Brand Equity and Usage Intention Powered by Value Co-Creation: A Case of Instagram in Kazakhstan

Purpose: Unprecedented communication features of social media noticeably reinforce the active role of consumers in the value co-creation (VCC) of offline and online brands including social media. From the consumer perspective, this study examines a contribution of VCC behavior to consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and consequent intention to use social media based on Instagram as the most popular platform in Kazakhstan. Methodology: A web-based survey provided data from 550 Instagram users in Almaty city. Empirical analysis includes testing statistical assumptions using SPSS 23, conducting confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) using Warp PLS 7.0. Findings: With the result of this study investigation, the paper develops the model that explains the effect of VCC on continuous usage intention to use social media through CBBE comprising brand associations, brand loyalty and brand perceived quality. Originality: Even though the importance of social media in the brand VCC process is widely recognized, a brand equity view of social media brands with users’ participation is under-investigated. However, brand equity’s importance for firm sustainability in terms of long-term business strategy is indisputable. This research enhances brand equity theory and VCC concept with the empirical data within the modern social media context. Practical implications: Owners and managers of social media brands can use the conceptual model to grow, maintain and assess their brands’ equities through their marketing efforts on the consumer motivation for brand VCC activities driving continuous usage of the brands.

What drives millennials and zillennials continuously using instant messaging? Perspective from Indonesia

This study proposes to explore the relationship between perceived risk, subjective norm, perceived value, and continuous usage intention via trust as a mediating variable. This research applied a survey which involved 320 IM users (160 from millennials and 160 from Zillennial) in Indonesia. The literature’s existing scales were used to operationalize the constructs proposed in this study. The analyses were conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test hypotheses. The results of the study show that there are differences in the results of the influence of perceived risk on continuous usage intention in the Millennial and Zillennial generations. The results of the study found that continuous usage intention received negative direct impact from perceived risk, positive direct effect from subjective norm, perceived value, and trust on Millennial. In addition, continuous usage intention received negative and not significant direct impact from perceived risk, positive direct effect from subjective norm, perceived value, and trust on Zillennial. The results are useful for instant messaging management into formulating strategies to retain their users in Indonesia. These findings provided theoretical and managerial contributions as well as future research directions.

Sustainability of an Integrated E-Payment System in Developing Countries

Over the recent years, there has been tremendous ease in monetary transactions; all thanks to a convenient payment platform. The Integrated e-payment system (IEPS) facilitates financial transactions electronically.This study aims to examine the factorial models necessitating the continuous use of the integrated e-payment system in the light of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with two additional variables; processing time and processing charges proposed. The study data were collected from 285 valid respondents in Ghana through the random sampling approach. The hypothesis verification was conducted via the SmartPLS. The result of the structural equation modelling indicate that processing charges, processing time, and social influence are the critical influencers of IEPS continuous usage intention. In addition, it also implies that financial institutions and banks liaise with designers to, perhaps, consider consumers’ perspectives in their design; such that will bring about convenience, fast processing and minimal cost in order to foster continuous use.

The Impact of Restaurant Recommendation Information and Recommendation Agent in the Tourism Website on the Satisfaction, Continuous Usage, and Destination Visit Intention

Enjoying local food could be one of the motives for tourism, and local food and restaurant recommendation information would be important for tourists to decide their destination. Recommendation agents are the sorting and searching function to find the best local food and restaurant among the complexity of information, and they could also be helpful for the tourist to decide their destination. Online tourism websites (e.g., Ctrip.com ) started to provide restaurant recommendations containing food-related information and recommendation agents to attract tourists. However, few studies have investigated their impact on the destination visit intention of potential Chinese tourists. This study aims to empirically validate how restaurant recommendation information, including food-related information and recommendation agents, could impact online tourists’ reactions, such as satisfaction, continuous website usage, and destination visits. We developed our hypothesis based on the information system (IS) success model. We gathered 202 data points from potential tourists using quasi-experimental methods, and these data were analyzed by the PLS algorithm. The results indicate that restaurant recommendation information and recommendation agents significantly increase the perceived information quality and perceived system quality. Increased perceived information quality and system quality could significantly increase potential tourists’ satisfaction, website continuous usage intention, and destination visit intention. The results of this study could contribute to making tourism websites more attractive by using local food and restaurant information and recommendation agents.

Middle-aged and elderly users’ continuous usage intention of health maintenance-oriented WeChat official accounts: empirical study based on a hybrid model in China

Background Although middle-aged and elderly users are the main group targeted by health maintenance-oriented WeChat official accounts (HM-WOAs), few studies have explored the relationship of these accounts and their users. Exploring the factors that influence the continuous adoption of WOAs is helpful to strengthen the health education of middle-aged and elderly individuals. Objective We developed a new theoretical model and explored the factors that influence middle-aged and elderly individuals' continuous usage intention for HM-WOA. Performance expectancy mediated the effects of the model in explaining continuous usage intention and introduced health literacy into the model. Methods We established a hybrid theoretical model on the basis of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 model (UTAUT2), the health belief model (BHM), protection motivation theory (PMT), and health literacy. We collected valid responses from 396 middle-aged and elderly users aged ≥ 45 years in China. To verify our hypotheses, we analyzed the data using structural equation modeling. Results Performance expectancy (β = 0.383, P < 0.001), hedonic motivation (β = 0.502, P < 0.001), social influence (β = 0.134, P = 0.049), and threat appraisal (β = 0.136, P < 0.001) positively influenced middle-aged and elderly users' continuous usage intention. Perceived health threat (β = − 0.065, P = 0.053) did not have a significant effect on continuous usage intention. Both threat appraisal (β = 0.579, P < 0.001) and health literacy (β = 0.579, P < 0.001) positively affected performance expectancy. Threat appraisal indirectly affected continuous usage intention through performance expectancy mediation. Conclusions Our new theoretical model is useful for understanding middle-aged and elderly users' continuous usage intention for HM-WOA. Performance expectancy plays a mediation role between threat appraisal and continuous usage intention, and health literacy positively affects performance expectancy.