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Because of the slow market growth of and intense competition among coffee shops, increasing brand preference and patronage intention is crucial in the coffee shop industry. Although place attachment theory (PAT) and social identity theory (SIT) stipulate that place attachment and social identity are key constructs of revisit intention, no studies have yet integrated the dimensions of SIT into PAT to predict place preference (PP) and repatronage intention (RI). In this study, the authors aimed to develop a theoretical model grounded in PAT and SIT to predict PP and RI.

A total of 648 coffee shop customers participated in an online survey, and their data were analyzed through structural equation modeling.

The results indicated that cognitive and affective place identity (PI) directly affected place dependence (PD) but did not directly affect PP. Cognitive PI also indirectly affected PD through affective PI. PD exerted a positive and significant effect on PP and thus affected RI.

These findings provide insights into the importance of cognitive and affective PI in shaping PD, PP and RI. From a place attachment perspective, the theoretical model enables coffee shop managers to cultivate strong PP to increase customer RI.

For Internet celebrities, self-disclosure (SD) is a crucial step in building relationships with their followers who perceive this communication as para-social interaction (PSI), which facilitates socialization among followers. Normative commitment (NC) is critical for creating bonds among community members that are strengthened through socialization. However, research on the predictive relationships among SD, PSI and NC has been insufficient. This paper aims to investigate the effects of two facets of Internet celebrity SDs (i.e. private life and opinion) and two facets of PSI (i.e. companionship and following) on NC. The mediating role of PSI on the effects of SD on NC was also analyzed.

People who follow at least one Internet celebrity on a social networking site were recruited to participate in this study, and 494 valid questionnaires were collected for examination. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The results revealed that both private-life and opinion SDs have positive effects on companionship and following PSI, which consequently influence NC. A mediation test revealed that companionship and following PSI mediate the effects of private-life and opinion SD on NC. This study's findings also revealed that NC is influenced more by following PSI than it is by companionship PSI. Furthermore, opinion SD was determined to be the more influential factor in following PSI, whereas private-life SD was the more influential factor in companionship PSI.

This paper is useful for understanding the influence mechanism of the SD of Internet celebrities on PSI and NC.

Although the relationships between subjective norms, personal norms, consumer social responsibility and consumer attitude have been studied, the direct or indirect relationships that potentially exist between these factors influencing consumer purchase intention remain unclear. Because attracting consumers to purchase fair trade (FT) products is fundamental to the success of the FT movement, the study introduced a theoretical framework that emphasizes the mediating role of personal norms and consumer attitude towards FT product purchases in the effects of subjective norms and consumer social responsibility on consumer purchase intention towards FT products.

Data were collected from 398 university students; structural equation modelling was applied to analyse the data. Mediation analysis was also performed to determine potential direct or indirect relationships between factors.

The results revealed that subjective norms and responsibility to support FT products affect personal norms and attitude towards purchasing such products, which in turn influenced consumer purchase intention toward purchasing these products. Personal norms partially mediate the influence of subjective norms and consumer social responsibility on attitudes towards purchasing FT products. By contrast, the consumer attitude fully mediates the effects of subjective norms, consumer social responsibility and personal norms on purchase intentions towards FT products.

Because consumer purchasing is critical to the success of the FT movement and to achieving the UN's SDGs, this study helps FT marketers to better understand the effects of subjective norms and consumer social responsibility on consumer behavioural intentions and to develop effective marketing and promotion strategies for increasing consumer purchase intention.

The paper focuses on social capital as the characteristic of social groups that promote coordination; moreover, social identity plays a key role in the construction of group relationships. However, few research studies have looked at how the social capital of social networking sites (SNSs) is related to the social identity of its members. Drawing on social capital and social identity theory, this study investigated the effects of SNS social capital (shared language, social trust and network density) on social identity and continuous participation. The mediating role of social identity was also investigated.

In total, 444 SNS members volunteered to participate in this study. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze a conceptual model.

The results revealed that SNS social trust and network density directly and significantly affected the social identity and continuous participation behavior of members. SNSs using a shared language positively affected social identity, but this was not directly associated with continuous participation behavior.

Because the network externalities of SNSs exert critical effects on user benefits, attracting continuous user participation remains one of the critical challenges for SNS administrators. Both the theoretical and practical implications of this study can aid SNS administrators in developing effective continuous participation strategies.

The peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-07-2021-0369

In this study, we drew on the theories of social exchange and social learning and hypothesized that the online social capital (SC) and offline SC of social networking affect the online self-disclosure (OSD) of individuals through social self-efficacy (SSE).

After retrieving 514 valid questionnaires, we used structural equation modeling to analyze the data.

The results indicated that the users’ SSE affected their OSD, and that both online and offline bridging and bonding SC increased their SSE. However, online bonding SC directly affected their OSD, whereas online bridging SC did not considerably affect their OSD. Given these findings, we presented both theoretical and practical implications to elucidate SSE and OSD behavior from the perspective of online and offline bridging and bonding SC.

In this study, we drew on theories of social exchange and social learning to examine the effects of online and offline bridging and bonding SC on users’ SSE and OSD on SNSs. Given the importance of SC and SSE in social relationships and the effects of OSD on SNSs, our goal was to provide SNS marketers with a thorough understanding of how to facilitate SSE and OSD from the perspective of online and offline bridging and bonding SC.

Increasing followers' positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) is a critical means through which social media influencers (SMIs) marketers can increase SMIs' follower count. Studies have reported that authenticity and credibility increase followers' PWOM and have identified the dimensions of authenticity (i.e. originality, naturalness and continuity) and credibility (i.e. attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise). However, the mechanisms underlying the associations among these dimensions are unclear. Drawing from social exchange theory, the authors developed an integrated conceptual model and explored how the dimensions of SMI authenticity affect those of followers' perception of credibility. Moreover, the authors analyzed how followers' perception of credibility affects the followers' PWOM behavior.

The authors collected 463 valid questionnaires from respondents that followed at least one SMI. Additionally, the authors developed a structural equation model for data analysis.

The results revealed that the subdimensions of SMI authenticity have different effects on followers' perception of credibility. An SMI's continuity positively affects followers' perceptions of the SMI's trustworthiness and expertise. The naturalness of an SMI positively affects followers' perception of the SMI's attractiveness but nonsignificantly affects followers' perception of the SMI's trustworthiness. Additionally, an SMI's originality positively affects followers' perception of the SMI's attractiveness but negatively affects followers' perception of the SMI's trustworthiness. Finally, followers' perceptions of an SMI's attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise all positively affect followers' PWOM behavior.

By employing multidimensional constructs, the authors obtained results that provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of SMI authenticity on the SMI's followers' perception of followers' credibility. These results can be used by SMIs to increase SMIs followers' PWOM by determining which aspects of authenticity and credibility SMIs should develop.

Although the association between social norms and alcohol dependence has been noted, how social norms cause alcohol dependence remains unclear. This study thus investigated how social norms affect the perceived benefits of drinking and alcohol identity, which in turn affect alcohol dependence.

Convenience sampling was used, and 452 valid questionnaires were collected from alcohol (specifically, beer) consumers over the age of 18; answers were analyzed through structural equation modeling.

Social norms positively affected the perceived benefits of drinking and alcohol identity; alcohol identity positively affected alcohol dependence; moreover, alcohol identity fully mediated the effects of social norms and the perceived benefits of drinking on alcohol dependence.

How social norms affect alcohol dependence has rarely been studied; thus, the present study has value for integrating the findings in the lines of research on social norms and alcohol dependence. Based on the study results, the authors recommend that policies aimed at discouraging alcohol dependence should focus on mitigating the social pressure to drink and the perceived benefits of drinking as well as labeling others as drinkers.

Online group buying (OGB) websites have rapidly increased in number in recent years and have become an interesting model for online transactions. Previous studies have shown that consumers’ individual characteristics are critical in group buying participation and the perceived usefulness (PU) of an information system, whereas the role of consumer characteristics on the OGB website-quality-PU relationship remains unclear. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether consumer characteristics (i.e. gender and utilitarian orientation) moderate the OGB website-quality-PU relationship.

A total of 658 OGB website consumers participated in this study. Data were analysed by employing hierarchical moderated regression method.

The primary findings are as follows. First, the effect of system quality on consumer PU of the OGB website was stronger for male consumers than for female consumers. Second, the effect of information quality on PU was stronger for high-utility-orientated consumers than for low-utility-orientated consumers.

Because of the increasing importance of e-commerce and the growing number of shoppers purchasing from OGB websites, the finding provides enhanced understanding of OGB consumers for segmentation strategies.

Understanding how retail performance can reduce risk perceptions and influence behavioral intentions remains a key issue for researchers. Consumer evaluations of a retailer's performance may form their risk perceptions and positive behavioral intentions toward the retailer. This study aims to extend previous research by proposing an integrative model that examines how three retail performance dimensions (product quality, service quality, and price fairness) influence consumer trust, risk perceptions, and repatronage intentions in the context of organic food retailing.

Empirical data were collected from face-to-face interviews guided by a structural questionnaire. Consumers of organic food retailers located in Taiwan were asked to participate in the research and 416 usable questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) through LISREL 8.70 was used to analyze the data.

Results show that both product quality and price fairness have direct effects on consumer trust, risk perceptions, and indirect effects (through trust in retailer and transaction risk perceptions) on the intent to revisit an organic food retailer. Service quality only affects consumer trust directly, but not perceived transaction risk. In addition, service quality does not have a significant indirect effect on revisit intention.

This study is the first to research essential issues for understanding the role of retail performance dimensions on transaction risk perceptions in organic food marketing practices in Taiwan.

Ready-to-drink (RTD) tea beverages are widely consumed worldwide and play a prominent role in people’s daily lives, yet few studies have investigated the motivation of RTD tea beverage consumers as well as their underlying attitudes and desires. The purpose of this paper is to explore why these attributes are motivational factors by focussing on the attributes of RTD tea beverage products that motivate consumers to purchase RTD tea.

The attribute-consequence-value model of the means-end chain approach was employed to investigate consumer motivations for purchasing RTD tea beverages. Data were collected through a qualitative face-to-face survey of 153 RTD tea beverage consumers in Taiwan.

The results indicate that consumers purchase RTD tea beverages because the taste, flavor, packaging, and ingredients (attributes) satisfy their desire to drink RTD tea and fulfill the benefits of being delicious to drink, possessing thirst-quenching properties, and possessing health-promoting properties (perceived consequences), thereby fulfilling their ideal goal of experiencing enjoyment (perceived product value).

The findings may serve as a reference for producers of RTD tea beverages regarding product development and marketing.