Family identity construction: an interpretation of the Lunar New Year's Eve dinner consumption ritual

PurposeFamily dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve is the most important and most ritualized feast for families in China. It is the time for the entire family to reunite. Families gather together to reflect their past and talk about the future. Through the lens of consumer culture theories, this study explores how Chinese consumers construct family identity.Design/methodology/approachBased on constant comparative analysis of primary data including in-depth interviews and participant observation, and secondary data including historical archives, cultural tracing, documentary reports and essays, the authors deconstruct the consumption rituals of family dinner on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve. The authors focus on four aspects, including participants, place, time and related activities, and analyze Chinese consumers' ritual experiences.FindingsThe authors’ findings show how young consumers construct and strengthen individual self-identity, relational identity and family identity in various ways through consumption and ritual practices during Chinese Lunar New Year celebration.Originality/valueThe study of family dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve helps the authors understand contemporary consumer culture in three aspects. First, it helps the authors understand the relationship between consumption and culture. Second, the study shows the changes and continuities of consumption rituals. Third, the research highlights the experience of “home” among contemporary Chinese consumers.

Evolution of omni-channel business models: a new community-based omni-channel and data-enabled ecosystem

PurposeThe authors seek to crack the model of new retail by outlining the unique business model known as community-based omni-channel and data-enabled ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachThe study’s analyses of Hema cases and other examples reveal a new omni-channel model, a community-based and data-enabled ecosystem model.FindingsThe ecosystem targets local customers within a limited geographical range. It is also data-enabled and effectively leverages large-scale data on consumers, store operations, supply chains and logistics to ensure the smooth functioning of the ecosystem.Originality/valueThe authors hope the typology brings new insights to the development of omni-channel retail.

Research on the impact of online picture contents of agricultural products on consumers' willingness to click

PurposeThe paper aims to clarify the influence of different picture contents on consumer's willingness to click pictures when shopping for agricultural products online and examine the intermediary mechanism and boundary conditions of the impact.Design/methodology/approachThe paper opted for an empirical study based on the cue utilization theory and information processing theory, including three experiments to test the existence, intermediary mechanism and boundary conditions of the impact of online picture contents of agricultural products on consumers' clicking intention.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights about the influence of picture contents on consumer's willingness to click when shopping for agricultural products online. The picture of product's production environment or grower on the search result page can effectively improve consumer's willingness to click the product under dual systemic information processing modes. Compared with product pictures, pictures displaying products and production environment can stimulate more cognitive system processing, and pictures displaying products and its growers can stimulate more emotional system processing, both resulting in higher click intention. However, the above effects only exist in the context of non-branded agricultural products.Originality/valueThe research results not only provide practical guidance for merchants, but also fill the gap in the research on the impact of picture contents on consumers in the field of agricultural products in online marketing.

Expressing gratitude versus empathetic apology: which one is better to use as an initial recovery strategy after a service failure?

PurposeThe main purpose of this work is to evaluate the different psychological impacts of two initial verbal recovery strategies (gratitude vs empathetic apology) on the consumers' loyalty after a service failure. The proposed theoretical model also appraises the mediating role of two emotional responses (consumer forgiveness, consumer anger) and consumer self-esteem and the moderating role of self-oriented perfectionism.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies (i.e. an experimental design and a field study) are considered for this investigation to assess the effectiveness of gratitude expression versus empathetic apology on post-recovery loyalty and test the effects of mediators and the moderator applied between the verbal recovery strategies and post-recovery loyalty.FindingsThe results of Study 1 revealed the supremacy of gratitude to empathetic apology in maintaining consumers' loyalty after service failure recovery. The better impact of gratitude expressed in increasing post-recovery loyalty is mediated through the elevation of consumers' forgiveness, the reduction of consumers' anger and consumers' self-esteem. The findings of Study 2 indicated that gratitude increases more post-recovery loyalty through individuals with a high level of self-oriented perfectionism.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could examine other service failure situations, different types of service recovery, mediators or moderators, which contribute to the service marketing literature.Practical implicationsAfter a service failure, using gratitude expressions to consumers often makes them feel better and more valuable.Originality/valueThis work increases service providers' knowledge in using proper expressions after a service failure to help elevate consumers' positive reactions resulting in maintaining their loyalty.

Is the sense of awe an effective emotion to promote product sharing: based on the type of awe and tie strength

PurposeAs a complex social emotion, awe includes both positive emotion and negative emotion. But few studies have explored the downstream effects and psychological mechanisms of two different types of awe. As a self-transcendence emotion, awe will arouse the small self, that is, reduce self-awareness. In the era of the sharing economy, the obstacle to sharing is the strong self-awareness that consumers have built about their belongings. Therefore, this paper aims to explore how two different types of awe can affect consumers' sharing, especially with different relationships.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted two experiments to test the effect of awe on consumer sharing of their own products. Study 1 aimed to examine the main effect of different awe on consumer sharing of their product as well as the underlying mechanism. Study 2 aimed to examine the interacting role of tie strength in the effect of awe on consumer product sharing.FindingsThrough two empirical tests, the authors have found that, relative to the control group, the sense of awe arouses the feeling of small self and significantly increases the consumers' willingness of sharing. Also, the authors have found that threat-based awe which leads to self-diminishment is more conducive to promoting the sharing of weak ties; on the contrary, the nonthreat-based awe which leads to a feeling of vastness is more conducive to promoting the sharing of strong ties.Originality/valueThis research expands the literature in the field of sharing. While the mainstream sharing a focus on information sharing, this research extends it to product sharing. What is more important is, this research explores how to encourage sharing to weak ties, which contributes to sharing economy.

The importance of incorporating relevant-added value into esports sponsorships

PurposeThis research aims to identify how important it is that brands incorporate relevant-added value into their esports sponsorships.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory research applied a convergent-parallel mixed method with equal status. Data were collected by interviewing 22 experts in esports sponsorships and having 5,638 esports fans fill out an online survey. SPSS 25 was used to analyze quantitative data and NVIVO 10 to process qualitative data. Each dataset was analyzed separately and then compared with both having the same level of importance.FindingsThe results revealed that all experts considered the creation of relevant-added value as an essential strategy for successful esports sponsorships and the large majority of fans want sponsors to apply this tactic. Interestingly, while the experts mostly emphasized ways to directly benefit the fan-base, the fans prefer that sponsors focus on directly supporting the esports industry.Practical implicationsBrands should incorporate relevant-added value into their esports sponsorships as it greatly decreases fan resistance to the promotional message, catches the fans' attention and engagement much more easily, has a much higher probability of leading to high positive return on investments (ROIs) and makes for a much more cost-effective investment.Originality/valueThe field of esports sponsorships has received little academic attention and the results are highly significant and relevant for all current and potential esports sponsors looking to increase the effectiveness of their esports sponsorships.

How consumers' personalities, lifestyles and demographics predict SVOD genre and SVOD platform consumption

PurposeStreaming video on demand (SVOD) services are comprised of digital media content creation and content distribution that provide a vast array of genre content playable on an assortment of different technology platforms. Additionally, these digital services are equipped to collect data and information on consumers. However, these services do not capture extensive consumer demographics, lifestyles or personalities information.Design/methodology/approachTo resolve this discrepancy, collecting external information such as complete demographics, personalities and lifestyles of consumers can be useful in advancing SVOD consumer behavior knowledge. This study examined how consumer demographics, lifestyles and personalities may predict SVOD genre consumption and SVOD platform consumption. A survey was executed and disseminated to collect consumer information across these dimensions. Multiple linear regressions and a structural equation model were formed to explicate variance.FindingsConsumer demographics, lifestyles and personalities’ information do predict SVOD genre consumption and SVOD platform consumption.Originality/valueMedia selection and trait theory have not been applied to understanding unexplained variance behind consumer media consumption, and are often used to predict media consumption variance among consumers. These findings illustrate that, while digital consumer touchpoints are necessary to collect and analyze, marketers should not lose sight of easily-obtainable consumer data, much of which dictates consumption choices.

Research on the impact of online picture contents of agricultural products on consumers' willingness to click

PurposeThe paper aims to clarify the influence of different picture contents on consumer's willingness to click pictures when shopping for agricultural products online and examine the intermediary mechanism and boundary conditions of the impact.Design/methodology/approachThe paper opted for an empirical study based on the cue utilization theory and information processing theory, including 3 experiments to test the existence, intermediary mechanism and boundary conditions of the impact of online picture contents of agricultural products on consumers' clicking intention.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights about the influence of picture contents on consumer's willingness to click when shopping for agricultural products online. The picture of product's production environment or grower on the search result page can effectively improve consumer's willingness to click the product under dual-systemic information processing modes. Compared with product pictures, pictures displaying products and production environment can stimulate more cognitive system processing, and pictures displaying products and its growers can stimulate more emotional system processing, both resulting in higher click intention. However, the above effects only exist in the context of non-branded agricultural products.Originality/valueThe research results can not only provide practical guidance for merchants, but also fill the gap in the research on the impact of picture contents on consumers in the field of agricultural products in online marketing.

Does a transparent umbrella make you longing for a humorous movie? The influence of transparency on decision-making

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of transparency on consumers' judgment and decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses an experimental research design in which participants' negative emotions dynamically change driven by group emotional interactions when they are experiencing a group complaint.FindingsThe experimental results show that compared with opaque products, transparent products make consumers rely more on emotions to make judgments and decisions (Experiment 1). It is precise because transparency increases the influence of emotion on consumers' judgment and decision-making that positive emotion makes consumers' evaluation and willingness to pay higher, while negative emotion makes consumers' evaluation and willingness to pay lower (Experiments 2 and 3). Transparency will also affect consumers' subsequent judgment and decision-making methods, so they are more inclined to choose the option with the dominant emotional dimension (Experiment 4).Originality/valuePrevious studies mainly focus on the impact of transparent packaging on consumers and discuss the impact of transparent packaging on consumer product evaluation and consumption quantity. This study proves that product-related transparent elements can also affect consumers' decision-making methods, making them more dependent on emotions to make decisions, enriching the research on the influencing factors of consumer decision-making methods.

Do consumers always prefer coupons with a large discount? A meta-analysis

PurposeThe aim of this research is to quantitatively synthesize empirical findings of the effect of discount level on consumer response to the coupon.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used the meta-analysis method to synthesize coupons' discount level effects on consumer response. Meta-regression was used to examine the moderating factors that affect the relationship between discount level and consumer response.FindingsThe average effect size of the discount level is 0.331, indicating that higher discount levels lead to higher consumer responses. The effect of discount level on consumer response to the coupon is stronger when the discount is displayed in proportion format (vs amount format), when consumers are distant (vs near) to the coupon-issuing stores, and when consumers have not opted-in to receive promotional information. The discount level effect is weaker for coupons that can be redeemed online (vs offline only), for hedonic products (vs utilitarian products) and for products of real brands.Originality/valueFrom information processing and cost–benefit trade-off perspectives, this research proposes a comprehensive research framework that synthesizes a variety of contextual factors. It identifies several contextual factors that may reconcile several inconsistent findings in the existing literature. It also addresses how the new-technology related factors affect coupon redemption under different discount levels.