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The purpose of this paper is to design and test a conceptual model integrating uses and gratifications (UGT), self-image congruity (SIC), and theory of planned behavior (TPB) theories to identify the drivers that lead users to develop intentions to purchase clothing products through social networking sites (SNS).

Using an online questionnaire, data were collected from customers of clothing products who visit the SNS of their preferred clothing brands (n=1,003). Empirical results, using partial least squares regressions, were used to test the conceptual model.

The results supported the model and showed, as the main result, that purchase intention through the use of SNS is positively affected by intentions to use SNS and SNS use. SNS use is influenced by intentions to use SNS and by UGT. Intentions to use SNS are positively affected by UGT, attitude and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Attitude is positively influenced by UGT, SIC, PBC and subjective norm.

These findings reveal that the critical elements in achieving purchase intentions in users through SNS include obtaining their participation by managing the SNS according to users’ self-image and offering useful gratifications.

This paper integrates theories of SIC, UGT and the TPB in a context of technology post-adoption to understand users’ purchase intentions through SNS. By establishing this novel theoretical integration approach, this paper furthers insight into purchase intentions through SNS.

This study aims to examine the impact of the gameful experience on behavioural outcomes. Drawing from stimulus–organism–response theory, it proposes and tests a new model that investigates the relationship between the gameful experience, brand loyalty and intention to use gamified branded applications in the sports context. In addition, it explores the mediating role of customer–brand engagement (CBE) and the moderating role of self-image congruity (SIC).

A sample of 436 active users of sport-related branded gamified applications was used to test the model. Data was collected from online sports forums, brands’ Facebook communities and during sporting events.

Results indicate that the gameful experience positively and directly impacts behavioural intentions but does not directly influence brand loyalty. This relationship becomes partially significant when mediated by CBE. In addition, results show that users with high levels of SIC are more likely to continue using the gamified application, whereas users with low levels are more likely to engage with the brand.

This study expands the gamification literature in the sports sector by revealing the importance of the gameful experience in driving loyalty, behavioural intentions and CBE. It proposes a new model that sheds light on the emotional aspect of the interaction between a user and a gamified system and the importance of exploring the effects of moderators, such as SIC, in these relationships.

This paper aims to investigate how employees’ emotional competences affect customers’ responses in the context of emotional-driven and personalized services. Specifically, it proposes a model to analyze the influence of employees’ emotional competence on rapport, trust and loyalty toward the service employee and the company.

The empirical context to validate the proposed theory is the fitness realm. The sample comprises 296 clients from fitness personal training services. Data collection was carried out by means of personal surveys in three relevant fitness clubs in the city of Barcelona (Spain). The study uses partial least squares to test and validate the proposed theoretical model.

Employee emotional competence (EEC) directly affects personal loyalty, trust toward the service employee and rapport. However, higher levels of emotional skills are not significantly associated with loyalty toward the company. The results also suggest that trust significantly enhances loyalty. Interestingly, high levels of rapport between the service worker and the employee could even damage the level of loyalty toward the company.

Prior research documents that emotional intelligence enhances diverse positive customer outcomes, especially in emotionally charged interactions. Nonetheless, few studies have focused on analyzing how customers’ perceptions about services employees’ emotional skills are determining their attitudes and behavioral intentions. This study provides evidence on employee’s influences on consumer behaviors and outcomes, with a specific focus on EEC. It also sheds light on the unintuitive impact of customer employee rapport on loyalty toward the company.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the intention to purchase products through clothing brands’ social network sites (SNS) based on the theory of planned behavior and uses and gratifications theory (U&G), and the moderating effects of self-image congruity (SIC).

Data were collected from 1,003 followers of their favorite clothing brands’ SNS. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM analysis. The models were estimated from the matrices of variances and covariances by the maximum likelihood procedure using EQS 6.1.

The results highlight the positive impact of U&G on attitude, SNS intentions and SNS use, and U&G, SNS intentions and SNS use were seen to be the main antecedents predicting purchase intentions. Furthermore, SIC was found to have moderating effects between SNS attitude and SNS intentions and between SNS intentions and SNS use.

This research can help clothing brands understand the need to generate brand beliefs, and to develop contents or events to help accomplish the transition from use to purchase.

This research contributes to the literature by providing a better understanding of intention to use and purchase intention through clothing brands’ SNS pages.

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of customer brand engagement (CBE) by proposing and empirically testing a model of antecedents and consequences of CBE for user-initiated online brand communities (OBCs).

The model is tested using a sample of 584 participants in two relevant OBCs created and managed by brand fans. Specifically, data were collected from two communities in the photography products category: Nikonistas and Canonistas.

The results indicate that community and brand identification positively and significantly influence CBE. Furthermore, the supporting role of OBCs’ moderators facilitates CBE and moderates the influence of community identification on CBE. Regarding the outcomes of CBE, the results show that higher levels of engagement are positively, directly and significantly associated with favorable intentions towards the brand and the community. These effects are then mediated by brand affective commitment.

The study has been conducted in two Spanish OBCs of two specific high-involvement products category: it is cross-sectional and focuses on a limited number of antecedents and consequences.

Evidence from this research supports and emphasizes the potential that these platforms have for brand management such that firms’ resources could be best allocated on those elements that lead to superior CBE.

The study endorses the role of CBE in fostering brand and community-related favorable outcomes in the context of user-initiated OBCs. It shed lights on the potential that these online platforms have for brands and on the role that brand management should play in digital contexts that are outside the direct control of the company.

Digital natives constitute a substantial part of consumers nowadays. Yet, a theoretical understanding of the factors driving their engagement with new-age digital services is lacking. This study therefore aims to examine digital natives’ continuance usage of the proliferating over-the-top (OTT) services. To address these objectives, the study uses a comprehensive model that primarily integrates perceived value, cognitive absorption and customer brand engagement theories.

Data were collected using an online personal questionnaire targeting active digital natives OTT service users using the online software tool SurveyMonkey. A sample of 1,415 digital natives was analysed using structural equation modelling.

The findings indicated that continuance usage is predicted by all three theories. The results illustrate that cognitive absorption and customer brand engagement are the most critical in enhancing continuance usage. Gender effects on digital natives’ value perceptions were found. The model explains 57% of the variance in users’ continuance usage.

The study adds valuable contributions to the existing literature that are relevant to digital natives’ engagement with new-age digital services. The proposed integrated model and the role of gender in value formations provide managers with novel insights when designing effective strategies to increase continuance usage for the largest consuming generation.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-03-2022-0133

This study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption of locally produced food. In particular, it examines an extended model of the theory of planned behavior, with the addition of the perceived risk of becoming infected with the disease, locavorism and internal locus of control.

The study employs data collected from an online panel of consumers from the five largest cities in Spain (n = 1,000). It uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test and validate the proposed theoretical model.

The results indicate that the perceived risk of COVID-19 drives consumers to embrace locavorism more and, although locavorism is a strong predictor of attitude, internal locus of control also has a strong impact on attitude and switching intentions. Subjective norm and attitude are strong predictors of switching intentions and purchase intentions, and switching intentions also have a powerful impact on purchase intentions.

This study extends previous research on locally produced food consumption in that it has proposed and tested a new conceptual model with the inclusion of the perceived risk of COVID-19, locavorism, internal locus of control and switching intentions, which were found to have an influence on purchasing behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a framework to investigate the relationship between perceived value, satisfaction, trust and behavioral intentions and the moderator effect of the cruise line on cruise passengers’ perceptions.

A structural model was developed. In order to verify the hypotheses, a total of 729 cruise passengers were sampled. The study of the data used structural equation models by means of a multi-group analysis.

The results of this study suggest significant paths to increase behavioral intentions: perceived service quality? satisfaction? trust?. In addition, it has been proved that the cruise line moderates the relationships between constructs in most of the relationships in the two cruise lines analyzed.

The differences in the relationships of perceived service quality with overall satisfaction, trust and behavioral intentions suggest that one of the cruise lines analyzed ought to make decisions to improve the installations and the services on board the ships. These decisions involve substantial investments which affect, as well as the marketing management regarding the design of the product, the financial management and also the CEO.

Unlike earlier studies of cruise tourism carried out in Caribbean and Asian destinations, this study empirically tested a model of the formation of behavioral intentions which incorporates trust as a mediator variable between satisfaction and behavioral intentions and between perceived service quality and behavioral intentions in the Mediterranean. Also tests the moderator effect exercised by the cruise line on the consumers’ perception on the way to behavioral intentions.

Reservation of travel and leisure services through the digital environment has gained a growing role in society, influencing the revolution of the sector. It needs to be noted that there is a considerable lack of formal approaches to the identification of factors for the positive reception and use of these digital tools. For this reason, it is necessary to establish the main factors influencing the adoption and use of digital travel and restaurant platforms (TRPs), adding to the theoretical model two new factors: trust and word-of-mouth (WOM). This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned ideas.

A theoretical model has been proposed, based on the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2). Data collection was conducted through an online survey, in which 331 responses were compiled. Data obtained were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) with AMOS v27 software.

The results show that performance expectancy and WOM have a significant impact on the adoption of TRPs. However, it was found that effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, trust and price/value are not significant variables.

This research confirms that WOM communication positively influences the use of TRPs, facilitating various aspects for restaurant customers, including reducing wait times, streamlining the ordering process for allergic and intolerant customers, enhancing loyalty programs, order management and the opportunity to provide a personalised experience.

This study is the first to incorporate WOM variable into the extended UTAUT2 model applied to TRPs. Through a literature review, it has paved the way for significant future research directions that have not been adequately addressed by the scientific community, including the adoption and usage of food delivery platforms and online review platforms, as well as the behaviour of disabled customers towards these platforms.

This study aims to present a framework for automatically collecting, cleaning and analyzing text (news articles, in this case) to provide valuable decision-making information to destination management organizations. Keeping a record of certain aspects of the projected destination image of an attraction (Cancun in this study) will grant the design of better strategies for the promotion and administration of destinations without the time-consuming effort of manually evaluating high quantities of textual information.

Using Web scraping, news articles were collected from the USA, Mexico and Canada over an interval of one year. The documents were analyzed using an automatic topic modeling method known as Latent Dirichlet Allocation and a coherence analysis to determine the number of themes present in each collection. With the data provided, the authors were able to extract valuable information to understand how Cancun is presented to the countries.

It was found that in all countries, Cancun is an important destination to travel and vacation; however, given the period defined for this study (from July 2021 to July 2022), an important part of the articles analyzed was concerned with the sanitary measures derived from the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, given the rise of violence and the threat of organized crime, many articles from the three countries are focused on warning potential tourists about the risks of traveling to Cancun.

The examination of the relevant literature revealed that similar analyses are manually performed by the experts on a set of predefined categories. Although those approaches are methodologically sound, the logistic effort and the time used could become prohibitively expensive, precluding carrying out this analysis frequently. Additionally, the preestablished categories to be studied in press articles may distort the results. For these reasons, the proposed framework automatically allows for gathering valuable information for decision-making in an unbiased manner.