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Hedonic shopping is a growing phenomenon designed to enhance gamers’ virtual content shopping experience with increasing economic significance, yet limited attention has been dedicated to this area. Our study explores key hedonic motivations of virtual content shopping and how hedonic shopping value builds trust (trust in virtual content and trust in virtual retailers) that enhances the intention to pay for premium.

This research adopts a mixed-methods approach. Study 1 is qualitative; 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted with virtual game retail platform users. Study 2, based on the literature review and qualitative inquiry findings (obtained from Study 1), proposes a research model empirically validated by analyzing survey data administered to 437 online gamers from gaming zones, cybercafés and e-sports centers.

The results show that in-game shopping-related adventure-, gratification-, role- and idea-seeking motivations significantly influence gamers' perceived hedonic shopping value. In turn, perceived shopping value has a significant indirect effect through trust on gamers’ intention to pay for premium.

This research contributes to gaming literature by offering a comprehensive model that elucidates the role of hedonic shopping in increasing gamers’ trust, which explains purchase behavior in the virtual game retail context. The findings deepen the understanding of the game retailing landscape and offer strategies to build gamers’ trust, increase premium usage and retain existing spenders.

Counter-hedonic entertainment, characterized by evoking negative emotions in consumers, has emerged as one of the most popular and profitable forms of entertainment in Western countries. However, this entertainment type is not as popular in China as in Western countries. This study examines whether the free trial of counter-hedonic entertainment can promote the consumption of such entertainment and explores the moderating effect of contextual factors on this relationship.

This study investigates the promotional effectiveness of the free trial strategy on counter-hedonic entertainment through a quasi-experiment involving the broadcasting of a large-scale free counter-hedonic program. This study has analyzed the counter-hedonic consumption data from 31 major cities in China and employed econometric modeling to test the hypotheses.

Results show that the free trial of counter-hedonic entertainment can promote the sales of entertainment with similar categories. The follow-up moderation analyses show that the positive effect is amplified on days with less sunlight and for consumers with abundant (vs scarce) financial resources, thereby providing evidence to support the underlying drivers of the positive effect – the need for arousal and confidence frame. Meanwhile, the free trial of counter-hedonic entertainment also has a long-term effect after airing.

Based on existing research on consumers’ counter-hedonic consumption motivation, this study confirms the effectiveness and boundary conditions of the free trial strategy in promoting counter-hedonic entertainment consumption for the first time. The results also offer actionable insights for counter-hedonic entertainment marketers and practitioners.

The main aims of this study were to develop analytical scales for yachting tourism push-pull motivations and constraints, and analyze how these factors may influence the revisit intention of yachting tourists in China.

The analysis was conducted using the PLS-SEM, including the evaluation of measurement models and the structural models. SPSS18.0 and SmartPLS 3.3.5 software were used for statistical analysis.

We conducted a survey of 451 respondents who participate in yachting activities in Dalian, China and identified six push motivational factors (novelty and stimulation, sightseeing and leisure, sports and learning, social relationships, self-esteem and prestige and self-realization), three pull motivational factors (featured activities and services, destination environment, destination facilities) and two constraints (internal and external). Partial least squares structural equation modelling showed that all hypothesized interactions between identified factors were statistically significant and meaningful.

The push-pull-constraint model offers a new interpretation to the traditional push-pull model in theory, and the results contribute to local yacht industry sectors.

The term non-place was originally coined by French ethnographer Marc Augé to refer to all spaces of anonymity where tradition and history are eradicated. A non-place not only seems to be the result of hyper-mobility but also the opposite of what Augé called “an anthropological place.” The non-place is also a place of no heritage, no history, and disengagement. These spaces of depersonalization and anonymity include bus stations, airports, hotel rooms, and even shopping malls. Going beyond any controversy, he argues convincingly that non-places radically alter the essence of belonging distorting the borders between here-and-there, or us and them. The expansion of globalization has changed not only the epistemological basis of anthropology but also the host–guest encounters. Given the problem in this term, Augé leaves the construction of a place to individual perception, but what is more important the opposite is equally true, since places engender individual rights, non-places assume non-rights. In developing countries and Latin America, non-places are dwelled by persons or citizens who have been debarred from the economic prosperity or the labor marketplace. If this is correct, all these hapless homeless are subject to non-rights. Today, non-place theory bodes well to offer a diagnosis of how these spaces are dwelled by homeless young people globally. Hence, we build a conceptual bridge between Marc Augé and Zygmunt Bauman and his notion of vagabonds/tourists.

The authors examined the influence of perceived value on consumer attitude and purchase intention (PI) and the relationship between attitude and PI towards sustainable luxury products (SLP) in China.

An online survey was conducted with 935 consumers of luxury fashion in mainland China. Structural equation modelling was applied to measure and analyse the relationship between values (i.e. hedonic values, social values, and value for money) and consumer attitude and PI.

Consumers' multidimensional values positively affected their attitude. Social values and value for money had a significant positive effect on PI towards SLP. However, hedonic values had no effect on PI.

The sample was drawn from first-tier cities in China, and the results cannot be generalised. The authors examined three dimensions of consumption values. Future research should consider additional markets, values, and influencing factors.

Luxury companies should understand Chinese consumers' diverse values and develop sustainable products that meet consumers' principles. These principles increase the perceived value of the products and thereby guide luxury brands to make marketing strategies to increase sales.

This is the first empirical study to use the theory of perceived value scale (PERVAL) to understand consumer behaviour regarding SLP in China.

The purpose of this study is to examine the state of the literature related to the psychophysiological effects of travel, to identify gaps in the literature and to propose a vision to guide research between now and 2050.

The study was guided by a systematic literature review which started with more than 2,100 papers. The extant review and its findings are written in a conceptual nature with the concluding propositions, for the year 2050, guided by the systematic review and the authors’ personal knowledge.

It was found that research related to the psychophysiological effects of travel has greatly progressed over the past two decades. Findings include evidence that travel reduces both perceived and actual stresses and that taking more vacations has the ability to make people healthier. The study also revealed that travel can have negative effects on physiological health. The overall results led to a call for research on the psychophysiological benefits of travel between now and 2050.

The systematic review of literature was limited to studies conducted in English and to studies that included the words “travel” or “tourism” and “benefits”, stress, “health” and “wellness”. Results provide a discussion of theories that should guide the research agenda.

The review and proposed vision for research provide a detailed guide for researchers to follow. Should the proposed research come to fruition, tourism practitioners globally will have results to aid in engineering tourism experiences that could provide health benefits to visitors.

The proposed vision could have profound social implications, as the understanding of the positive and negative effects of travel should make travel experiences healthier for all. The study also proposes a call for research to determine ways to make the benefits of travel available to both the “haves” and “have nots” so that the benefits of travel can be more inclusive.

The main contribution of this manuscript is that it proposes 11 propositions for research between now and 2050 based on a thorough review of gaps related to the psychophysiological benefits of travel. The resultant propositions provide a clear and unique call for research in this area of inquiry.

本研究的主要目标是检查与旅行的心理生理益处相关的文献状况, 找出文献中的空白, 并提出从现在到2050年指导研究的愿景。

这项研究以一项系统的文献综述为指导, 该综述从2100多篇论文开始。现有的综述及其研究结果是在系统综述和作者个人知识的指导下, 以概念性的形式撰写的, 并附有2050年的结论性命题。

研究发现, 在过去的二十年里, 与旅行的心理生理益处相关的研究取得了长足的进步。研究结果包括有证据表明, 旅行可以减轻感知和实际的压力, 多度假可以使人们更健康。该研究还表明, 旅行会对生理健康产生负面影响。总体结果促使人们呼吁研究从现在到2050年旅行的心理生理益处。

本文的主要贡献是, 它根据对旅行的心理生理益处相关差距的全面回顾, 提出了从现在到2050年的11个研究主题。由此产生的主题为这一研究领域的研究提供了明确而独特的呼吁。

Los objetivos principales del presente estudio eran examinar el estado de la literatura relacionada con los beneficios psicofisiológicos de los viajes, identificar lagunas en la bibliografía y proponer una visión que guíe la investigación de aquí a 2050.

El estudio se guió por una revisión bibliográfica sistemática que partió de más de 2.100 artículos. La revisión existente y sus hallazgos están redactados de forma conceptual con las proposiciones finales para el año 2050, guiadas por la revisión sistemática y el conocimiento personal de los autores.

Se encontró que la investigación relacionada con los beneficios psicofisiológicos de los viajes ha progresado mucho en las dos últimas décadas. Resultados incluyen pruebas de que viajar reduce tanto el estrés percibido como el real y de que tomar más vacaciones tiene la capacidad de hacer que las personas estén más sanas. El estudio también reveló que viajar puede tener efectos negativos sobre la salud fisiológica. Los resultados globales condujeron a una llamada a la investigación sobre los beneficios psicofisiológicos de los viajes de aquí a 2050.

La principal aportación de este manuscrito es que propone once proposiciones para la investigación de aquí a 2050 basadas en una revisión exhaustiva de las lagunas relacionadas con los beneficios psicofisiológicos de los viajes. Las proposiciones resultantes constituyen un llamamiento claro y único a la investigación en este ámbito de estudio.

Online fundraising has become a rapidly growing alternative business financing method for esports. Despite this, a lack of attention has been given to its fans' motivations for participating in crowdfunding (CF) projects or behavioral intentions for spectatorship. To address this, the present study (1) categorizes esport CF investors' motivations based on the big five personality traits and (2) compares whether motivations and behavioral intentions for esports spectatorships vary depending on each group.

We applied K-means clustering analysis to classify investors. ANOVA was used to verify whether there were differences in CF motivations and behavioral intentions.

The study identified six distinct investor segments. Overall, esports CF investors showed high agreeableness and conscientiousness with low neuroticism. Fanatic fans were the most motivated and had the highest spectatorship intentions, driven by strong openness. In contrast, recognition seekers and charity donors exhibited the lowest viewing intentions. Entertainment seekers were highly motivated by excitement and aesthetics, linking CF participation to a strong desire to watch events. Despite higher neuroticism, reward hunters also showed significant viewing intentions, driven by drama and aesthetics. These findings highlight the diverse motivations and their influence on esports spectatorship.

This study investigates the motivations and behavioral intentions of CF investors and spectatorship, which has substantive theoretical and managerial implications for the business of esports.

This paper aims to deepen the knowledge of consumer wellness by conceptualizing this construct in an everyday retail setting, specifically a health food store. With wellness seeking being a central theme in the positioning strategy of many food retail stores, this study aims to investigate the development of an everyday wellness pursuit in a retail setting, identify its underlying dimensions in a health food store setting and establish the key managerial drivers that nurture it in such context, from the consumer standpoint.

The research design uses a qualitative approach. In-depth interviews with 20 customers of six multibranch health food retailers were carried out.

The findings show the holistic and multidimensional nature of wellness in an everyday consumption setting and highlight the development of physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual consumer wellness in this context. They also bring to light how, in an everyday activity such as a health food retail store visit, retailers can co-create and nurture consumer wellness through their product assortment, store environment and employees’ orientation toward customer wellness.

The main contribution of this study lies in the conceptualization of the retail wellnesscape, defined as a retail space that consumers choose to visit in their daily lives that contribute to their holistic wellness journey. This paper emphasizes both the importance and the feasibility of cultivating consumer wellness on an everyday basis, for both consumers and retailers, while it has traditionally been associated with more occasional and out of the ordinary settings such as wellness tourism.

As the Philippines enters into the era of the “next normal,” that is, from the pandemic era called the “new normal,” we look into how the Philippines' state of tourism and built environment sectors. We also revisit its situation having the “longest lockdown in the world” and look into iterations of socioeconomic models, business platforms, and other elements that lead to the dream of a postpandemic sustainable tourism industry. In this inquiry, we highlight the importance of elements of the built environment, both at the macroeconomic level and at the micro units of business, civil society, and the tourism sector at large. While there has been a substantive discussion on the nexus of the tourism and built environment sectors, little has been devoted to the challenges these intertwined sectors faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest complementation of practices from the macroscale to the microlevel tourism and built environment sectors, and vice-versa, which will ensure the full complementation of the sectors. These proposals are in full contextualization of the objective toward the postpandemic continued recovery, growth, and sustainability, from the local, national, and the regional economy of Southeast Asia, and also to various parts of the world.

Gen Z, the largest and fastest-growing consumer generation, is transforming the hospitality industry as both customers and employees. By critically synthesizing empirical literature, this study aims to explore how this generation’s distinct behaviors are reshaping customer expectations and workforce trends within the sector.

A critical synthesis of empirical studies was used to examine current research on Gen Z as customers and employees in the hospitality industry.

Gen Z exhibits distinct preferences and expectations in their dual roles as customers and employees, prompting substantial shifts in hospitality industry standards and practices. They rely heavily on digital channels and peer recommendations when making travel decisions and expect highly personalized, tech-enabled experiences. This young cohort of travelers values unique, authentic and sustainable offerings. As employees, Gen Z prioritizes flexible work arrangements, career growth and workplaces aligned with sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. Hospitality providers must adapt their customer experience, marketing and HR strategies to meet these evolving demands.

To engage Gen Z customers and employees in the hospitality industry effectively, businesses must prioritize personalized experiences, leverage technology and adopt sustainable practices aligned with Gen Z’s social and environmental values. Moreover, offering adaptable work environments with remote opportunities and investing in professional development enhances appeal for Gen Z employees. Understanding Gen Z’s values and behaviors can help businesses improve customer satisfaction, attract top talent and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

This study represents a preliminary endeavor to provide a critical assessment of Gen Z in the hospitality and tourism sector, offering novel insights into their travel behaviors, preferences and work values. It explores their expectations, attitudes toward work and career choices, offering guidance on how businesses can meet the evolving demands of this key demographic.