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1 – 10 of 38Jiaji Zhu, Yushi Jiang, Yedi Wang, Qiang Yang and Wei Li
Tourism via virtual reality (VR) technology has become an interesting option for consumers to “travel.” The best approaches to optimizing the VR tourism environment, improving the…
Abstract
Purpose
Tourism via virtual reality (VR) technology has become an interesting option for consumers to “travel.” The best approaches to optimizing the VR tourism environment, improving the interactive experience of tourists and encouraging tourists to adopt VR are not yet fully understood. This study explores the willingness of tourists to adopt VR tourism from the dual aspects, richness and dynamics, of virtual social cues.
Design/methodology/approach
To examine the effects of richness (multiple vs. few cues) and dynamic (changeable vs. static cues) on consumers' willingness to adopt VR tourism, three virtual tourism scenes were designed and presented by head-mounted displays. The data were collected for participants in the VR laboratory and tested by ANOVA and partial least squares–structural equation modeling.
Findings
Virtual social cues can generate mental imagery through interactivity, vividness and parasocial interactions, thus increasing the consumer's likelihood of adopting VR tourism. It was also found that imagination moderates mental imagery and adoption intention. When the consumer's imagination is stronger, their mental imagery stimulates a stronger willingness to adopt VR tourism.
Originality/value
The authors innovatively utilize concepts of parasocial interaction and mental imagery and discuss the various influences and mediation mechanisms of social cue characteristics on consumers' adoption of VR tourism. The conclusions may provide new insights for VR tourism managers and tourism scholars.
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Sue-Ting Chang and Jia-Jhou Wu
The study aims to propose an instrument for measuring product-centeredness (i.e. the extent to which comment content is related to a product) using word embedding techniques as…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to propose an instrument for measuring product-centeredness (i.e. the extent to which comment content is related to a product) using word embedding techniques as well as explore its determinants.
Design/methodology/approach
The study collected branded posts from 205 Instagram influencers and empirically examined how four factors (i.e. authenticity, vividness, coolness and influencer–product congruence) influence the content of the comments on branded posts.
Findings
Post authenticity and congruence are shown to have positive effects on product-centeredness. The interaction between coolness and authenticity is also significant. The number of comments or likes on branded posts is not correlated with product-centeredness.
Originality/value
In social media influencer marketing, volume-based metrics such as the numbers of likes and comments have been researched and applied extensively. However, content-based metrics are urgently needed, as fans may ignore brands and focus on influencers. The proposed instrument for assessing comment content enables marketers to construct content-based metrics. Additionally, the authors' findings enhance the understanding of social media users' engagement behaviors.
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Seeun Kim, Hyejune Park and Mohammad Shahidul Kader
This paper aims to propose a conceptual model to examine the effect of an augmented reality (AR)–based product display (vs a picture-based product display) on interactivity…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a conceptual model to examine the effect of an augmented reality (AR)–based product display (vs a picture-based product display) on interactivity, vividness, website quality and consumer responses. In addition, the moderating role of the need for touch (NFT) in the effect of AR on media features is identified.
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses are tested using a one-factor between-subjects design for both a student sample (Study 1, N = 120) and a nonstudent sample (Study 2, N = 272). Data are analyzed using a series of analyses of variance, multivariate analyses of covariance and structural equation modeling.
Findings
Study 1 shows that an AR-based product display generates greater website quality, interactivity and vividness than a picture-based product display. Moreover, an AR-based product display improves interactivity and vividness only for high-NFT consumers; however, no significant difference emerged for low-NFT consumers. Study 2 replicates and extends our findings by identifying the specific processes that consumers go through when evaluating a website.
Originality/value
The current research advances the understanding of how product presentation technologies can attract customers with different haptic orientations and provides practical implications for online retailers interested in improving their customers' e-commerce experience.
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Ying Zhu, Yong Wang, Joicey Wei and Andy Hao
Few studies illustrate how contextual effects (e.g. assimilation and contrast) in pay-per-click ad design may impact consumers' attitudes and purchase intention. To fill this…
Abstract
Purpose
Few studies illustrate how contextual effects (e.g. assimilation and contrast) in pay-per-click ad design may impact consumers' attitudes and purchase intention. To fill this research gap, the authors provide theoretical predictions and empirical evidence on how ad design may prompt an assimilation and/or a contrast effect that may influence consumers' attitudes toward the ad and the brand and purchase intention. They also investigate whether the impact of contextual effects on consumers' decisions depends on the level of vividness in the ad.
Design/methodology/approach
A 2 (vividness: dynamic motion vs. static page) × 2 (information design: assimilation vs. contrast) × 2 (aesthetic design: assimilation vs. contrast) between-subjects experimental design is used to examine the effects of vividness, information design and aesthetic design. Conditional process analysis is used to assess the mediating role of attitudes toward the ad and the brand in the relationship between contextual effects and purchase intention.
Findings
For dynamic ads (i.e. high vividness) but not for static ads (i.e. low vividness), combined information contrast and aesthetic contrast designs generate a more favorable attitude toward the brand and a higher purchase intention than do combined information assimilation and aesthetic assimilation designs. Notably, combined information contrast and aesthetic contrast designs have the strongest effects than any other combination of assimilation and contrast designs of information and aesthetics. Attitudes toward the ad and the brand are significant mediators between contextual factors and intention to purchase.
Research limitations/implications
The study examines the effectiveness of online ads from a new theoretical angle based on the attributes of pay-per-click ads.
Practical implications
The results suggest that when advertisers decide to use dynamic ads, they should adopt a contrast design for both the ad information and its aesthetics.
Originality/value
This study fills a research gap in the contextual effects literature, including providing evidence of an underlying process in the relationship between certain contextual effects and purchase intent. It also extends previous findings of assimilation/contrast in information design to aesthetics design and advances the literature on vividness by examining a moderation effect of vividness.
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Trishala Chauhan, Shilpa Sindhu and Rahul S. Mor
In this global digital era, health-care companies are increasing their presence on the internet through branded content that serves as a connecting link between customers and…
Abstract
Purpose
In this global digital era, health-care companies are increasing their presence on the internet through branded content that serves as a connecting link between customers and brands. However, there is a limited understanding of branded content’s impact on customers. Thus, this paper aims to empirically analyse customer engagement for branded content in the health-care sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The factors impacting customer engagement for branded content were identified and analysed using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory approach to get their significance and the cause and effect relationship.
Findings
It emerged that co-creation is the most significant factor, having a substantial relationship with all other factors. It is substantiated that health-care companies can increase the intensity of customer engagement by delivering more authentic and relevant content and having an appealing look in a time-bound manner. This will increase the usefulness and entertaining value of the content.
Originality/value
The research findings contribute to the customer engagement dimension in the health-care sector and help the companies construct effective branded content leading towards higher customer engagement.
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Ratna Candra Sari, Mahfud Sholihin, Fitra Roman Cahaya, Nurhening Yuniarti, Sariyatul Ilyana and Erna Fitriana
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the process by which the level of immersion in virtual reality-based behavioral simulation (VR-BS) impacts on the non-cognitive and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the process by which the level of immersion in virtual reality-based behavioral simulation (VR-BS) impacts on the non-cognitive and cognitive outcomes. The cognitive outcome is measured using the increase in the level of Sharia financial literacy, while the noncognitive outcome is measured using the behavioral intention to use VR-BS.
Design/methodology/approach
The method consists of two parts: First, the development of VR-BS, in the context of sharia financial literacy, using the waterfall model. Second, testing the effectiveness of VR-BS using the theory of interactive media effects framework. The participants were 142 students from three secondary schools (two Islamic religious schools and one public school) in Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for testing the hypotheses.
Findings
VR-BS creates a perceived coolness and vividness, which in turn has an impact on increasing the participants’ engagement. Also, the use of VR has an impact on natural mapping, which increases a user’s engagement through its perceived ease of use. As predicted, the user’s engagement affects VR’s behavior, mediated by the user’s attitude toward VR media. VR’s interactivity, however, does not impact on the cognitive aspect.
Research limitations/implications
The participants were not randomly selected, as the data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the majority of the participants had never tried VR before this study. The participants, however, were digital natives.
Practical implications
It is implied from the findings that Islamic financial business actors and the relevant government agencies (e.g. the Indonesian Financial Services Authority [OJK], the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and the Ministry of Religious Affairs) should collaborate to best prepare the future generation of ummah by using VR-BS in their joint promotion and education programs. The results of the current study reveal that the use of VR-BS may attract people to engage in Islamic financial activities. By engaging in such activities, or at least engaging in real-life simulations/classes/workshops, people may gradually acquire more knowledge about Islamic finance.
Originality/value
As predicted, the user’s engagement has an impact on behavior toward VR-BS, which is mediated by attitude toward VR-BS.
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Tseng-Lung Huang, Henry F.L. Chung and Xiang Chen
The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of various levels of modality richness [text-visual, audiovisual and augmented reality interactive technology (ARIT)] on vivid…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of various levels of modality richness [text-visual, audiovisual and augmented reality interactive technology (ARIT)] on vivid memories (visual sensory detailed, emotionally intense, first-person perspective and coherent) and exploratory behavior. To clarify which modality richness online retailers use is more appropriate to create a virtual reality simulation experience to fill a significant gap in the sensory interactive marketing paradigm.
Design/methodology/approach
A task-based laboratory study was conducted to provide users with private try-on space. A total of 429 valid questionnaires were collected, and partial least squares path modeling was adopted to test hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate that various levels of modality richness (text-visual, audiovisual and ARIT) positively affect vivid memories (visual sensory detailed, emotionally intense, first-person perspective and coherent), and vivid memories successfully induce exploratory behavior.
Practical implications
The study results could also help retailers and brands with clear guidance in designing and creating simulation experience services and choosing the best way to present products. With the results of this research, retailers will also be able to grasp better the critical points of introducing innovative technology into the service experience and then create the benefits of digital economic growth.
Originality/value
Exploring which digital interactive technology online retailers use is more appropriate to create a virtual reality shopping experience to fill a significant gap in the sensory interactive marketing paradigm. Exploring the antecedents of vivid memories in a digital sensory interactive experience contributes to the body schema literature and the script theory. We draw from construal level theory (CLT) to clarify the impact of various levels of modality richness on driving the difference in sensory simulation schema to break through the limited findings of previous studies, namely using CLT to interpret psychological distance.
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Xixian Peng, Jiaqi Ren and Yutong Guo
E-commerce live streaming (ELS) has become a new and important shopping channel. Although previous studies have provided insightful findings on how to engage consumers in ELS…
Abstract
Purpose
E-commerce live streaming (ELS) has become a new and important shopping channel. Although previous studies have provided insightful findings on how to engage consumers in ELS, limited effort has been made to explore the role of factors of live streaming rooms. Based on the literature on space perception and the retail environment, this study aims to develop a theoretical model to examine how perceived distance and perceived depth affect consumers' affective and cognitive perceptions and then further impact product attitude in ELS.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collected 414 valid survey responses to test the proposed research model. Survey data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS)-structural equation modeling. The PLS Multi-Group analysis (PLS-MGA) was used to test the consistency of the research model across different product types and watching durations.
Findings
The results suggest that environmental factors of a live streaming room (i.e. perceived distance and perceived depth) can impact consumers' attitudes toward the product in the live streaming via both cognitive and affective routes. These effects keep consistent across different product types and watching durations.
Originality/value
The paper focuses on the environmental perspective, which is unexplored in previous literature on ELS. It highlights the importance of the space design of live streaming rooms.
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Hongxiao Yu, Haemoon Oh and Kuo-Ching Wang
This study aims to examine the underlying emotional process that explains how context-specific stimuli involved in virtual reality (VR) destinations translate into presence…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the underlying emotional process that explains how context-specific stimuli involved in virtual reality (VR) destinations translate into presence perceptions and behavioral intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 403 potential tourists participated in a self-administered online survey after they watched a randomly assigned VR tour. The Lavaan package in R software was used to conduct structural equation analysis and examine the proposed theoretical framework.
Findings
The results reveal that media content consisting of informativeness, aesthetics and novelty was positively related to users’ sense of presence in a VR tour. The effect of media content on presence was partially mediated by emotional arousal.
Practical implications
Managers and VR designers can create an emotive virtual tour that contributes to the user’s sense of presence to promote attraction to the target destination. The VR content needs to be informative, aesthetic and novel, which can excite users during the VR tour, portray virtual destinations clearly and eventually influence potential tourists’ visit intentions.
Originality/value
Research on the emotional mechanism to generate presence is still in its infancy. This study integrates presence theory into a conceptual framework to explore how media content influences presence and decision-making through the emotional mechanism.
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Raksmey Sann, Pakkapol Luecha and Rawisara Rueangchaithanakun
This study investigates how virtual reality (VR) travel attributes (e.g. sense and quality of information) influence spectators' flow experience, how emotion and past experience…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates how virtual reality (VR) travel attributes (e.g. sense and quality of information) influence spectators' flow experience, how emotion and past experience affect enjoyment and examines the impact of flow experience and enjoyment on satisfaction and booking or visiting intention.
Design/methodology/approach
The VR tour stimuli were fabricated using scenic views from the National Aquarium in the USA. Participants were equipped with Matterport VR and audio headsets and started their virtual travel. Once the participants completed their VR tours, they were asked to complete the questionnaire. Using the stimulus-organism-response theory, 303 valid responses were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The results showed that the sense and quality of information in VR travel positively and significantly impacted the flow experience. Moreover, emotions and past experiences positively and significantly influenced the enjoyment of VR travel. Similarly, flow experience and enjoyment positively and significantly affect satisfaction. However, satisfaction with VR-related tourism experiences negatively affects users' bookings and visiting intentions.
Practical implications
This study concludes that, from Thai tourists' perspectives, virtual travel should be used as a solution only during the pandemic because, in the long term it can cause a loss to the business chain in the tourism industry.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, no prior research has examined the influence of past experiences and emotions on satisfaction with VR travel.
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