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Advances in autonomous technology have transformed customer experience. Most prior research has investigated the effect of augmented reality (AR) on purchase intention, yet few research has discussed the effect of semiautonomous AR in the context of service use. Semiautonomous AR recognizes content in the present reality, inserts and adjusts virtual content, supervises the users and enables them to feel in control of the virtual content overlaid in observed reality resulting in enriched user experience and thereby augmentation experience. This research demonstrates how perceived control of virtual content leads to higher perceived augmentation experiences among semiautonomous AR users than among non-AR users. In addition, this research examines the mediation effects of enriched user experience and perceived augmentation experience on user satisfaction and users’ willingness to continue using AR. Results also indicate that AR users perceive a higher augmentation experience than non-AR users. However, users’ willingness to continue using AR is not significantly different between AR and non-AR users.

This study derives six hypotheses and uses a preliminary study, a field study and a lab study to evaluate the hypotheses. A field study was conducted in a car dealership to test the hypotheses, and a lab experiment was conducted in a controlled setting to corroborate the results obtained in the field study and test the underlying causal effects.

Semiautonomous AR can constantly sense, plan and not necessarily always act over the virtual content to sustain the interaction with its users. Perceived control of virtual content enhances perceived augmentation experience, and its effect of perceived control of virtual content on perceived augmentation experience is higher among semiautonomous AR users than among non-AR users. Perceived control of virtual content is a key to enriched user experience, augmentation experience and thereby users’ attitude and behavior. In addition, results showed that enriched user experience mediates the effect of perceived control of virtual content on perceived augmentation. User satisfaction mediates the effect of perceived augmentation experience on users’ willingness to continue using AR. The theoretical and practical contributions are comprehensively discussed.

Some limitations of the studies are ascertained. First, a larger sample size might be required to achieve generalizability and a strong test of the applied theory. Second, new field studies can reflect customers’ real attitudes and behaviors so as to reveal realistic interactions between the device properties and the human will in solving actual problems. The user is interested in participating in the solution within the sensing-planning-acting process as depicted by this research. Third, new research to test AR’s capabilities in bounded and symbiotic conditions can illustrate the level of autonomy each type requires, providing additional insights into why supervised AR autonomy best reflects semiautonomous AR. The pioneering structural model offered in this study (perceived control of virtual content-perceived augmentation experience-users’ satisfaction-users’ willingness to continue using AR) should be tested with new samples in other industries, aside from including other variables that may enrich the model and increase its explanatory power. In addition, future research might use other AR devices such as smart glasses to explore the effects of AR on perceived control of virtual content, enriched user experience and perceived augmentation experience. Future studies can investigate the effect of auditory and visual augmentation on enriched user experience and perceived augmentation experience, and involve features of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist users in decision-making. Regarding context, this research showed that age and gender differences did not affect the results. Nonetheless, age and gender, and perhaps additional demographic characteristics, may concern future studies.

Some recommendations for technology developers are derived from this research. AR is revolutionizing service experience. As technologies are becoming autonomous, developers seek ways to design experiences to enhance consumers’ sense of control over their interaction with such systems. Companies cannot create customer experience (Becker and Jaakkola, 2020), yet they can leverage the level of autonomy in AR to sustain ongoing interaction with customers. It is vital to design an autonomous AR that focuses on users’ needs, desires and well-being (de Bellis and Johar, 2020) that drive novel experiences (Novak and Hoffman, 2019). This study recommends AR developers design autonomous features in AR that enable customers to interact with the virtual contents generated by AR and extend their own capabilities to perform a task and feel expanded. While designing a fully autonomous system may hinder users to feel in control of their choice (Schmitt, 2019), service companies can develop an AR system that sustains an interaction, involves the user in value co-creation and guides the user (Alimamy and Gnoth, 2022). AR can sustain an interaction with the users by continuously scanning the objects in the reality and providing sensory feedback such as product size recommendations (e.g. eyeglasses) that facilitate customers’ information processing (Poushneh, 2021b; Heller et al., 2019). To achieve this, developers may focus on technology qualities such as “image recognition,” a subset of AI. With image recognition, AR can effectively provide instruction as if the customer is in a real setting. The proper incorporation of image recognition in the design of AR while enabling users to interact with 3D virtual images sustains their interaction with AR and makes them feel in control of their interaction with AR. Service companies need to ensure users feel in control of their interaction and expand their capacities to engage in the service experience with AR to accomplish their desired tasks. AR’s capacities enable users to expand their abilities to fix their basic service problems without referring to or speaking to a service provider agent in a service context. Therefore, instead of taking their car back to the dealership, customers can use AR mobile applications or glasses provided by car manufacturers to learn and fix basic vehicle problems.

This research advances the marketing literature on how users feel in control of virtual content when they interact with a semiautonomous AR that subsequently influences enriched user experience, perceived augmentation experience, attitudes and behavior.

This paper aims to address the challenge raised in the literature regarding whether and how digitalization supports a servitized new product development (NPD) process, considering the customer’s involvement from the early stage of the process.

Pragmatic constructivism (PC) has been adopted for conceptualizing the NPD process as the construction of a new reality. PC is the method theory used for interpreting the field evidence drawn from a qualitative case study carried out at a multinational company operating in the semiconductor industry.

This study shows how digitalization supports the alignment to the overarching topoi of the company servitization strategy by enabling the integration and merging of different organizational topoi during the NPD process.

This study is confined to a single-case study and context.

The results of this study are relevant for managers involved in the stage-gate product development of manufacturing companies, informing them on how the use of digital tools enables or hinders the progression of product development projects.

This paper contributes to the servitization literature by offering field evidence that demonstrates the importance for manufacturing firms of acquiring customer feedback from an early NPD phase. Another contribution is related to the literature on the role of digitalization in NPD processes, describing how digital tools give support during the different phases of the NPD process.

Commercial banks are the catalysts for meeting the financing needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, not all commercial banks are equally attractive to SMEs because of differences in banking services’ key attributes. Moreover, customers’ preferences vary between Islamic and conventional banks. This paper aims to identify factors motivating SMEs to establish business ties with banks in Oman.

The authors collected data from 217 SMEs through a questionnaire survey. The data were analyzed using a t-test and structural equation modeling (SEM). In addition, the research applies the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework.

The t-test results show that SMEs place greater emphasis on electronic banking, convenient locations, religious beliefs and favorable terms and conditions. The results from the SEM analysis show that the SMEs in Oman consider attractive packages, including favorable rates, transaction processing time, fees and the availability of technology-enabled services, when choosing a bank. Moreover, customers who are aware of Islamic banking products are optimistic about the future of Shariah-based banking.

As a Muslim-majority country, Oman lags behind its Gulf Cooperative Council peers in terms of the development of the Islamic banking system. For the success of this mode of financing, it is essential to know which factors SMEs prioritize to establish ties with Islamic banks. Hence, the research is expected to provide new information for bank management to devise financial products attractive to investors.

E-commerce expands product and service reach, emphasizing the need for strategic market approaches to enhance e-service quality and drive sales growth. This paper aims to assess the relationship between the perceived quality of e-commerce platforms (characterized by measures of order and return convenience), customer satisfaction with online shopping and repurchase intention from online stores as well as examine whether demographic variables such as age, gender and area of residency (urban/rural) influence the ratings of each of these variables.

An online, self-administered survey gathered 108 valid responses from e-commerce customers. Data were analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) through principal component analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) as well as correlation, descriptive statistics, difference of means tests and nonlinear regression.

Online shopping on e-commerce platforms is seen as convenient for both placing orders and managing returns. Additionally, consumers express satisfaction with their online shopping experiences and exhibit a strong intention to repurchase. The analysis revealed linear relationships between order convenience and customer satisfaction, between order convenience and repurchase intention and nonlinear relationships between return convenience, customer satisfaction and repurchase intention. No significant difference was found between the way the demographic variables rated the convenience, satisfaction and repurchase intention constructs.

This study contributes to the empirical literature on service quality in e-commerce by providing a streamlined model of the interactions among the factors as well as by isolating the nonlinear relationships and comparing results across three demographic variables. From a managerial standpoint, the findings suggest that strategies aimed at providing complete qualitative information and enhancing order and return convenience improve customer satisfaction and foster repurchase intention.

This study aims to predict customers’ intention (INT) to visit green hotels through an extended norm activation model (NAM) framework. The extended NAM includes environmental concern (EC), price consciousness (PC) and aesthetic values (AEV).

A quantitative survey design was used to collect 340 valid responses from customers in Pakistan. Partial least square - structural equation modeling was used to assess the hypothesized relationships.

The results show that EC and awareness of consequences have a significant ascription of responsibility (AR) and personal norms (PN) towards INT. The results confirmed the moderating effect of PC on the relationship between PN and INT and the moderating effect of AEV on relationship between PN and INT and AR and INT. The findings indicate that PN does not mediate the relationship between AR and INT. These findings indicate that customers are aware of the consequences of resource depletion and environmental pollution that result from the unsustainable hotel practices. Therefore, customers tend to visit aesthetically green hotels at affordable prices.

The study proposes that green hotels should design marketing strategies in a way that increases customers’ awareness and concern towards environmental issues. Marketing campaigns focusing on environmental aspects of green hotels enhance its green reputation and motivate customers to visit green hotels. In addition, managers must consider enhancing the beauty of hotels at a competitive price.

This is the first study to use an extended NAM by integrating EC, average variance extracted and PC to predict customers’ INT towards green hotels. The extended NAM framework provides comprehensive understanding of the relationships between EC, AR and PN regarding visiting green hotels. In addition, the study emphasizes on AEV’s crucial role in influencing customers’ INT to visit green hotels.

Drawing upon the service-dominant logic (S-D logic) and elaboration likelihood model (ELM), this paper provides an integrative model to investigate how argument quality and source credibility of CSR communication affects customer value co-creation behavior, resulting in increased brand trust. Additionally, it unveils how brand trust and the perception of COVID-19 risk influence both brand love and subjective well-being.

The data of this study were collected through survey questionnaire from 304 coffee shop customers using convenience sampling and tested using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to validate its model.

The research findings confirm the positive association between source credibility and customer value co-creation (i.e. customer participation and citizenship behavior). By contrast, argument quality is revealed to have a significantly positive effect on customer citizenship behavior (CCB) but a non-significant effect on customer participation behavior (CPB). Additionally, the study identifies that customer value co-creation behavior significantly promotes brand trust. Finally, findings indicate that brand trust and the perception of COVID-19 risk significantly influence brand love and subjective well-being.

This study contributes to the literature on CSR communication and S-D logic and provides new insights for marketers and advertisers to manage brands in the post-pandemic scenario through CSR communications. Furthermore, this study theoretically extends the ELM model to the CSR communication research. Finally, this study expands the relevant literature by clarifying the relationships between the perception of COVID-19 risk, brand love and subjective well-being.

Drawing from stakeholder (ST) and social exchange theory (SET), the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between customer perceived ethicality (CPE), electronic word of mouth (eWOM), customer trust (CT) and customer loyalty (CL). Furthermore, this study aimed to understand the dual role of CPE and eWOM in obtaining CT and achieving CL.

Using a quantitative, cross-sectional research design, data were collected from face-to-face surveys, yielding 358 responses. The partial least square algorithm was used to test the proposed hypothesis.

The analysis revealed that CPE and eWOM positively affect CT and CL, and CT has a mediating effect on the association between CPE–CL and eWOM–CL. CT was also found to positively affect CL.

Hotel managers can prioritize ethical practices and leverage the power of eWOM to build trust and achieve loyalty. This integrated approach not only enhances customer satisfaction and retention but also creates a competitive advantage.

The novelty of this study lies in the investigation of the dual role played by CPE and eWOM as antecedents of CT and CL within the hotel industry. Finally, this study explains the drivers of CT and CL, thereby making a novel contribution to the literature.

This research addresses the critical challenge of fostering customer loyalty within the highly competitive landscape of the insurance industry. The study investigates the interplay between customer satisfaction, loyalty, and the influence of technology and service quality in the context of insurance services and in periods of crisis.

A quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing a structured questionnaire distributed among diverse insurance customers in Lebanon during crisis conditions. The data were analyzed using SPSS-Amos, incorporating descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM).

This research emphasizes the crucial role of customer satisfaction in fostering loyalty in the insurance sector, especially during crises. High satisfaction levels, influenced by user-friendly online platforms, positively correlate with increased customer loyalty. Technology plays a vital role in maintaining and improving satisfaction, making it a key driver during challenging times. Positive interactions between service quality and satisfaction further highlight the multifaceted impact of technology on shaping customer loyalty.

The research findings provide valuable insights with practical implications for insurers aiming to boost customer loyalty. The study recommends strategic investments in critical areas like claims processing, customer service, communication strategies, digitalization initiatives, and employee training. The study provides insights applicable particularly to insurance companies navigating crisis conditions.

This research contributes both to academic understanding and practical applications by shedding light on the distinctive challenges and opportunities faced by insurers in cultivating customer loyalty within the insurance industry during crisis. The elucidations provided serve as a foundation for developing targeted strategies to address these challenges and to leverage opportunities for enhanced customer loyalty.

This study aims to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis, assessing studies related to service quality and customer satisfaction in Islamic banking.

Using a bibliometric approach, this research draws from literature samples retrieved in April 2023 from the SCOPUS database. The sample encompasses 138 articles published between 1999 and 2023, adhering to specific selection criteria. Analytical tools such as R program, VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel were used to categorise the data into three primary domains: productivity, citation patterns and network analysis. These categories further include the identification of research flows and prospective areas for further investigation.

The results indicate a substantial surge in publications between 2011 and 2022 involving 372 authors. This study identifies the primary contributors in terms of countries, affiliations, publications, sources and researchers. Seven distinct clusters emerged from the 138 papers, encompassing customer attitude, comparison studies, digital banking, customer loyalty, customer trust, consumer determinants and service quality. Additionally, the study outlines a future research agenda, posing specific research questions.

Recognising the limitations inherent in focusing solely on Scopus-indexed publications, future studies may benefit from incorporating various databases, such as the Web of Science, for a more expansive exploration of study units. A systematic review of articles on a specific topic could also enhance the comprehensiveness of the study.

This investigation empowers Islamic bank managers to devise targeted marketing plans, differentiating themselves from competitors. By implementing relevant improvements in operational and service processes, managers can enhance the customer experience, fostering a lasting competitive advantage. For academics, this study lays a robust foundation for further research, encouraging the development of a comprehensive conceptual model and empirical testing. The identification of current research gaps enables researchers to focus on areas that remain underexplored.

This study not only illuminates critical gaps in existing research but also proposes a research agenda to guide future researchers in remaining pertinent, particularly within the context of Islamic banking marketing.

How does business model design play a role in enabling manufacturing firms’ services? This study aims to investigate the impact of two distinct types of business model design, namely, efficiency-centered business model design (EBMD) and novelty-centered business model design (NBMD), and their effects in balanced and imbalanced configurations, on two types of services: product- and customer-oriented services.

Using matched survey data of 390 top managers and objective performance data of 195 Chinese manufacturing firms, this study uses hierarchical regression, polynomial regression and response surface analysis to test the hypotheses.

The results show that while EBMD positively affects product-oriented services, NBMD positively affects customer-oriented services. Both types of services exert a significant influence on firm performance. Furthermore, the degree of product- and customer-oriented services increases with an increasing effort level with a balance between EBMD and NBMD. Asymmetrical, imbalanced configuration effects reveal that the degree of product-oriented services is higher when the EBMD effort exceeds the NBMD effort, and the degree of customer-oriented services is higher when the NBMD effort exceeds the EBMD effort.

This study enriches the understanding of designing business models to facilitate service growth in manufacturing firms, ultimately benefiting firm performance. In addition, exploring balanced and imbalanced configurations of EBMD and NBMD offers new insights into business model dual design research.