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The purpose of this study is to examine the trends and developments of subscription business models (SBMs) over the past two decades.

The study extracted 469 documents (articles and reviews) from the Scopus database during 2000–2022 and analysed 132 documents (articles and reviews). A bibliometric methodology of scientific mapping was employed, including a cluster analysis based on the bibliographic coupling of documents. Content analysis was also conducted to reveal emerging trends in SBMs.

The study revealed six emerging themes in SBMs related to consumer behaviour, digital advertising, online news media, journal publications, circular economy and sustainability strategies.

The results of this study provide new and unique insights into the development and trends of SBMs over the past two decades and offer guidance for future researchers to investigate further the phenomenon of SBMs in emerging areas.

This study aims to explicate consumers’ intentions to use online food delivery systems (OFDS) subscription services. The study revisited the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.

A typical methodology that involved a confirmatory factor analysis, followed by structural equation modeling, was used to test the hypotheses using a sample of 573 OFDS users from the USA.

The results revealed that social influence has the most significant impact on consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services, while effort expectancy and perceived security have relatively lower impacts on consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services. In addition, the study revealed the role of compatibility and convenience orientation in shaping consumers’ OFDS system perceptions (e.g. performance and effort expectancy).

The results provide several theoretical and managerial implications and open new avenues for future research. The study advances the literature by validating the set of antecedents of important core perceptions (e.g. performance expectancy and effort expectancy). The study also provides implications for two types of practitioners, such as OFDS and restaurants.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services. This study is also the first to examine key factors influencing consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services.

本研究旨在阐明消费者使用在线订餐（OFDS） 订阅服务的意图。该研究重新审视了 Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 理论（UTAUT2）。

本研究采用典型的量化研究方法, 包括确认性因子分析和结构方程建模, 并使用来自美国的573名OFDS用户的样本来测试假设。

结果显示, 社会影响对消费者使用OFDS订阅服务的意图具有最显著的作用, 而努力期望和感知安全对消费者使用OFDS订阅服务的意图影响较小。此外, 研究揭示了兼容性和便利性取向在塑造消费者对OFDS系统感知（例如, 性能和努力期望）方面的作用。

研究结果提供了多方面的理论和管理启示, 并为未来研究开辟了新的途径。本研究通过验证重要核心感知（例如, 性能期望和努力期望）的前因完善了相关文献。另外, 本研究还为OFDS和餐厅等两类从业者提供了重要启示。

本研究是第一个调查了消费者使用OFDS订阅服务意图的研究, 也是首次研究了影响消费者使用OFDS订阅服务意图的形成因素。

The purpose is to review literature on sports season ticket subscriptions to distil current knowledge and guide future research and practice.

A systematic literature review is conducted of research on sports season tickets, a long-established and innovative subscription category.

In-depth examination of 28 papers showed a focus on drivers of satisfaction, churn and renewal causes, and product utilisation rates. Subscription markets typically involve many “solely loyal” consumers, most purchasing one or two subscriptions in a category. From reduced barriers to entry and exit to “curated” subscriptions, subscription marketing is changing very quickly. Sports marketers build relationships with subscribers using behavioural data, tier benefits to distinguish between casual and subscribing customers, and create recall and scarcity around key aspects of subscription to combat churn and increase utilisation.

Scarce research on subscription marketing practices remains the primary limitation. Existing research suggests that strong connections between subscriber and organisation, heavy product utilisation and/or strong barriers to switching drive customer satisfaction and retention.

Rapid expansion of subscription products should reduce “excess loyalty”, meaning that subscription models' main benefit will be limited to reoccurring revenue. Exceptions occur when consumers are heavily connected to the product or have little provider choice, so allocate their category buying exclusively. New subscription products face myriad challenges. Guidance on effective subscription marketing from sports marketing research and practice is outlined.

By combining research on market structure, marketing empirical generalisations and subscription marketing, this paper guides future research and practice.

This study analyzes how tech firms can implement the modern wave of subscription-based business model (SBBM), including value proposition, value creation, value capture and performance. In fact, these elements push tech firms to move from traditional to SBBMs.

To achieve the objectives of this study, we initially construct a theoretical framework for applying SBBM. Subsequently, we employ qualitative research to examine the current implementation of the subscription-based economy within tech firms.

A successful SBBM necessitates capturing value through sustainable revenue transactions and revising aspects of the value proposition, creation and capture. Continuous improvement through business value analysis is imperative. Additionally, an agile operations system is vital to address revenue complexities, enable data collection and enhance value proposition, service innovation, churn rate and customer retention, which are essential for SBBM maintenance.

This study delves into how the subscription-based economy is reshaping the business models of tech firms. Beyond exploring the theoretical foundation of this transformative path, this study offers actionable insights on enhancing the value proposition, creation, capture and business value within subscription-based economy frameworks.

The trend toward subscription economy accelerated the rise of access-based consumption models for durable consumer goods, replacing individual ownership with subscription contracts. At the same time, disruptive platform businesses have arisen in several consumer markets, bypassing traditional value chains while growing through network effects. In a conceptual approach, the authors address the future market for durable consumer goods in light of developments toward access-based consumption, subscription models and platform business models.

In a conceptual approach, the authors apply a scenario analysis following the Framework Foresight method and address trends, constants, plans and projections shaping the future market of subscriptions for durable goods. The authors create a baseline scenario and two alternative scenarios for the future of consumer durables and thereby discuss platform growth stages and implications for manufacturer brands.

The rising market power of platform companies leads to a baseline scenario where these platforms enter the market of subscriptions for durable goods. Alternative scenario 1 addresses the successful market entry of new platform businesses. In contrast, alternative scenario 2 describes the rise of manufacturer brand platforms.

This conceptual research enriches the discussion of access-based business models by creating scenarios depicting possible future developments. Moreover, it adds to the increasing focus on platform business models and thereby addresses the role of traditional manufacturer brands in markets for durable consumer goods subscriptions.

With the popularity of paid apps and increasing concerns about privacy hazards, this paper aims to investigate the impact of mobile services’ fee-charging models on consumers’ privacy concerns, and generate insights for app developers’ fee-charging strategies.

Three experimental studies including 550 participants were conducted. All studies were between-subjects designs and based on the context of financial mobile services. The implementations of fee-charging models were manipulated by both visualized and test-based stimuli.

The results reveal that consumers are less concerned about potential privacy violations when using subscription-based (vs. purchase-based) financial mobile services (study 1). This effect is mediated by consumers’ perceptions that app developers that charge subscription fees (vs. one-off prices) are more likely to be consumer-serving motivated (study 2 and 3).

This paper advances the current understanding of consumer response toward paid apps, by proposing and testing a novel attribution-based mechanism to explain why the implementation of a subscription-based versus purchase-based fee-charging model can result in more favorable consumer reactions. Furthermore, this paper identifies the implementation of contrasting fee-charging models as a market-related factor that affects the extent to which consumers are concerned about potential privacy violations, extending extant literature on consumer privacy concern.

The recent surge of subscription box services calls for research to understand how consumers respond to curation services. This study aims to develop and test a theoretical model to predict consumer response to AI (vs human). Particularly, the authors tested the role of stereotyping in shaping consumer perception of creativity in this context while considering the contextual moderators, shopping goals (hedonic vs utilitarian) and product category (fashion vs meal).

Two preliminary studies and the main study (total n = 761) tested the assumptions and hypotheses of the study. Preliminary study 1 (n = 511 Amazon mTurk, online survey) confirmed consumer stereotypes of humans and machines. Preliminary study 2, a single-factor between-subjects online experiment (recommender: human vs AI), was conducted at a large Midwestern university in the US (n = 56). The main study was conducted as a 2(recommender: human vs AI) × 2(product: fashion vs meal) × 2(goal: utilitarian vs hedonic) between-subjects online experiment (n = 194, Amazon mTurk).

The results confirmed that consumers are more likely to follow recommendations made by a human more than recommendations made by AI and the perceived creativity of the recommender explained the effect. Significant differences across product categories and shopping goals of the consumers were observed, calling for attention to the context of consumption.

This study extends the understanding of consumers' responses to recommendations in curation subscription services by highlighting the role of perceived creativity of humans versus AI.

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the role of e-service quality factors in predicting e-satisfaction. The study context was spirituality and well-being over-the-top services. The e-service quality factors consisted of perceived functional completeness, perceived performance, perceived quality of interface and interaction, perceived quality of content and information and perceived quality of customer support. The study goal was to ascertain over-the-top services customers’ behavioral intention toward upgrading to premium subscription and the spread of electronic word of mouth.

This study was based upon the integrated stimulus-organism-response framework where e-service quality represented the stimulus, e-satisfaction the organism, behavioral intention and electronic word of mouth as the response. The study used a moderated-mediation approach with e-satisfaction as the mediator and the price value of a premium subscription as the moderator. To empirically test the model, the authors collected data from 312 spirituality and well-being over-the-top services users in India. Partial least squares-structured equation modeling was used to analyze the collected data.

The findings of the study supported the association between e-service quality factors and e-satisfaction while using spirituality and well-being over-the-top service. The results furthermore indicated that satisfied spirituality and well-being over-the-top customers were willing to upgrade to the premium subscription and spread favorable electronic word of mouth. The moderated-mediation study results revealed that the price value of premium subscriptions moderated the relationship between e-service quality and e-satisfaction but did not moderate the relationship between e-satisfaction and behavioral intention, and e-satisfaction and electronic word of mouth.

This study offered a comprehensive stimulus-organism-response theoretical model by using the five e-service quality measurement factors as “stimuli” for motivating the internal state of spirituality and well-being over-the-top subscribers. This was toward sustained usage in over-the-top services subsequent to the end of the freemium period. Furthermore, in this study, both e-service quality theory and user satisfaction theory were integrated into the stimulus-organism-response model. This helped to better comprehend the impact of e-service quality factors in driving e-satisfaction among spirituality and well-being over-the-top service users.

This study revealed the significance of differentiating premium over-the-top subscriptions based on price value. To ensure a high level of e-satisfaction from a premium subscription, a greater emphasis on the e-service quality dimensions was required. This study provided insights to managers regarding the role of favorable electronic word of mouth in fostering effective customer acquisition.

This was one of the first studies which concurrently integrated perceived value of the premium subscription and e-satisfaction with customers’ behavioral intention and electronic word of mouth through the theoretical lens of stimulus-organism-response.

This study examines the relevance of information and communication technologies in the effect of gender economic inclusion on environmental sustainability.

The focus is on a panel of 42 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2005–2020. The empirical evidence is based on generalized method of moments. The environmental sustainability indicator used is CO2 emissions per capita. Three indicators of women’s economic inclusion are considered: female labour force participation, female employment and female unemployment. The chosen ICT indicators are mobile phone penetration, Internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions.

The results show that: (1) fixed broadband subscriptions represent the most relevant ICT moderator of gender economic inclusion for an effect on CO2 emissions; (2) negative net effects are apparent for the most part with fixed broadband subscriptions (3) both positive ICT thresholds (i.e., critical levels for complementary policies) and negative ICT thresholds (i.e., minimum ICT levels for negative net effects) are provided; (4) ICT synergy effects are apparent for female unemployment, but not for female employment. In general, the joint effect of ICTs or their synergies and economic inclusion should be a concern for policymakers in order to better ensure sustainable development. Moreover, the relevant ICT policy thresholds and mobile phone threshold for complementary policy are essential in promoting a green economy.

The study complements the extant literature by assessing linkages between information technology, gender economic inclusion and environmental sustainability.

While the number of hybrid journals has increased with the conversion from subscription journals, article processing charges (APCs) have not been examined as frequently as gold open access journals. This study compared the factors affecting APCs for hybrid and gold open access journals by formulating a charge equation.

This study examined the APCs for 1,354 hybrid and gold open access journals in the Springer imprint. Using the ordinary least squares method, it investigated the determinants of charges, including the relationship between subscription prices and APCs for hybrid journals.

The results revealed that the charges set by hybrid journals were higher than those set by gold open access journals by US$1,620, after controlling for other variables. A reason could be the oligopolistic market structure of the leading publishers. Although the publisher imprint set the APCs based on the journal characteristics, the difference in the determinants of the charges between the two journal types may be due to the business models specific to the journal types.

The findings suggested that policymakers must consider the market power of leading publishers to establish a healthy scholarly communication market.

This study examined the relationship between subscription prices and charges for hybrid journals as well as the determinants of charges for both journal types, considering various characteristics of individual journals.