Search Results (6)

The rapid growth of e-commerce has significantly increased direct-to-consumer deliveries, putting competitive and environmental pressure on urban last-mile logistics. Out-of-home (OOH) delivery options, particularly parcel lockers, are increasingly integrated into city mobility strategies to reduce congestion and emissions. However, the role of mobile applications front-ending these networks remains under-researched. This study aims to evaluate the user experience (UX) and functional adequacy across three major parcel-locker apps in Poland: InPost Mobile, DPD Mobile, and ORLEN Paczka. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods approach combining in situ corridor testing and structured post-task questionnaires was employed with 30 users at real locker locations in Katowice. The results indicate that interface simplicity, predictable information flow, and technical stability are the dimensions most consistently associated with higher user ratings. InPost Mobile consistently achieved the highest ratings due to its focus on core workflows, whereas applications emphasizing broader functional coverage (ORLEN Paczka) exhibited usability trade-offs, and DPD Mobile underperformed in speed and stability. Because the study relied on a small convenience sample (n = 30) in a single city and was skewed toward younger adults (18–24), the findings should be interpreted as exploratory and primarily reflective of a digitally proficient demographic rather than the broader user population. Full article

This study explores the digital transformation and public value created through the target city’s smart city Mobile Payment APP and digital city token system within the context of sustainable governance in Taiwan. Adopting a convergent mixed-methods research design, this research integrates quantitative Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) surveys of 632 users with qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews involving eight key stakeholders (namely, government officials, system developers, affiliated merchants, and citizen representatives). This methodology assesses service quality, user satisfaction, and cross-sector collaboration effects. The findings reveal that the mobile payment platform significantly enhances digital service delivery; fosters user engagement; and supports sustainable urban development goals, particularly net-zero carbon emissions. However, the IPA results highlight critical service gaps in the “Priority Improvement Zone,” specifically regarding the insufficient number of affiliated merchants and inconvenient information search functions. Qualitative findings attribute these gaps to cross-departmental administrative barriers and security-focused design trade-offs. This study contributes empirical evidence on the integration of financial technology and public service innovation as a means to advance smart governance and sustainable urban ecosystems. The results provide actionable insights for policymakers, city planners, and service designers focused on promoting digital public services that facilitate economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and collaborative governance. Full article

Within the framework of high-frequency volatility modeling, this study investigates the realized volatility spillover dynamics across major cryptocurrencies over an extended period of time. Using a Time-Varying Parameter Vector Autoregression (TVP-VAR) model of the realized volatility (RV), this work constructs the Total Connectedness Index (TCI) and Pairwise Connectedness Index (PCI) to measure the intensity and direction of realized volatility transmission within this digital asset network. Our findings reveal a consistently high level of spillovers among these leading cryptocurrencies, with notable peaks during periods of global market turbulence. Notably, Ethereum emerges as the most influential volatility transmitter, challenging the traditional view of Bitcoin as a primary driver of volatility spillovers. This reflects Ethereum’s pivotal role in decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized applications (dApps), and its growing trading activity, suggesting a shifting influence in the increasingly diversified cryptocurrency ecosystem. Full article

The fisheries industry has been one of the most immediate and severely impacted sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns in particular. This study aimed to gather detailed information about the new initiatives that, preferentially on an online basis, emerged worldwide to trade fish and seafood. A special focus was applied on the usefulness of the digital tools in Portugal, which was considered as a case study. From a global view, the European countries resulted in being especially active to launch nationwide campaigns promoting the domestic consumption of fishing products. A total of 122 digital initiatives, distributed among 48 countries, mainly in America, Southern Europe, southeast Asia, and Oceania, were recorded all over the world to sell fish and seafood. Social media (33.6%), mainly though Facebook, WhatsApp, phone, and e-mail (25.4%) were the main channels used for this purpose. In Portugal, the entity responsible for the first-sale of fishing products allowed free access to the five online auctions that operate nowadays in this country. As expected, in 2020, this digital space experienced an increase in both users (94%) and volume of traded products (121%) compared to the previous year. Moreover, eight Portuguese online shops specializing in fresh fish and seafood, operating exclusively on an online basis, were identified in this study. In general, all of them reported an increase in new users during the first lockdown and were required to recruit additional employees to fulfil the added demand. In parallel, questionnaire surveys conducted in this study revealed that only 33% of the Portuguese fisher associations and producers organizations looked for new technologies as a valuable tool during the pandemic situation, being significantly more valued in the Northern region compared to the rest of the country. Aligned with this perception, 57% of fisher trainees in the Northern coast of Portugal opined that the pandemic changed their view on how the fishing catches can be traded, one way being the use of digital tools considered by the majority as an asset to face the arisen challenges. In conclusion, the key role globally played by digital tools to overcome many of the limitations posed by the pandemic, particularly for the small-scale fisheries, is evident. This recent open-minded environment for technological transition is an undoubted advantage for the future generation of fishers to modernize the classic trade channels into more functionally diversified supply chains. Full article

Mobile applications that facilitate interaction between people have grown in popularity and, as a result, the number of e-dating applications have expanded. In these types of applications, there is usually a trade-off between user privacy and safety. On one hand, users want to keep their data as private as possible, on the other hand, user identification forces accountability, which, hopefully, will foster the development of responsible behaviors and minimize abuses. The Bumble e-dating app has been growing in popularity and differs from other apps by giving women the power to make the first contact after a match. Their main goal is to prevent women’s harassment. In this work, we study the digital artifacts that can be found after the use of the Bumble app on Android devices. Despite applying many measures to ensure data protection, it was possible to obtain information that identifies users and exchanged messages. The data structure stored on the device is described, as well as the artifacts with forensic value for an investigation. Moreover, a script was created to parse and visualize the main forensic artifacts of the Bumble app. Full article

Digital trading apps are evidence of developing open innovations in the financial sector. The investment industry (including banks and brokers) can greatly benefit from the utilization of digital trading applications and corresponding tools, such as smart contracts. The goal of this research paper is to examine the possibility that brokers’ existing mobile apps outperform banks without mobile apps in the Russian financial sector. The efficiency of brokers is compared to banks in Russia. The results of these institutions’ activities are related to the number of profitable banks, which declines as a sign of high efficiency. The paper uses methods of t-test, linear and polynomial regression analysis between assets (dependent variable) and the profit to assets (independent variable) in Russia. The article finds the different directions of the utilization of the discussed technology, and they all share the consequential growth after the technology’s introduction. The paper also discusses the various areas of digital trading apps implementation and the future contributions for the Russian banking system and economy. Full article