Exploring online consumer reviews of wearable technology: The Owlet Smart Sock

Purpose The purpose of this research is to analyze consumers’ post-purchase reviews of the Owlet Smart Sock (OSS) and investigate the factors influencing continued use and product recommendation. Design/methodology/approach The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 and the privacy calculus model were used to focus both on technology and privacy aspects of OSS – a wearable technology product for baby monitoring. A sample of 450 online consumer review data was collected from Owletcare.com and Amazon.com. The data analysis was done by using NVivo 11. Findings Findings show that effort expectancy, price value and performance expectancy played the most striking role during adoption, continued future use and recommendation to others, whereas perceived privacy risk had the least importance. Research limitations/implications Consumer empowerment through online reviews plays a crucial role in conveying their specific needs and desires to both manufacturers and other prospective consumers. The research is also expected to contribute research and development of technology-integrated products. Practical implications The research findings will provide valuable insights for manufacturers and retailers to understand consumers’ actual preferences and acceptance during the use of wearable technology. Originality/value This study extends research work on consumer use behavior by evaluating online reviews that provide them the opportunity to express their satisfaction and concerns. Insights from experience consumers’ reviews facilitate designers, developers and manufacturers to have a strategic focus during wearable technology development.

How does dataveillance drive consumer online payment resistance?

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of dataveillance on resistance towards online payment. Using a moderated-mediation framework, the study also investigates the mediating effects of perceived privacy and security concerns and how these mediating effects are moderated by corporate credibility, consumer scepticism and consumer empowerment. Design/methodology/approach A scenario-based experimental design was performed to examine the proposed hypotheses. Analysis of covariance and PROCESS macro were used to examine the hypotheses by analysing 312 collected responses. Findings The results indicated the dataveillance positively affects consumer resistance towards online payment. The results also suggested that corporate credibility and consumer scepticism significantly moderates the association between dataveillance and resistance towards online payment. Practical implications The findings of this study will help online retailers to reduce consumers’ perceived privacy and security concerns, thereby reducing consumers’ resistance towards online payment. Originality/value Theoretically, the study contributes to privacy, consumer behaviour, online payment and cognitive-motivational-relational theory literature.

Examining the Factors Impacting Consumer Online Purchasing Behavior During COVID-19 in Klang Valley

The initial appearance of Covid-19 has changed the lives of billions of people in the world and has disrupted consumers purchasing behavior whether online or offline shopping. The internet has given consumer empowerment where online shopping has been adopted by consumers globally. Customers can stay at home and shop with payment and get home delivery. This research aims to examine the factors impacting consumer online purchasing behavior in the retail business environment during Covid-19 in Klang Valley. This study focuses on five variables which are attitude, trustworthiness, security and safety, loyalty and marketing information and how these variables impact consumer online purchasing behavior during crisis period utilizing the Reasoned Action Approach Theory and Technology Acceptance Model Theory. The proposed research is designed based on quantitative model utilizing a questionnaire survey with a sample size of 405 online respondents. The result can provide knowledge about consumer online purchasing behavior and all five variables are supporting the research findings especially marketing information on the website topping the list of the variables. Managerial and theoretical implications are important for businesses to adopt online channels and expand globally using the available technology especially social media channels. The research presents several considerations towards consumer online purchasing behavior and future research should study other variables using different methodologies such as exploratory nature with interviews to understand the consumer behavior as consumer behave differently in different circumstances during pandemic.

Consumer-dominant social marketing: a definition and explication

Purpose The emerging consumer-dominant logic of marketing captures consumers’ active and primary role in a range of mainstream marketing processes such as branding, product development and sales. However, consumers’ active role in driving pro-social behaviour change has not yet received close attention. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and explore consumer dominance in social marketing. The authors propose a definition of consumer-dominant social marketing (CDSM) and explicate five key elements which underpin the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual study offers an analysis informed by exemplars with significant representations of consumer-dominant pro-social behaviours and projects. The methodological approach is characterised as “envisioning conceptualisation”, which is explained in terms of MacInnis’ (2011) framework for conceptual approaches in marketing. Findings As a phenomenon, CDSM operationalises the following elements: power, agency, resources, value and responsibility. The authors demonstrate how these elements are interconnected and define their meaning, significance and implications in the context of social marketing and pro-social behaviour change. The authors also identify this new form of social marketing as existing on a continuum depending on the level of involvement or dominance of the consumer and of social marketers; at one end of this continuum, exclusive CDSM is entirely consumer-driven and does not engage with businesses or organisations, while on the other end, inclusive CDSM encompasses partnership with external stakeholders to achieve pro-social behaviour change. Research limitations/implications The existence of inclusive and exclusive CDSM points towards an intricate power balance between consumers, mainstream social marketers and businesses. While this study identifies and explains this substantial distinction, it is an important task for future research to systematise the relationship and explore the optimal balance between consumer activism and involvement of formalised organisations such as charities and businesses in pro-social behaviour change projects. Practical implications The study provides social marketing professionals with an understanding of the benefits of harnessing consumer empowerment to enhance the impact of social marketing interventions. Originality/value The study makes a theoretical contribution by introducing, defining and explicating consumer dominance as a substantive area of social marketing.

Conversions on the rise – modernizing e-mail marketing practices by utilizing volunteered data

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to examine how utilizing volunteered data influences the response and unsubscribe rates of e-mail marketing to consumers.Design/methodology/approachIn three longitudinal field experiments conducted among 1,864 applicants of a higher education institution, the study compares customized marketing e-mails based on volunteered consumer data to e-mails that are personalized based on observed consumer data and to control e-mails that are not tailored by the marketer at all.FindingsThe results indicate that marketers should make consumers active participants in the communication process, as response rates are higher in those e-mails where volunteered data are utilized. However, the unsubscribe rate is the highest in customized e-mails.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors demonstrate that e-mails displaying empowering aspects influence consumers' behaviors and lead to outcomes that mostly outperform non-empowered e-mails.Practical implicationsCompared to other forms of interactive marketing, e-mail has lagged behind in both popularity and customer-friendly implementation. However, it has the potential to succeed if marketers pay more attention to consumer empowerment. As over 306 billion e-mails are sent worldwide daily and 75% of marketers use e-mail when contacting customers, the increase in response rates can have a significant influence on their returns.Originality/valueUnlike prior research the focus was on the process of tailoring, this perspective supports customer advocacy and emphasizes consumers' important role in creating engaging, empowering e-mail marketing communication.

Omnichannel retailing: does it empower consumers and influence patronage?

PurposeThis study analyzes how omnichannel integration influences customer patronage intention, highlighting the moderation effect of consumer service experience consciousness. Additionally, it also examines the sequential mediating role of consumer empowerment and satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a survey method to collect data from 336 young Indian consumers, having experienced omnichannel retailing. Data were analyzed using SPSS PROCESS macro to examine both the mediating and moderated relationships.FindingsThe results confirm that a customers' perceived online–offline channel integration increases their patronage intention directly and through the mediating role of consumer empowerment and satisfaction. Additionally, as a moderator, consumer service experience consciousness does not necessarily impact consumer patronage interest through the mediating role of consumer empowerment. Nevertheless, it does have a negative impact through the mediating role of consumer satisfaction.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights into designing online–offline retailing integration, based upon which, proposes several recommendations for increasing customer satisfaction and patronage intention.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is among the first studies to highlight the theory of consumer empowerment in the context of omnichannel retailing. Thus, it contributes to the extant literature on omnichannel retailing while investigating the moderating role of consumer service experience consciousness.

Consumer empowerment and self-assessment of empowerment

This study examined the influence of consumer empowerment and its self-assessment on consumers’ information search behavior and consumer life satisfaction; it also examined whether the results were consistent with the Dunning−Kruger effect. A total of 977 consumers who participated in a national consumer survey were divided into four groups, based on their level of empowerment and self-assessment. The Dunning−Kruger effect was observed in the consumer empowerment results, with 35.9% of respondents showing imbalanced empowerment and self-assessment levels. A general linear model was used to examine the survey results, which indicated that the main effect of empowerment had no significant effect on information searching or consumer life satisfaction. However, there was a significant main effect of self-assessment on both dependent variables. In addition, the interaction of empowerment and self-assessment had a significant effect only on information search behavior. Consequently, it can be concluded that self-assessed empowerment, rather than actual consumer empowerment, affects information search and consumer life satisfaction.

The effects of green consumer empowerment in advertising on corporate evaluations and purchase intention: the case of organic food

This research aims to investigate the potential of consumer empowerment, the activation of consumers’ perceived power over companies, to achieve improved advertising effects for organic food compared to only communicating ecological benefits (classical green appeals). Two online experiments were conducted to analyze the ad effectiveness for consumers’ responses including their evaluations of the company and purchase intentions (nStudy1 = 294; nStudy2 = 457). Results indicate that green empowerment ads reach overall better performance to increase people’s perceived customer orientation and purchase intentions compared to green appeals, while similar effects are identified for perceived corporate environmental responsibility. Empowerment tactics are especially effective when consumers perceive the supplier to be a larger, high-resource company compared to a smaller, low-resource one. The significant effects of perceived corporate resources also indicates that smaller companies should use differentiated ad strategies depending on if they intend to enhance consumers’ purchase intentions or their environmental reputation.

Understanding the consumer empowerment in health service

Health services are one of the most necessary services of the community, and these fields need to be addressed to provide the best health services for the community. This research aimed to analyze the influence of social, demographic, and economic characteristics toward empowered consumers on health services. This research used a cross-sectional design through a survey of 100 people and direct interviews. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis. The result showed that 46-67 years old male respondents, who were highly educated (>12 years), and have a job with >360 815 IDR incomes per month were the most empowered group of respondents than others. Regression analyses revealed that a high length of education and high income would increase the value of the consumers’ empowerment index.