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The purpose of this paper is to investigate how social loneliness, emotional loneliness and social isolation relate to Indian consumers’ enjoyment of social interaction with an in-store salesperson.

Over 300 Indian respondents are surveyed about personal disposition, shopping experiences and other factors. The research model and hypotheses are evaluated utilizing partial least squares structural equation modeling.

As posited, Indian consumers dealing with loneliness and social isolation tend to enjoy in-store shopping experiences involving personal interactions with salespersons. Further, salespersons’ adaptive selling relates positively to consumers’ predisposition to comply with salesperson input and three outcomes (i.e. trust in salesperson, purchase intention and retail patronage).

This study fills a void in current marketing and retailing literature, providing one of the first known empirical investigations of consumers’ experiences with loneliness and social isolation. Overall, the study shows that store-based retailers within culturally collectivistic emerging markets can capitalize on their unique ability to attract and retain shoppers through in-store salesperson interactions.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of adaptive selling (AS) when “click and brick” in control multichannel consumers (MCCs) encounter in-store salespeople.

An online survey was administered to 387 college students from several southeastern colleges in the USA. The study consisted of a single manipulated factor (AS: high vs low) and a second measured factor (degree of MCC search: high vs low). Covariance-based structural equation modeling was selected and analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS AMOS 22.0.0.0.

The findings indicate that while perceptions of control in the retail store increase as customers engage in more multichannel search behavior, the path from perceived control (PC) to purchase intention (PI) is also positively affected by AS as multichannel search increases.

To increase in-store purchases by consumers using the physical location as an information channel, professional sales training, specifically AS skills, should be considered by retail managers for in-store sales personnel. Our findings suggest that salespeople can use AS skills to increase the likelihood of the MCCs’ in-store PI while not reducing their feelings of PC.

In a time where many marketers struggle with how to combine multichannel retailing efforts effectively, this research confirms that new channels create MCCs who desire control. AS shows promise as a technique for retailers to use when selling to a consumer who values control.

This paper aims to enhance current understanding of motivations for self-gifting by suggesting that an individual’s attachment state from childhood upbringing impacts self-gifting behavior.

A survey was administered to 301 consumers living in the USA. Results were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings reveal that insecure anxious and insecure avoidant individuals are inclined to self-gift for reward and as compensation for personal disappointment.

Retailers can leverage the results to customize promotional messages that reference self-gifting in relation to an individual’s attachment style. For example, messaging geared towards attachment avoidance might emphasize acceptance of one’s imperfect self and situation. Messaging with sensitivity to attachment anxiety might emphasize positive self-reflection and self-worth. Per the authors’ findings, a promotional message geared towards attachment style may better motivate self-gifting.

This research is the first known empirical research to specify a psychological antecedent of self-gifting behavior, which is an emerging area in the literature and retail environment. The findings explain nuances of self-gifting behavior by theoretically connecting insecure attachment style as a driver of self-gifting purchases for reward and personal disappointment.

The purpose of this paper is to present a buying process for the multichannel consumer (MCC) that starts at online information search and ends at the offline retail channel and then seeks to determine the universality of such behavior across countries.

A structured questionnaire was administered to MCCs from Russia, Singapore and the USA. The model was estimated using partial least square and country comparisons were conducted with a multi-group analysis.

The empirical results validated the conceptual model. In country comparisons, there is both converging (online information search) and diverging (retail store) MCCs’ behavior exhibiting nuanced differences.

Future research should examine values of MCCs at the individual level so as to increase the generalizability of the findings.

The convergence of MCCs information search behavior suggests that there is an opportunity for companies to standardize their online information strategy to educate global MCCs prior to their visiting brick and mortar stores. In-store salesperson remains important and effective for MCCs in the USA and Singapore, but not Russia.

A new conceptual framework that integrates economic and psychology theories is presented to depict the shift of control tilting in favor of MCCs in the buying process and introduces the concept of “reversal” information asymmetry in which consumers perceive to have more knowledge than the vendors.

Debt is at a peak and consumers purport needing help with financial planning. To better understand the antecedents of financial planning behavior, the purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of cultural values in financial decision making within the context of Hispanic American consumers. A new conceptual model is proposed to integrate affect (cultural value) and cognition (financial knowledge) in financial planning.

To uncover respondents’ views on cultural values, financial knowledge, financial attitude, and financial planning behavior, an online survey hosted on a business school’s website was distributed to members of two Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. The survey consisted of five parts, and took each respondent an average of 15 minutes to complete. The final data set has 158 observations.

Results analyzed using structural equation modeling confirmed the hypotheses that financial knowledge, attitude, and perceived control simultaneously influence Hispanic consumers’ intentions to purchase financial planning products or services. More interestingly, these results confirm that multiple different routes coexist in the decision-making process, especially within the Hispanic financial planning context.

Key contributions of this paper include the conceptualization of cultural value as an antecedent to Hispanic financial behavior; detailing the different routes to financial decision making for US Hispanic consumers; and informing financial service managers on marketing strategies toward Hispanic consumers.