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This study examines the effect of some motivations of domestic tourists visiting Mugla related to the consumption of local Mugla food on behavioural intentions. The mediating impact of destination image on the behavioural intention effect of tourists' local food consumption motivations is also investigated.

A quantitative approach was adopted for the study’s objectives. The population of the study consisted of domestic tourists visiting Mugla, Turkiye. The sample was determined by the convenience sampling method, which is one of the non-probability-based sampling techniques, because of the characteristics of the research population. Around 390 questionnaires collected from tourists visiting Mugla were analysed. The structural equation model (SEM) was applied for testing the research hypotheses, and Bootstrap technique was used for mediation effect analysis.

Sensory motivation, which is one of the local food consumption motivations, was found to have a statistically significant effect on behavioural intention. No significant effect was found between other motivation factors (excitement, cultural, interaction and health) and behavioural intention. Also, there is a partial mediation effect of destination image in the effect of sensory motivation on behavioural intention. Whilst sensory value alone explains 28% of the effect on behavioural intention, it explains 31% of the effect on behavioural intention together with destination image.

The development of food culture in a destination and the increase in awareness of the food culture of the destination through different consumer components are of great importance for regional tourism. This research contributes to the gastronomy tourism literature in terms of examining the local food consumption motivations that are effective in visitors' experiences of Mugla food, the effect of these motivations on revisits and the role of Mugla destination image.

In the vibrant world of social commerce (SC), where information flows freely, interactions thrive and online purchases abound, there is an escalating challenge. Users are uninstalling and disengaging due to approach and avoidance stimuli, a trend mirroring the approach-avoidance motivation model (AAMM). Our study, anchored in AAMM and the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model, aims to dive into the complex dynamics of these factors that shape users' SC continuance intentions.

Our findings, drawn from 472 SC users in Malaysia, paint an intriguing research framework via PLS-SEM analysis by testing the proposed hypotheses. A purposive sampling technique was utilized, deliberately selecting respondents based on specific criteria. Subsequently, data were gathered through the distribution of face-to-face questionnaires at selected shopping malls, facilitating a focused and comprehensive exploration of consumer perspectives.

The empirical results demonstrate the following: (1) Users' determination to stay engaged on SC platforms hinges on approach factors, like emotional support, surveillance gratification and multisensory gratification. (2) Simultaneously, avoidance factors such as technostress and perceived deception exert their negative influence. (3) Flow experience, rooted in flow theory, emerges as the underlying mechanism connecting these duality stimuli, influencing the continuance intention.

In a departure from conventional research, our study pioneers a comprehensive approach and boldly confronts the research gap by introducing a rich tapestry of antecedents, embracing both the appeal of approach factors and the deterrence of avoidance ones, using the AAMM that sheds light on how individuals navigate between embracing opportunities and avoiding pitfalls based on perceived gains and losses. This holistic approach enables us to redefine our understanding of digital engagement dynamics, offering a captivating journey into the realm of user experience and intention that transcends the ordinary.

The aim of this study is to investigate how sensory elements within hotels influence tourists' satisfaction, decision-making processes and intentions to revisit. Specifically, the study focuses on the sensory dimensions of hotels, namely Colorscape, Visualscape, Soundscape, Smellscape and Tastescape, and their effects on customers.

To comprehend these effects, interviews were conducted with 25 hotel managers, who were knowledgeable about the sensory experience framework offered by hotels. Content analysis was employed to analyze the data gathered from these interviews.

The findings of the study reveal the significant impact of sensory elements within hotels on tourists. Despite this importance, hotels may not be fully aware of the significance of sensory characteristics in enhancing the tourist experience. The study identifies the sensory dimensions as influential factors in shaping tourists' perceptions and behaviors.

The outcomes of this research hold practical implications for accommodation businesses in the tourism industry. By understanding and effectively managing sensory elements within hotels, businesses can gain a competitive advantage and enhance customer satisfaction. The study emphasizes the importance of addressing the sensory experience gap in tourism research and highlights the potential benefits of focusing on sensory dimensions in hotel management.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the impact of sensory elements within hotels on tourist satisfaction, decision-making and revisit intention. By focusing on the sensory dimensions of hotels and exploring their influence on tourists' experiences, the research offers valuable implications for both academia and the tourism industry.

We respond to the existing gaps regarding the drivers and outcomes of customer experience quality in the context of bank marketing by examining the interrelationships between distinct dimensions of VTM service quality, customer experience quality and customer loyalty.

This research follows the Stimulus-Organism-Response theory to examine the antecedents and behavioural outcomes of customer experience quality during their journeys with video teller machine (VTM) services in the banking industry (also known as LiveBank or SmartBank). First, we conducted in-depth interviews with 34 bank customers to develop distinct measurement scales for customer experience quality and VTM service quality. A structural equation model linking six dimensions of VTM service quality, including tangibles, interaction quality, empathy, reliability, user’s friendliness and efficiency with the affective-sensory and intellectual values of customer experience quality and customer loyalty to VTM service is tested using data obtained from 405 individual customers.

The findings reveal that tangibles, interaction quality, reliability, user-friendliness and efficiency contribute to customer experience quality, which, in turn, drives customers’ intention to use VTM again. This research provides crucial theoretical background and practical implications to accelerate the penetration of VTM among bank customers and hence, foster financial inclusion among societies.

This paper presents the first research that empirically employs the value-based approach to measure customer experience quality in the banking service industry and examine its linkages to service quality and customer loyalty. Moreover, given the emergence of VTM, this is also among the pioneering studies which validate measurement scales for VTM service quality. This could be either reused or revisited for further research about VTM. Overall, our study contributes to the literature about customer retention in the banking service industry from not only the customers’ backwards-looking evaluations of service performance (i.e. service quality) but also their forward-looking evaluations (i.e. their own experience).

This study synthesises the self-determination theory (SDT), expectation-confirmation model (ECM), and protection motivation theory (PMT) to formulate an integrated theoretical framework that elucidates the process of shaping the intention to continue using facial recognition payment (FRP) under the conditional impact of perceived technology security.

Data from 667 Beijing Winter Olympics visitors with FRP experience were collected through an online survey and analysed using variance based-structural equation modelling (VB-SEM).

This study reveals that the intention to continue using FRP evolves through three key stages. Initially, in the expectation stage, the multidimensional concept of artificial autonomy (sensing, thought, and action), which is underpinned by self-determination, is pivotal, strongly influencing perceptions of service enhancement and fostering trust in FRP. Subsequently, the confirmation stage underscores the importance of perceived service enhancement and trust as vital drivers in maintaining FRP usage, while also contributing to subjective well-being. Crucially, perceived technology security emerges as a key moderating factor, enhancing positive perceptions and intentions towards FRP, thus influencing its sustained adoption.

This study stands out by revealing the nuanced interplay between artificial autonomy and user perceptions, particularly concerning service enhancement, technology security, and trust, as they influence well-being and the continued adoption of FRP. Robustly grounded in the integrated theoretical framework of SDT, ECM, and PMT, the study’s findings are critical for comprehending the core elements and specific drivers that promote sustained FRP use, especially as we consider its potential widespread implementation. Therefore, this study not only advances theoretical understanding but also offers practical guidance for optimising FRP deployment strategies in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

This paper aims to examine the image realism effect, studying how changing the front-of-package visual affects the acceptance of an insect-based food by consumers. By comparing reactions to realistic and less realistic images of an insect as an ingredient, this research investigated how visual imagery can affect consumers’ responses, reducing perceived disgust or increasing expected taste.

Three experiments studied the impact of realistic (photo) versus less realistic (drawing) images for two types of insects (mealworm, cricket) on consumers’ psychological distance from the image, perceived disgust, expected taste, willingness to eat, purchase intention and food choice.

Study 1 demonstrates that using a less realistic insect image reduces perceived disgust, with psychological distance from this image and perceived disgust mediating realism effect on willingness to eat. Study 2 shows that a less realistic insect image, perceived as more remote, improves expected taste and willingness to eat. Study 3 confirms the results by measuring behavior: consumers were more likely to choose the product with the less realistic image.

The research focused on one kind of product and two ways of depicting this product, limiting the generalizability of the findings for other visual representations and product categories.

The findings suggest how brand managers can use the image realism effect on the packaging of novel, sustainable products to influence consumers, reducing their disgust and increasing their expected taste.

This research breaks new ground by explaining how visual cues on packaging affect the acceptance of insect-eating, drawing on construal level theory.

Despite evidence that cashless payment modes influence spending behavior, researchers have yet to explain the underlying mechanism. Cash serves as a store of value, and transactions involve the transference of ownership in circulation. This study aims to unpack why the physical and visceral nature of cash embodies psychological ownership and how the physicality of cash attenuates the awareness of spending, curtailing instinctive and unnecessary spending.

Drawing on data collected in 2013 in New Zealand, the authors conducted another study in the quite different context of China in September 2023, using identical semistructured discussion protocols. The data from 2013 involved five focus group sessions containing at least six participants, involving 31 adults who also completed an open-ended questionnaire immediately before the group discussion commenced. The data collection in 2023 used the same open-ended and semistructured discussion protocol used in 2013, resulting in 180 adult open-ended responses – a nonprobability criterion-based purposive sampling guided participant selection in the 2013 and 2023 studies.

Findings reveal that psychological ownership does manifest in the app more than in the ownership of money itself. People felt happy, confident, safe and secure while using apps that stored their money. Physical attributes of cash result from sensory perceptions of handling, counting and touching cash and coins. A sense of psychological ownership heightens spending awareness and ramifies spending behavior. The research found sadness and guilt as negative emotions when parting with money.

This study offers empirical support to explain why psychological ownership of cash regulates spending and why the psychological processes that underlie “owned” money interrupt the spending with cash.

By integrating the Uses and Gratifications Theory and Flow Theory, this research seeks to untwine the veiled effects of interactive commerce enhancements (ICEs), specifically haptic imagery and social presence, in promoting user immersion and sustaining social commerce (SC) users' usage intention, considering the moderating role of autotelic personality.

The research utilized purposive sampling of Malaysian SC app users with recent transactions. A dual-source data collection approach, encompassing offline and online channels, was employed to ensure a broad and diverse respondent pool. Partial least squares–structural equation modeling was chosen for its adeptness in analyzing complex relationships in predictive studies.

The findings revealed the significant positive effects of haptic imagery and social presence on user immersion and continuance intention within SC apps. Social presence and immersion were found to mediate the proposed paths. Additionally, autotelic personality traits were identified as moderators, influencing the strength of these relationships.

This research makes a unique contribution by addressing critical gaps in SC environments, extending the concept of ICEs, understanding the impacts of underlying mediators and pioneering the examination of autotelic personality traits' moderating effects. It introduces a fresh perspective on how individual differences impact user engagement. This groundbreaking study benefits social media and interactive marketing literature by comprehensively understanding how ICEs elevate SC, fostering innovation and heightened engagement.

With the competitive nature of golf club operations, understanding the loyalty formation process is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. This study investigated the sequential developmental stages of consumer loyalty, progressing through cognitive, affective, and conative stages.

The study conducted a survey targeting consumers who have experienced golf club services in the United States. This study operationalized reliability and trust as key indicators of the cognitive stage, hedonic motivation and social engagement as indicators of the affective stage, and loyalty as the indicator of the conative stage.

Using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study found that reliability has a significantly positive influence on trust. Trust has a significantly positive influence on hedonic motivation and loyalty. Furthermore, hedonic motivation has a significantly positive influence on social engagement and loyalty.

By integrating these findings within the Cognitive-Affective-Conative (CAC) framework, this study contributes to both the theoretical literature on consumer loyalty and provides practical insights for golf club management.

Drawing upon uses and gratifications (U&G) theory and customers' online brand-related activities framework, the present study aims to examine the influence of customers’ motivations to engage with brand-related social media content on different social media engagement behaviors (consumption, contribution and creation) and brand-related outcomes (brand trust and brand loyalty) in the quick service restaurant (QSR) context.

Based on a self-administered survey dataset of 500 social media users who are customers of QSR brands, partial least square structural equation modeling is used to verify the hypotheses.

Results showed that interactivity motivation and information motivation drive all the social media engagement behaviors (consumption, contribution and creation). The results also confirmed the mediating effect of brand trust on the relationship between two levels of social media engagement behaviors (consumption and contribution) and brand loyalty.

To entice customers to engage with QSR brands on social media, social media marketing managers should incorporate elements of interactivity, information, entertainment and incentive into QSR social media brand posts rather than relying solely on delivering social media content in a variety of ways such as photos, videos and status updates.

This study makes a novel contribution to hospitality and social media engagement literature, thus uncovering opportunities for managers to engage their customers on social media.