Search Results (263)

Artificial intelligence has fundamentally altered how brands create, personalize, and deliver communication on social media, raising important questions about how these technological features shape consumer responses. This study investigates how two AI communication features (AI content optimization and AI transparency) influence brand attitude and purchase intention, with trust and perceived usefulness examined as mediating mechanisms. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, a process-oriented model is tested using survey data from 497 Romanian social media users and analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling. Results show that AI content optimization significantly strengthens both perceived usefulness and trust, while AI transparency contributes primarily to trust, with a more limited and context-dependent effect on brand attitude. Trust emerges as the most central mechanism, influencing perceived usefulness, brand attitude, and purchase intention, and mediating key relationships between AI features and consumer responses. Perceived usefulness and brand attitude further translate these internal evaluations into behavioral intentions. Brands should therefore prioritize relevant, well-timed AI-generated content and invest in trust through consistent communication. Theoretically, this study maps the indirect psychological pathways through which AI communication features reach consumer behavior. Empirically, it contributes evidence from an emerging European market that remains underrepresented in this literature. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered online shopping is profoundly reshaping the way in which consumers engage with sustainable clothing. However, the relationships between digital multisensory cues and perceived quality with sustainable consumption intention still need to be explored. Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, the present study explores the relationships of digital multisensory cues and perceived quality with consumers’ flow experience, pleasure, and responses (e.g., engagement, loyalty, and sustainable consumption intention) in the context of AI-powered online shopping using a cross-sectional, scenario-based, assisted recall survey. A total of 571 valid responses were retained for analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was adopted for data analysis. The findings indicate that digital multisensory cues showed a positive relationship with pleasure, whereas perceived quality was positively associated with both flow experience and pleasure. Flow experience was positively linked to pleasure, which was further associated with engagement and sustainable consumption intention. Statistically significant indirect effects on sustainable consumption intention through pleasure were observed for flow experience, digital multisensory cues, and perceived quality. The results of this study offer practical implications for retailers seeking to design emotionally engaging AI-powered shopping experiences that may support sustainable consumption intention. Full article

This study examines how smart hotel technologies shape guests’ pro-environmental behavioral intention (PEBI) and sustainable tourism advocacy (STA) in Thailand’s Deep South. Drawing on stimulus–organism–response (SOR), value–belief–norm (VBN), and technology acceptance (TAM) theories, it models four technology stimuli that operate through two mediators, guest satisfaction and environmental personal norm, and one boundary condition, environmental self-identity. Data from 412 guests of smart hotels in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, collected by purposive sampling, were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The model explained substantial variance (R² = 0.67 for satisfaction, 0.59 for environmental personal norm, 0.65 for PEBI, and 0.58 for STA). Green smart features, experiential senses, and intelligent operations raised both satisfaction and personal norms, with experiential senses the strongest driver (beta = 0.31 on satisfaction and 0.33 on norm); perceived usefulness raised satisfaction (beta = 0.14) but not personal norms (beta = 0.05, non-significant). Environmental self-identity strengthened the norm-to-behavior link, and fsQCA revealed five equifinal configurations that reliably produce high PEBI. By moving the outcome beyond satisfaction to environmental action and advocacy, the study helps hoteliers and policymakers design technology-enabled interventions that advance SDG 11, SDG 12, and SDG 13. Full article

Influencer marketing has emerged as a dominant communication strategy in India’s rapidly expanding digital marketplace, reshaping how brands engage with consumers across social media platforms. Despite growing scholarly attention, existing research remains fragmented across themes such as celebrity endorsements, influencer credibility, consumer engagement, and technology-driven communication practices. This study synthesizes the evolving body of literature on influencer marketing in India using bibliometric mapping, thematic analysis, and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling. The analysis reveals that the field’s intellectual structure is defined by four major research themes and latent topic patterns: celebrity endorsements, influencer credibility, consumer engagement, and technology-driven communication practices. A central outcome of the study is the development of a conceptual framework grounded in Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) theory that explicitly demonstrates how influencer attributes and digital communication stimuli trigger consumer cognition and behavioral outcomes. The study’s primary theoretical contribution is to integrate the previously disconnected research streams into a cohesive framework, providing a foundation for future theoretical development and scholarly inquiry. This systematic synthesis offers a structured understanding of the specific mechanisms driving influencer marketing in the Indian context. Full article

Despite the considerable attention given to virtual streamers, their effectiveness in live streaming warrants further investigation. Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework, social role theory and social cognitive theory, this study examines the influence mechanism of virtual streamer roles on consumers’ virtual place attachment. An online scenario experiment employing a 2 (assistant-role virtual streamers vs. friend-role virtual streamers) and 2 (search products vs. experience products) between-subjects design (N = 328) was conducted to verify research hypotheses. The results demonstrate that, compared with the assistant-role virtual streamer, the friend-role virtual streamer elicits a higher level of virtual place attachment among consumers. This effect is mediated through three distinct pathways: the positive mediation of social self-efficacy, the negative mediation of task self-efficacy, and the positive serial mediation involving both. Moreover, product type exerts a significant moderation effect on the association between social self-efficacy and task self-efficacy. Specifically, this relationship is stronger under search (vs. experience) product conditions. Such a moderation effect, however, is conditional upon consumer expertise and is only significant for consumers with low expertise. Additionally, consumer expertise moderates the influence of task self-efficacy on virtual place attachment, and this influence is stronger for high-expertise consumers than for low-expertise consumers. These findings shed empirical light on the functioning and influence of virtual streamers in e-commerce live streaming and extend the theoretical literature on virtual place attachment. They also offer practical insights for companies to optimize virtual streamer design, implement differentiated interaction strategies, and configure personalized features. Full article

AI-powered virtual humans are increasingly used as live streaming presenters, yet it remains unclear how consumers translate experiences with these embodied agents into trust and repurchase intention. Rather than tracing a complete multi-stage consumer journey, this study focuses on a recent virtual human live streaming session as a focal touchpoint that compresses product discovery, evaluation, interaction, and purchase support. Integrating consumer touchpoint logic with the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, we examine how perceptual touchpoint experience (active control, synchronicity, and two-way communication) and cognitive touchpoint experience (perceived expertise and perceived competence) shape consumer trust and repurchase intention. Using survey data from 305 consumers with virtual human live streaming experience, this study tested the proposed model via partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and supplemented the findings with fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results showed that both perceptual and cognitive touchpoint experiences significantly enhanced trust, which partially mediated their effects on repurchase intention; cognitive touchpoint experience also exerted a strong direct effect on repurchase intention. The fsQCA results revealed two equifinal configurations leading to high repurchase intention: a full-experience path (high perceptual experience + high cognitive experience + high trust) and a capability-dominant path (low perceptual experience + high cognitive experience + high trust). This study contributes to virtual human commerce research by distinguishing interaction-process cues from competence-based source cues and by showing when AI-powered live streaming can support post-touchpoint retention. Full article

This paper investigates the determinants of consumer autonomy, such as trust, prior experience, and information richness, within the context of online tourist package purchases. The theoretical considerations presented in this study are grounded in an integrated framework that synthesises Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), and the Paradox of Choice (PoC), further enhanced by the principles of Prospect Theory to elucidate the complex dynamics of consumer decision-making. Framing the research within the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model, the study conceptualises e-purchase characteristics as external stimuli that shape the organism’s (consumer’s) perceived autonomy, subsequently influencing decision-making outcomes. Applying a quantitative Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) methodology with a sample of 581 Polish consumers, the study demonstrates that trust, prior experience, and information accessibility significantly augment perceived consumer autonomy; notably, perceived risk has no statistically significant impact. A particularly salient and unanticipated finding is that enhanced consumer autonomy significantly reduces decision-making difficulty, which in turn correlates with higher levels of post-purchase satisfaction. By addressing the scarcity of empirical research regarding autonomy in digital environments, this study unpacks the intricate decision-making processes inherent in e-tourism. Ultimately, these findings offer critical managerial implications: tourism operators can effectively mitigate cognitive load for prospective tourists and enhance satisfaction by prioritising transparency and implementing effective trust-building mechanisms, thereby fostering consumer empowerment throughout the digital purchasing journey. Full article

Online furniture commerce has expanded, yet sustaining continuance purchase intention (CPI) remains challenging because furniture is a high-involvement product that consumers prefer to inspect physically. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework, this study examines how social media marketing activity, product quality, and customer experience are associated with CPI through transactional appraisals (perceived value and customer satisfaction) and relational appraisals (customer trust and customer loyalty). An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design combined a three-round e-Delphi study with 19 experts and a survey of 1351 Thai consumers who had purchased furniture online. Data were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling, bootstrapped indirect-effect analysis, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Customer loyalty and customer trust showed the strongest positive associations with CPI. Customer satisfaction showed a negative direct but significant positive indirect association through customer loyalty. Constraining the SAT → CPI path to zero significantly worsened model fit; however, the negative coefficient did not support the hypothesized positive association and should be interpreted cautiously as a model-conditional association. The fsQCA identified multiple sufficient configurations associated with high CPI, illustrating equifinality. The findings extend SOR to high-involvement commerce by integrating transactional and relational appraisals and complementary symmetric and configurational evidence. Full article

This study investigates the impact of generative AI personalization on brand loyalty within smart tourism platforms and examines the mediating roles of perceived transparency and consumer trust. As generative AI technologies become increasingly integrated into tourism services, understanding the mechanisms through which personalized AI-driven interactions influence tourists’ loyalty has become an important research priority. Drawing upon the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, the study proposes that generative AI personalization is associated with brand loyalty both directly and indirectly through tourists’ evaluations of transparency and trust. A quantitative research design was adopted using a structured questionnaire administered to tourists with prior experience using generative AI-enabled smart tourism platforms. A total of 688 valid responses were collected and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that generative AI personalization is positively associated with brand loyalty, perceived transparency, and consumer trust. The proposed model explained 76.5% of the variance in brand loyalty (R² = 0.765), with consumer trust emerging as the strongest direct predictor of loyalty (β = 0.379). Furthermore, both perceived transparency and consumer trust significantly mediated the relationship between generative AI personalization and brand loyalty, indicating that tourists’ evaluations of platform transparency and trustworthiness play important roles in linking personalized AI experiences with long-term loyalty intentions. The study contributes theoretically by extending the application of the S-O-R framework to generative AI-enabled tourism environments. Specifically, it conceptualizes generative AI personalization as an adaptive technological stimulus and demonstrates how perceived transparency and consumer trust function as key cognitive mechanisms linking AI-driven personalization to brand loyalty. The findings also provide practical insights for tourism organizations seeking to leverage generative AI technologies to strengthen customer relationships and foster long-term loyalty within smart tourism platforms. Full article

Brands increasingly rely on digital peer communication to promote environmentally friendly products. Whether electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM) actually shifts green purchase intention (GPI), though, is far from settled. Some studies have found no reliable word-of-mouth effect; others have examined green trust and anticipated guilt separately, leaving the joint operation of these parallel mediators poorly specified. This is especially true in Bali, Indonesia, where environmental pressures, heavy social media use, and Tri Hita Karana values coexist. Working under the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, this study tests a dual-mediation model that routes EWOM to GPI through anticipated guilt and green trust among eco-conscious social media users. Survey responses from 393 participants were analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). EWOM related positively to GPI, directly and through both mediators. Anticipated guilt and green trust each partially mediated the effect, so the mediation was partial rather than full. The EWOM-to-guilt path was the stronger of the two. The EWOM-to-trust path was weaker, yet both mediators connected to GPI at similar strength. This study contributes a dual-pathway SOR specification by incorporating anticipated guilt into digital peer communication within a tourism-heavy cultural setting. Interpreted with caution, the pattern indicates that credible EWOM aimed at greener, more responsible consumption may operate through two mechanisms simultaneously, validating trust and prompting moral anticipation among digitally exposed, eco-conscious consumers. However, this interpretation still needs experimental and longitudinal testing before these relationships can be treated as causal. Full article

Understanding how the built environments of historic districts shape tourist experiences and behavioral intentions is important for their sustainable development. Drawing on scene theory and the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model, this study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to empirically analyze 498 valid questionnaire responses collected in Pingjiang Historic District, Suzhou, China. The study examines the relationships among built environmental stimuli, psychological experience, and tourist behavioral intentions. The findings show that: (1) Tourist behavioral intentions are associated with multiple interacting conditions rather than a single linear factor; (2) A distinctive cultural atmosphere and sustained cultural knowledge experiences may provide conditions that support tourists’ attachment to the district and are associated with intentions to revisit, recommend, and share their experiences. Rich sensory experiences and locally distinctive activities may contribute to hedonic experience, place attachment, and cultural identity, thereby supporting positive behavioral intentions. In addition, integrating cultural knowledge into interactions among tourists and between tourists and local groups may provide a context in which hedonic experience and positive behavioral intentions are more likely to emerge. (3) Among the psychological experience variables, strengthening tourists’ identification with local culture can provide a relatively stable psychological basis for revisiting, recommending, and sharing historic-district experiences. Full article

As generative AI technologies become increasingly embedded in educational cloud platforms, understanding their impact on teacher professional development is essential. Grounded in the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) framework, this study investigates how AI-driven stimuli—hedonicity, interactivity, and immersion—influence teachers’ self-regulation and resilience. Using structural equation modeling, data were collected from in-service teachers in Taiwan who actively utilize educational cloud platforms. The results reveal that all three AI-driven stimuli significantly enhance teachers’ self-regulation and resilience, which in turn are significantly associated with perceived value co-creation intentions. Specifically, self-regulation enables teachers to manage goals effectively, while resilience supports their recovery from technical setbacks. The findings indicate that self-regulation positively influences resilience, and both appear to mediate the relationship between perceived AI-driven stimuli and teachers’ value co-creation intentions. This study highlights the potential role of teachers’ psychological adaptability in AI-enhanced environments. Practical implications suggest that platform developers and administrators should prioritize AI features that foster self-directed learning and emotional engagement to promote collaborative willingness and professional alignment within modern educational ecosystems rather than implying proven macro-level transformation. Full article

This research examines the psychological mechanisms that drive consumers’ fear of missing out (FoMO) in the context of digital marketing. Consumers are increasingly influenced by market dynamics that affect product availability and vendors’ supply chains, often alongside the widespread impact of suppliers’ marketing messages and social factors. Using the S-O-R (stimulus–organism–response) model, we test a double-mediation model via structural equation modeling on a sample of online customers. The main goal of the study is to examine how the effects of social proof and perceived scarcity create a sense of urgency, thereby influencing FoMO. The results indicate that customers’ perceptions of scarcity have a strong and statistically significant effect on urgency, while social proof exerts a weaker yet notable influence. Moreover, urgency significantly amplifies both the socially related component and the general fear of missed opportunities. Mediation analyses reveal that perceived scarcity affects FoMO indirectly through urgency. Although this supports the proposed mediation pathway, the substantial empirical overlap between perceived scarcity and urgency suggests that this relationship should be interpreted with caution. In contrast, social proof’s indirect effects are not statistically significant. These findings suggest that urgency serves as a crucial psychological mechanism mediating the influence of perceived scarcity on consumers’ emotional responses, while social proof may operate through alternative channels, such as social comparison or normative influence. This paper contributes to the S-O-R model and offers new insights into commodity theory and cognitive dissonance theory. Full article

This study aims to examine how celebrity-endorsed travel livestreaming, as a digital marketing innovation, influences booking intention through the mediating roles of perceived authenticity and emotional engagement. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework, the study conceptualizes livestreaming as a stimulus that activates both cognitive and affective responses, which are subsequently associated with consumer behavioral intentions. A quantitative approach was adopted using a structured questionnaire distributed online to a diverse sample of 609 respondents. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed relationships and mediation effects. The findings reveal that celebrity-endorsed travel livestreaming has a significant positive effect on booking intention, perceived authenticity, and emotional engagement. In addition, both perceived authenticity and emotional engagement positively influence booking intention, with emotional engagement demonstrating a stronger effect. The mediation analysis further confirms that both perceived authenticity and emotional engagement partially mediate the relationship between livestreaming and booking intention, indicating that the impact of livestreaming is largely transmitted through cognitive and affective mechanisms. The study makes several key contributions by extending the SOR framework to digitally immersive marketing contexts, reconceptualizing authenticity as an interaction-driven construct within celebrity-endorsed environments, and highlighting the prominent role of emotional engagement in consumer decision-making. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how innovative digital marketing formats are associated with consumer behavior and offer practical insights for designing more effective livestreaming strategies in the tourism industry. Full article

Museums are increasingly recognized as important cultural institutions for promoting sustainability by shaping visitors’ values, experiences, and consumption-related decisions. This study investigates how interactive marketing in museum settings is associated with Generation Z visitors’ sustainable consumption intention and examines the conditions under which these effects become stronger. Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) framework, this study develops a moderated dual-mediation model in which interactive marketing represents the stimulus, experience value and green self-identity function as parallel organismic mechanisms, and sustainable consumption intention represents the behavioral response, with perceived authenticity serving as a boundary condition. Survey data were collected from 582 Generation Z visitors in China who had recently visited museums equipped with digital or interactive facilities. Using multi-item Likert scales adapted to the museum sustainability context, the proposed model was examined through structural equation modeling, bootstrapped mediation analysis, and latent interaction analysis. The results indicate that interactive marketing is positively associated with experience value, green self-identity, and sustainable consumption intention. Furthermore, experience value and green self-identity both mediate the relationship between interactive marketing and sustainable consumption intention, revealing two complementary mechanisms through which interactive museum experiences become behaviorally meaningful: an experiential pathway and an identity-relevant pathway. The findings further demonstrate that perceived authenticity strengthens the effects of experience value and green self-identity on sustainable consumption intention, suggesting that sustainability-oriented responses are more likely to emerge when museum sustainability practices are perceived as genuine and consistent with institutional values. This study contributes to sustainable consumption research by extending the S–O–R framework to museum-based cultural consumption and highlights the importance of integrating interactive experience design with authentic sustainability communication. Full article