evidence that the availability of this innovative form of presentation leads to a higher booking intention.
使用虚拟现实技术来展示酒店：是否这会影响消费者的预定意图？
摘要
研究目的
本论文旨在研究借助智能手机虚拟现实系统（SBVR）以达到网真效果来展示酒店产品, 以及探究这种身临其境的体验是否对潜在酒店消费者的预定意图有影响。
研究设计/方法/途径
本论文建立了一个理论模型, 包含了功利和享乐两方面的用户体验SBVR, 以及其与预定意图的联系。本论文创立了一个虚拟现实的模式, 实际测量了人们通过这个模式来探究酒店的体验。研究样本为569位参与者。采样方式为问卷方法。本论文采用PLS方式来进行结构方程模型（SEM）计算和假设验证。
研究结果
网真技术的身临其境的体验增加了潜在消费者的感知享受和有用性。此外, 用户的好奇心被网真技术激发, 显著地增加了感知享受和感知有用性。虚拟酒店体验的享乐和功利价值增加了顾客预定的概率。
研究理论限制/意义
本论文研制的虚拟现实应用软件是基于静态全景影像, 而不含视听觉元素（比如, 声音、视频、动画）。视听觉因素可能会增加身临其境的感觉, 因此值得未来研究。
研究实际意义
本论文结果表明SBVR是一个适合营销的手段, 其在信息性和娱乐性方面展示了酒店, 因此能够增加销量和利润。
研究原创性/价值
首先, 本论文研究了SBVR对酒店虚拟产品展示的潜力, 并且提供实际测量结果, 证明了这种创新型展示对预定意图的促进作用
关键词
关键词 虚拟现实, 旅游住宿, 酒店, 产品展示, 网真, 预定意图
论文类型
研究型论文
Purpose
Consumers often start using mobile health apps but quit using them after a brief period of time. However, app providers can only ensure their long-term existence in the market if their app is ...used a long period, so that they can thus generate long-term revenue from advertising, subscriptions and sponsorships. Therefore, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the determinants of consumers’ continuous usage intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a sample of 274 current mobile health app users, this study tests whether ideal self-congruence and/or functional congruence strengthens consumers’ continuous usage intention.
Findings
The results reveal that ideal self-congruence and functional congruence positively affect consumers’ continuous usage intention. Furthermore, an initial favorable attitude toward a mobile health app (i.e. ideal self-congruence) leads to a more favorable evaluation of the functional attributes of the app regardless of consumers’ objective evaluation of these attributes.
Practical implications
Providers should specifically take consumers’ ideal self-concept into consideration to increase consumers’ continuous usage intention of mobile health apps. Matching consumers’ ideal self-concept further leads consumers to a more favorable evaluation of the functional attributes of mobile health apps.
Originality/value
Only a few studies have examined factors influencing the continuous usage intention of mobile health apps; moreover, these studies have largely neglected the symbolic dimension of consumption behavior. Therefore, this study introduces congruence theory into the context of mobile health apps to provide a holistic view of the influence of the symbolic (i.e. ideal self-congruence) and utilitarian (i.e. functional congruence) dimensions on mobile health app consumption.
Research has shown that while the authenticity of positive emotional displays plays an important role in service encounters, it has not yet demonstrated a universally positive effect on customers' ...behavior. This study, which is the first to present customer involvement as a contextual factor that influences customers' processing, provides a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of the authenticity of emotional displays. The model is based on expectation disconfirmation theory and emotional contagion theory and is validated in a field experiment and two laboratory experiments that use video stimuli with actors in real-world contexts. The results show that even inauthentic displays can meet customers' expectations depending on their involvement and that high-involvement customers adapt to employees' authentic emotions more strongly than low-involvement customers do. In summary, the presented model strengthens the understanding of the role of authentic displays and provides an approach to improve the effectiveness of emotional labor strategies.
Recent research indicates that consumers associate nonprofit organizations mainly with the trait “warmth,” whereas for-profit organizations are perceived as being “competent.” Trustworthiness is ...another dimension of consumer perceptions of nonprofit organizations. This article attempts to combine two strands of research: Aaker, Vohs, and Mogilner’s research on perceptions of warmth and competence and Handy et al.’s and Schlesinger, Mitchell, and Gray’s research on individuals’ perceptions of trustworthiness in nonprofits. Our study indicates that “warmth,” “trustworthiness,” and “competence” are distinct dimensions of patient perceptions of hospitals. Perceptions of these traits vary across different manifestations of ownership status. Nonprofit hospitals are perceived as more trustworthy and warm but less competent than their for-profit competitors. With nonurgent care, analysis shows that only trustworthiness and competence influence patients’ hospital evaluations. Nonprofit hospitals should try to make their ownership status public as well as to alleviate detrimental deviations of perceived competence from actual competence.
This study investigates the effectiveness of guilt-arousing communication in promoting prosocial behavior. By analyzing the distinct effects of anticipatory versus reactive guilt appeals, we ...contribute to the discussion of guilt appeals as drivers of prosocial behavior, especially blood donation. Research on persuasive communication provides the theoretical basis of our study and we validate our hypotheses by means of two 2 × 2 factorial between-subjects designs. We find that anticipatory rather than reactive guilt appeals are more effective in generating prosocial action tendencies. Compared to noninformational reference group influences, messages endorsed by members of informational reference groups yielded more favorable attitudinal responses. Besides their significant main effect, two-sided messages reinforce the favorable impact of anticipatory guilt appeals. The study concludes with practical implications for nonprofit organizations and public blood donor services as well as avenues for future research.
This paper examines on the extent to which seat inventory control and denied boarding influence customer satisfaction. The effects of these core components of revenue management were analyzed within ...dummy regression models and ANOVAs. Our empirical analyses show that the effect of seat inventory control varies across booking classes. Reactions to cross-individual price differences caused by seat inventory control were more distinct in lower-priced booking classes. The same did not hold true for the impact of denied boarding on customer satisfaction, however, where there was no variation across booking classes. Furthermore, we found that favorable deviations from expected service performance (e.g. favorable cross-individual price differences) did not result in distinct satisfaction responses. Thus it must be assumed that revenue management practices have a net negative effect on customer satisfaction. Based on the results of the empirical analyses, implications for management and starting points for further research are presented.
•User knowledge about public subsidies affects WTP for public transport services.•Crowding-in as well crowding-out effects in WTP can be verified.•Crowding-in effects in WTP predominate in our ...study.•Personal attitudes and beliefs cause the direction and level of crowding.•Free riding incentives (inequity concern) positively affect crowding-out (-in).
Public transportation throughout the world is highly subsidized. User knowledge about public subsidies may affect their willingness to pay for public transport services and alter demand and related passenger fare revenues. This is especially relevant in view of the increasing availability of information about public subsidies. An empirical study reveals a crowding-in effect, on average, on WTP (willingness to pay) as a result of access to information about public subsidies that generates concerns of fairness. Crowding-out effects also occur, caused by considerations of double financing and free-riding, although they are minor. Study results show that public transportation companies as well as financing institutions should highlight the existence of subsidies to produce crowding-in effects in the WTP for public transportation, to maximize public valuation (WTP) of public transportation. This should increase self-generated revenues of public transportation services.
This study aims to analyze the effects of ideal and actual self-congruence and functional congruence on the volunteering intentions of university students. The empirical analysis is based on a sample ...of 735 students from universities in southwestern Germany. The current paper shows that stereotypic image perceptions (i.e., perceived warmth and competence) represent antecedents of the considered congruence constructs. Moreover, the study shows that actual self-congruence and functional congruence mediate the effect of perceived warmth and competence on the intention to volunteer. Ideal self-congruence did not mediate the effect of stereotypical image perceptions, nor did it have a direct effect on the willingness to take voluntary action. The study offers practical recommendations for nonprofit organizations, as well as avenues for future research based on its empirical findings.
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