Search results

Purpose: This research investigates the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on Portuguese and Brazilian consumers’ vulnerability in contrasting age groups. It seeks to establish the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and the pandemic’s impact on customer’s vulnerability to help companies design strategies to cope with this new market context and be prepared to address these vulnerabilities in a future international health crisis.

Design/Methodology/Approach: This study employs a quantitative research method to assess the different impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer vulnerability. Based on Portuguese and Brazilian residents’ surveys, an age/country-segmented cross-cultural multi-group analysis was performed to understand the differences in vulnerability.

Findings: Outcomes proved how the pandemic aggravates distinctively the vulnerability dimensions of consumers living in Portugal and Brazil. Besides, results highlight significant differences in consumers’ vulnerability during the pandemic given their age group. A positive correlation between age and fear of COVID-19 was also verified.

Value: Results were obtained based on consumers’ perceptions and scores rather than postulated behaviors. The findings highlight the need for health prevention measures to avoid neglecting existing vulnerable groups, whilst verifying how COVID-19 has managed to proliferate consumers’ vulnerability. Suggestions are drawn for both firms and governments based on obtained results and existing literature. Exemplar business strategies to avoid these vulnerabilities are put forward and discussed. The potential business advantages of firms shaping their activity according to their customers’ current vulnerabilities, during international pandemics, are also pointed.

This study aims to focus on how smartphone addiction impacts young consumer behavior related to mobile technology (i.e. the compulsive app downloading tendency). After a thorough literature review and following the risk and protective factors framework, this study explores factors that could mitigate its effects (resilience, family harmony, perceived social support and social capital).

The study used the covariance-based structural equation modeling approach to analyze data collected from 275 Generation Z (Gen Z) smartphone users in Spain.

Results suggest that resilience is a critical factor in preventing smartphone addiction, and smartphone addiction boosts the compulsive app downloading tendency, a relevant downside for younger Gen Z consumers.

Through the lens of the risk and protective factors framework, this study focuses on protective factors to prevent smartphone addiction and its negative side effects on app consumption. It also offers evidence of younger consumers’ vulnerability to smartphone addiction, not because of the device itself but because of app-consumption-related behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to show that as technologies expand the personalization capabilities of advertisers and that intrusive ad formats online and in mobile contexts raise privacy and control concerns, this emerging area requires better understanding.

The model tests antecedents and outcomes of advertising intrusion based on surveys of 170 respondents and structural equation modeling. Personalized mobile ads, privacy concerns and perceived vulnerability heighten intrusion, leading to resistance behaviors like avoiding ads and negative brand attitudes.

The findings offer several practical implications for marketers targeting youth to balance relevance with transparency in personalized communications to avoid irritation that damages brand perceptions and relationships. The authors believe the article contributes uniquely to the literature at the intersection of interactive marketing technologies, privacy concerns and adolescent consumers – an impactful yet understudied demographic. The rigorous methodology also advances knowledge of advertising intrusion phenomena.

As with all research, it is important to recognize the limitations of this work that can be taken advantage of in future avenues of research. Firstly, the authors did not consider demographic variables, such as gender, and psychographic variables (lifestyle, personality, etc.), as factors that may influence advertising intrusiveness. Secondly, the authors limited the consequences of intrusion to the variable resistance over time, since several consequences can be studied in this context. Further investigations may remedy those limitations by integrating additional variables into the models, as well as resistance proxies. Besides, a new path for research would consider a breakdown of the age range of teenagers, i.e. the beginning, the middle and the late teenage years.

The discoveries from this study have significant implications for marketers and organization. The authors therefore recommend that companies commit to creating value through personalization and implement techniques to reduce consumers’ privacy concerns “personalizing mobile advertising involves several important aspects including choosing the right target market, sending users relevant and wanted information and creating personalized advertising contents” (Wang et al., 2019). One way forward, in an environment that will be even more connected in the future, is for companies to request only the data that is relevant and necessary for the smooth running of their business and to integrate privacy practices into their operations.

This research can contribute to the development of a theory on the role of advertising intrusion in shaping adolescent behavior. The research model has enabled us to deduce the impact of personalization on the perception of an advertising intrusion, providing us with information on the importance of elements provided by the company, such as the importance of the characteristics and beliefs of the adolescent consumer, i.e. perceived privacy concerns and risks, in deciding whether or not to participate in personalization. The conclusions of the study therefore highlight the need for companies to adapt their marketing strategy to remain consistent with new expectations, i.e. to conceive personalization and privacy as two consubstantial issues.

Young consumers are particularly vulnerable to the addictive nature of smart phone technology. This paper aims to investigate the smart phone addiction cycle and health outcomes of young and old consumers from the lens of consumers’ mindfulness traits.

Qualitative and quantitative studies reveal that the lack of mindfulness, measured as a mindless trait, is strongly associated with smart phone addictions and health and quality of life outcomes.

Differences in mindlessness and smart phone-generated health outcomes are found between younger and older consumers. The negative impact of mindlessness on quality of life was greater for younger adults than older adults.

This research establishes baseline effects between the mindless trait and smart phone addiction levels.

Paper suggests the marketing of mindfulness programs and the use of marketplace apps to combat addiction issues.

Smart phone addiction is a growing problem, and this paper contributes to the understanding of the problem and offers societal solutions for its resolution.

This is the first empirical paper to investigate the connection between a mindless trait and smart phone tendencies and resulting health outcomes.

This paper aims to examine motivations for young consumers' internet use, how these motivations relate to children's privacy concerns and, subsequently, children's willingness to disclose personally identifiable information.

The strengths of three common internet usage motives (information seeking, entertainment, and socializing) in predicting disclosure behavior are examined via survey research with a sample of children aged 10‐12.

Two of the motives – information seeking and socializing – are found to influence privacy concerns, which in turn, are shown to affect willingness to disclose information. Information‐seeking motivations were positively related to privacy concerns, while socializing motivations were negatively related to privacy concerns. Direct incentives are also found to increase disclosure.

The findings suggest that the uses and gratifications theory is useful for understanding children's privacy behaviors relating to information seeking and socializing motivations. Combining this with the varying levels of interactivity of websites that might satisfy various motives helps researchers begin to understand how particular motives may lead to increases or decreases in risky behavior; in this case, preteen disclosure of personal information.

The literature provides evidence of consumers’ willingness to purchase (WTP) refurbished products. However, the studies focusing on young consumers’ (18–24 years) purchasing behaviour of refurbished products from online platforms/stores are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to conduct a qualitative study to identify the key attributes/factors that influence young consumers’ WTP refurbished products.

Two qualitative techniques, focus group discussion (FGD) and depth interviews (DI), are used for data collection. Criterion sampling is used for sample selection. Consequently, 37 participants (20 for FGD and 17 for DI) from India were recruited.

The study’s findings indicate six broad attributes/factors (purchase attributes, product attributes, credibility, reviews/support, refurbishment process and ecological factors) that influence young consumers’ WTP refurbished products. In each attribute, some characteristics are unique (for example, greater trust in online platforms/stores, preference for video reviews and historical information of the product) to young consumers.

The current study integrates three literature streams: consumer behaviour in the online/offline context, young consumers’ inclination towards an online purchase and WTP refurbished products. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to do it.

This study aims to explore the relationship between social commerce purchase intention and consumer psychological factors (i.e. resilience, vulnerability and personality traits) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drawing on social cognitive theory (SCT), an econometrical behavioral model was developed to explore the key determinants of online purchase behavior of 303 students in Greece. The research data were collected with a two-wave online survey (pre- and during the pandemic) which was distributed randomly to students in Generation Z.

A series of regression analyses revealed a positive effect of openness and a negative impact of extraversion and neuroticism on internet, Instagram and Facebook purchases during the pandemic. Findings suggest that loneliness serves as a moderator, while resilience and vulnerability have a positive effect on social media purchase behavior.

This study provides insights and implications for social commerce marketers and sheds light on the determinants of online purchase intentions of young consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elaborating on SCT, this study provides novel insights into young consumers’ internet use and online purchase behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e. longitudinal approach), by focusing on consumer vulnerability and resilience while also embedding personality traits and mental health aspects (i.e. loneliness levels during the pandemic).

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of service flexibility in addressing consumer vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers within the funerary context.

Using phenomenological philosophy and a grounded approach, data was collected and analyzed through 12 depth interviews with funeral service providers, coupled with observations and photographs of three second-line funeral processionals.

Study results include the following three primary roles of service providers in supporting chronically-traumatized consumers: the role of service fluidity in addressing trauma, mitigating vulnerability via service providers as community members and alleviating suffering through compassionate service. Service flexibility and value co-creation efforts were executed through an expansive service ecosystem of vendors.

When consumers experience vulnerability that demands reliance upon service industries, service providers can intentionally implement fluidity and agility in service design, adopt understanding and altruistic practices, and operate with empathy and compassion to orchestrate mutually-beneficial service outcomes.

Rooted in transformative service research, providers are advised to consider modifying services to improve well-being and mitigate vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers via fluidity, community and compassion.

This study contributes originality to the body of service marketing literature by illustrating how service providers alleviate vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers through three adaptive service strategies.

This paper aims to examine social marketing programs aimed at preventing or moderating alcohol consumption among young consumers. It seeks to show how protection motivation theory can be used as a theoretical framework to create effective communications targeting young people.

Communication materials aimed at preventing or moderating alcohol consumption among young people were identified and gathered from web sites in five English‐speaking countries (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK). A qualitative review of these materials was conducted.

A majority of the alcohol moderation/prevention campaigns targeting young consumers followed the tenets of protection motivation theory by focusing on the threat variables of severity and vulnerability. Some campaigns also focused on costs, as well as self‐efficacy and response efficacy.

Only English‐language materials and materials targeting young consumers have been considered, so findings cannot necessarily be generalized to other languages or countries.

Future youth alcohol moderation/prevention initiatives should include self‐efficacy messages, to increase confidence among young people that they are able to carry out the recommended actions.

The review presents a comprehensive examination of initiatives aimed at preventing/reducing alcohol consumption among young consumers, and shows how protection motivation theory can be successfully used in this context.

The purpose of this paper is to explore older people’s food consumption experiences. Specifically, the paper seeks to provide understanding on the influence of food intake on consumer vulnerability and how this manifests within people’s lives.

The study adopts an interpretive, exploratory approach, using in-depth interviews with 20 older consumers in the UK. Thematic analysis is conducted, establishing patterns and contradictions with the data.

The findings demonstrate how biological, psychological and social age-related changes can contribute to reduced food intake in later life. The loss of control over one’s consumption experiences as a result of inappropriate portion sizes acts as a source of both immediate and future vulnerability. Resultant food wastage can serve as an immediate reminder of negative associates with ageing, while the accumulative effect of sustained under-consumption contributes to increased frailty. As a result, consumer vulnerability can pervade other contexts of an individual’s life.

The research reveals opportunities for firms to use packaging development to reduce experiences of consumer vulnerability through reduced apportionment of packaged food products. However, this needs to be considered within a multi-demographic marketplace.

This paper contributes to literature by providing a unique lens with which to understand consumer vulnerability. The findings offer a developmental perspective on the experience of consumer vulnerability, revealing the stages of proximate, immediate, intermediate and ultimate vulnerability. This perspective has the potential to offer more detailed, nuanced insights into vulnerability in other contexts beyond food consumption.