Investigating preferences in art collecting: the case of the François Pinault Collection

This article focuses on private art collections that play a relevant role on the art market while reducing its information asymmetry. Knowledge of how art consumers such as private art collectors show preferences for specific artworks may allow to identify collecting patterns based on the preference of some artworks’ signs. Understanding these patterns is essential for evaluating the impact of art collectors on the art market. The evolution of the art market shows complex consumption systems that shape the cognition and behavior of actors such as private art collectors. Consequently, to be a key art collector and to progress as such in today’s art world implies a constant reinterpretation about what it means to consume and to collect art. This paper explores the collection of one of the most important art collectors in the world, the French tycoon François Pinault. More precisely, his background as a key collector was examined, and a number of preferences toward particular signs which connote his collected artworks were identified. All the collected artworks were observed through a descriptive data analysis of the Pinault Collection’s exhibition catalogues, published from 2006 to 2015, enforced by the statistical decision tree classifier. Results show how the Pinault Collection is shaped by collecting preferences that can be described as collecting patterns. As a preeminent collector and owner of one of the two major auction houses in the world, Pinault’s consumption preferences and decisions may impact the art market, for instance through signals and by influencing other art market players or the artists’ careers.

Getting the most from E-commerce in the context of omnichannel strategies

E-commerce in the context of sales and distribution strategy has become a heavily used channel and companies need to manage it correctly and integrate it with a variety of other online and offline channels. Based on the literature, two factors are recognized as relevant for the elaboration of a conceptual framework able to explain the actions undertaken by leading companies to effectively get the most from an e-commerce strategy integrated within the overall omnichannel strategy. The two factors are: main distribution channel (direct/indirect) and product value density (high/low). Through the analysis of four case studies (Luxottica, Henkel, Ikea, and Ferragamo), we show that these factors produce different benefits and challenges that companies face when embracing e-commerce. We analyze these benefits and challenges from the viewpoint of both Marketing and Supply Chain Management.

Uncovering knowledge on travel behaviour during COVID-19: a convergent parallel mixed-methods study in the context of Italy

Against the background of uncertainty and crisis generated by COVID-19, academics and practitioners have struggled to envision how travelling behaviour will be transformed by the pandemic and when it will resume. Despite its relevance to both theory and practice, current research devoted to this research strand is still in its early stages. This study, reliant on Protection Motivation Theory, was conducted in order to assess the ways in which travellers’ preferences are changing as a result of the coping strategies they adopt to protect themselves from the health crisis. To do this, a convergent parallel mixed method approach (data validation variant) was applied to a sample of 4,539 completed questionnaires, collected in Italy, which included 1,577 usable qualitative answers. A factor-cluster analysis was carried out on the quantitative data. Two factors driving destination choice emerged, namely: “Personal protective equipment, sanitation, and physical distancing” and “Outdoor and under-crowded tourism attractions and destinations”. The cluster analysis divided individuals into three groups: “All-round concerned tourists”, “Middle-concerned tourists”, and “Outdoor-driven tourists”. Finally, a series of chi-square and F-tests revealed that significant differences existed between the clusters, based on socio-demographics and travel-related characteristics (i.e., preferred accommodation facilities and means of transport, geographical scale of travelling, and travel companions). Quantitative results were then merged with qualitative results, allowing us to further deepen our understanding of travel behaviours during the pandemic and the related coping strategies. Contributions to this body of knowledge and managerial implications are discussed and suggestions for further research are given.

Conceptualising and measuring social media engagement: A systematic literature review

The spread of social media platforms enhanced academic and professional debate on social media engagement that attempted to better understand its theoretical foundations and measurements. This paper aims to systematically contribute to this academic debate by analysing, discussing, and synthesising social media engagement literature in the perspective of social media metrics. Adopting a systematic literature review, the research provides an overarching picture of what has already been investigated and the existing gaps that need further research. The paper confirms the polysemic and multidimensional nature of social media engagement. It identifies the behavioural dimension as the most used proxy for users' level of engagement suggesting the COBRA model as a conceptual tool to classify and interpret the construct. Four categories of metrics emerged: quantitative metrics, normalised indexes, set of indexes, qualitative metrics. It also offers insights and guidance to practitioners on modelling and managing social media engagement.