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This paper aims to identify distinct consumption patterns among Asian consumers and examine how these relate to cultural antecedents and key human values.

This study uses a large, representative sample of almost 7,000 Asian consumers in 10 culturally varying markets, using latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify the consumption profiles.

The findings empirically demonstrate that the two profiles are “inner-directed nationalistic frugals” (IDNF) and “outer-directed self-eekers” (ODSS). IDNF consumers spend more time and money on education and prefer ethnocentric consumption. ODSS consumers emphasize individuality, self-expression, seeking novelty and impressing others. Consumers with more collective values in Schwartz's typology tend to demonstrate the IDNF pattern; those with more individualistic values demonstrate the ODSS pattern. The distribution of IDNF and ODSS profiles is influenced by demographics, religion and geographical region: IDNF is greater than ODSS in Southeast Asia; ODSS is greater than IDNF in East Asia; IDNF is roughly equal to ODSS in Northeast Asia. IDNF tends to be found among older and more religious consumers, while ODSS is the opposite. Importantly, in the more religious Southeast Asian countries, even younger consumers are more IDNF than ODSS.

This research uses an exploratory and discovery-oriented approach; future research can use more confirmatory approaches to systematically examine the relationship between cultural dimensions (e.g. individualism-collectivism) and consumption patterns.

For their brands to grow in Asian markets, marketing practitioners are advised to use multiple brands to segment Asian consumers based on their values, demographics, geographical location and what religious/faith traditions they follow.

This is the first paper to identify consumption profiles in Asian markets using LPA without prior conceptual biases and relate them to cultural values and demographic variables.

Over the last few decades, there has been a substantial increase in environmentally conscious consumers' willingness to switch their preferences from mainstream products to green products. Hence, it becomes essential for academicians and marketers to understand the notion, attributes and a comprehensive profile of green consumers. Since consumer attitude towards green products is not widely studied in developing countries, the present study aims at exploring the profile of green consumers in India (Punjab State) based on the same in the Indian context.

The study used the survey method, and a sample of 400 respondents was selected from the Punjab State of India. Initially, principal component analysis was employed to reduce the dimensions. Following this, cluster analysis was applied to segment consumer market in distinctive segments. Results of cluster analysis were validated with discriminant analysis and finally, differences amongst the segments of green and non-green consumers were examined to build on the profile of green consumers.

The study segmented the consumer market based on consumer attitude towards green products. Results of the study revealed four distinct segments. “Dynamic Green”, the largest cluster, presents truly green consumers who exhibit a positive attitude towards green products. Finally, the study highlighted the attitudinal profile of green and non-green consumers and differences amongst the segments were explained.

Similar study should be conducted in other developing/developed countries. Furthermore, cross-cultural studies can be undertaken to contrast consumer attitude towards green products. The study may also be extended to probe the connection between consumers' attitude and actual behaviour towards green products.

The study examined the role of consumer attitude towards green products in identifying the distinct segment of green consumers and determining different configurations of consumer characteristics to build on the profile of green consumers.

For a better understanding of the preferences and differences of young consumers in emerging wine markets, this study aims to propose a clustering method to segment the super-new generation wine consumers based on their sensitivity to wine brand, origin and price and then conduct user profiles for segmented consumer groups from the perspectives of demographic attributes, eating habits and wine sensory attribute preferences.

We first proposed a consumer clustering perspective based on their sensitivity to wine brand, origin and price and then conducted an adaptive density peak and label propagation layer-by-layer (ADPLP) clustering algorithm to segment consumers, which improved the issues of wrong centers' selection and inaccurate classification of remaining sample points for traditional DPC (DPeak clustering algorithm). Then, we built a consumer profile system from the perspectives of demographic attributes, eating habits and wine sensory attribute preferences for segmented consumer groups.

In this study, 10 typical public datasets and 6 basic test algorithms are used to evaluate the proposed method, and the results showed that the ADPLP algorithm was optimal or suboptimal on 10 datasets with accuracy above 0.78. The average improvement in accuracy over the base DPC algorithm is 0.184. As an outcome of the wine consumer profiles, sensitive consumers prefer wines with medium prices of 100–400 CNY and more personalized brands and origins, while casual consumers are fond of popular brands, popular origins and low prices within 50 CNY. The wine sensory attributes preferred by super-new generation consumers are red, semi-dry, semi-sweet, still, fresh tasting, fruity, floral and low acid.

Young Chinese consumers are the main driver of wine consumption in the future. This paper provides a tool for decision-makers and marketers to identify the preferences of young consumers quickly which is meaningful and helpful for wine marketing.

In this study, the ADPLP algorithm was introduced for the first time. Subsequently, the user profile label system was constructed for segmented consumers to highlight their characteristics and demand partiality from three aspects: demographic characteristics, consumers' eating habits and consumers' preferences for wine attributes. Moreover, the ADPLP algorithm can be considered for user profiles on other alcoholic products.

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of product category and consumers’ motivations profiles on the determinants of consumers’ preferences and purchase intentions of counterfeits and genuine products, through manipulation of product attributes and purchase situations.

The study relies on an experimental design involving a questionnaire on a convenience sample with two parts: a tradeoff model manipulating three attributes, product type (genuine vs. counterfeit), price (high vs. low) and place of purchase (regular shop, Internet and market) in two product categories, and a scale measuring motivations to purchase counterfeits. Ranking and purchase intentions are analyzed using conjoint analysis and generalized linear mixed model (GLMM).

Ranking reveals a dominant pattern of consumer behavior regarding counterfeiting: product type, price and place of purchase. Product category has a moderating effect on choice criteria: relative importance of place of purchase and price varies according product category. Consumers’ motivations profiles have also a moderating effect on consumer behavior. Some profiles are more receptive to copies. Consumers’ profiles exhibit different hierarchies of purchase criteria and may change them depending upon product category.

Results challenge literature on the dominant role of price among choice criteria. Price alone cannot determine a counterfeit purchase. It is the interaction of price, place of purchase or product type that explains such a behavior. Product category matters: Price and place of purchase importance cannot be considered without accounting for product category. Consumers’ motivations profile matters. Consumers are not homogeneous face to counterfeits.

To propose a model of a privacy‐enhanced catalogue search system (PECSS) in an attempt to address privacy threats to consumers, who search for products and services on the world wide web.

The model extends an agent‐based architecture for electronic catalogue mediation by supplementing it with a privacy enhancement mechanism. This mechanism introduces fake queries into the original stream of user queries, in an attempt to reduce the similarity between the actual interests of users (“internal user profile”) and the interests as observed by potential eavesdroppers on the web (“external user profile”). A prototype was constructed to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the model.

The evaluation of the model indicates that, by generating five fake queries per each original user query, the user's profile is hidden most effectively from any potential eavesdropper. Future research is needed to identify the optimal glossary of fake queries for various clients. The model also should be tested against various attacks perpetrated against the mixed stream of original and fake queries (i.e. statistical clustering).

The model's feasibility was evaluated through a prototype. It was not empirically tested against various statistical methods used by intruders to reveal the original queries.

A useful architecture for electronic commerce providers, internet service providers (ISP) and individual clients who are concerned with their privacy and wish to minimize their dependencies on third‐party security providers.

The contribution of the PECSS model stems from the fact that, as the internet gradually transforms into a non‐free service, anonymous browsing cannot be employed any more to protect consumers' privacy, and therefore other approaches should be explored. Moreover, unlike other approaches, our model does not rely on the honesty of any third mediators and proxies that are also exposed to the interests of the client. In addition, the proposed model is scalable as it is installed on the user's computer.

Facial recognition systems represent a viable solution to today’s hotels’ security and service challenges. The purpose of this study was to build and empirically validate a conceptual model that examined consumers’ willingness to create a profile based on biometric information disclosed via facial recognition systems.

Data were collected from 421 US general population consumers who stayed in hotels. The study used a confirmatory factor analysis to test the measurement model and a structural equation modeling approach to empirically validate the structural model.

It was found that the benefit of information disclosure was the strongest predictor of value of disclosure and that value of disclosure and privacy concerns influenced consumers’ willingness to disclose biometric information. In turn, consumers’ willingness to disclose biometric information and their desire to be loyal to hotels influenced consumers’ willingness to create a profile.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine profile creation and biometric information disclosure via facial recognition systems in hotels, a technology that is likely to disrupt the current authentication and service quality models in hotels. This study also advances the literature by expanding the scope of the privacy calculus by adding social rewards, and by elucidating the role of desires in service contexts.

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) electronic commerce (e-commerce) is shaping contemporary retailing. Despite the fact that a large amount of C2C e-commerce is conducted in social media-based platforms (e.g. Facebook), it has remained an unexplored area of research, though social media as a commercial platform can result in differing customer value and, thus, has potential for consumer experiences that lie beyond the reach of traditional C2C e-commerce actors. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to identify and explore distinct consumer profiles of C2C e-commerce in social media.

Confirmatory factor analysis and cluster analysis are employed to analyze the data from a quantitative survey focusing on C2C e-commerce.

Four distinct consumer profiles are introduced and discussed: enthusiasts, bargain hunters, salvagers and apathetics. These profiles capture what kind of value consumers perceive in exchanging used goods with other consumers in Facebook.

The data were collected from one country. Cultural differences in how C2C e-commerce and the role of Facebook are perceived might influence the generalizability of the results. The data set was cross-sectional and based on self-reported data.

First, the study indicates that the social media can offer a unique platform for C2C e-commerce that may result in unique and differentiated consumption experiences. Second, firms should carefully analyze how their existing segments match the consumer profiles presented in this study (enthusiasts, bargain hunters, salvagers, apathetics) to assess future value creation potential and challenges. Third, traditional retailers should evaluate the possibility of acting as a platform for C2C commerce or other types of C2C interaction in order to offer their customers benefits that are characteristic for C2C e-commerce.

This study is among the first attempts to profile C2C e-commerce consumers in social media setting. Interestingly, the profiles differ not in terms of traditional consumer demographics, but on the basis of what kind of value they perceive. Altogether, they grant interesting empirical access to explore the potential and implications of social media-based C2C e-commerce.

The purpose of this paper is to describe UWIRS (Ubiquitous Web Information Retrieval Solution), an agent‐based Web Information Retrieval (WIR) solution designed taking into account the unique features of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the limitations of existing WIR solutions for ubiquitous environments.

UWIRS can offer recommendation services by using the Multi‐Agent Vizier Recommendation Framework (Vizier). Vizier was designed under a generic approach and therefore can provide services to information retrieval applications so these may offer product recommendations that consider several adaptation/personalization dimensions (e.g. user dimension, context, among others).

Overall, the main challenge resides on: location, retrieval, integration and presentation of information from the WWW, quickly and accurately, to satisfy a user's singular information needs.

In UWIRS, agents cooperate in order to retrieve personalized information, considering user needs, goals, preferences and contextual features. UWIRS's agents are responsible for: interpreting user input and adding adaptation information by means of a query enrichment process; identifying and selecting the appropriate data sources taking into consideration the Profile Set (composed of User, Device and Information‐Provider Profiles); executing query routing and the information retrieval process; integrating and filtering the retrieved results; and lastly, coherent presentation of quality and relevant ubiquitous information (anytime, anywhere and anyhow) that satisfies the user's particular information needs and constraints associated to his/her access device.

Consumer knowledge has been one of the most studied variables in marketing due to its strong influence on consumer behaviour. Knowledge level has traditionally been measured through objective knowledge and the number of correct answers in a battery of items about product characteristics. The authors argue that this analysis could be complemented with other information, that is, the structure of non-knowledge. The main objective of this work is to explore the nature and explanatory potential of this new dimension on consumer behaviour in the agrifood context. The principal hypothesis is that, while they may have similar levels of objective knowledge, there are significant differences between the behaviour of consumers who have a predominant pattern of ignorance (tendency to answer “I don't know”) and those who are in error (tendency to give wrong answers).

The present study draws on data derived from five case studies examining consumer knowledge about agrifood products (olive oils, Iberian ham and orange juice) and certain aspects of consumer behaviour. A sample of 4,112 participants was classified into two non-knowledge profiles: wrong, if most items answered incorrectly in a questionnaire were wrong; or ignorant, if most items answered incorrectly were “don't know”.

The results obtained supported the argument that complementing the study of consumer knowledge with an analysis of the structure of non-knowledge is worthwhile, as differences within the structure are associated with different patterns of consumer behaviour.

In the present study, it is proposed that the measurement of knowledge be complemented with an analysis of the consumer's non-knowledge structure (items not answered correctly), given its effects on behaviour, an aspect hitherto unconsidered in the literature. To do so, a new index is proposed.

While trends of health and well-being have boosted the development of sports nutrition products, consumer research is limited. The purpose of this paper is to profile sports nutrition users and non-users, and to explain users’ preference and equity of sports nutrition brands.

A large online survey (n=3,165) was conducted with users and non-users of sports nutrition drinks in Belgium. Profiling was based on socio-demographic and sport related variables. For users, brand preference and equity of three key sports nutrition brands (n=1,075) were measured. Thereby, a three-dimensional consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) model was applied.

Both the socio-demographic (gender, age, education and employment status) and sport profile (frequency, context, reasons and sports nutrition advice) had a significant influence on respondents’ likelihood to use sports nutrition products. For brand preference, the effect of sport and socio-demographic profile was only partially confirmed, with advice and frequency of sport participation being most influential. Furthermore, users’ brand equity was shown to be positively affected by brand quality and brand loyalty, while the impact of brand awareness/associations was not significant for all brands.

Insights in the role of the sport and socio-demographic profiles contribute to the understanding of general and brand-specific sports nutrition use. The insignificance of brand awareness/associations for Brand A points to the notion of other implicit factors that possibly mask or transform the effect of brand awareness, yet do not influence brand quality and loyalty. Future theory development could integrate the CBBE model with other explanatory determinants related to consumer (health) behavior theories, or consumer perceptions on marketing efforts, while brand equity measurement could be extended with financial measures.

Variations in the impact of brand equity dimensions further lend support for the diversification of marketing strategies in the sports nutrition sector.

This study is one of the first to examine the customer market of sports nutrition products and brands.