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Although we have achieved a greater understanding of cryptomarket specifics, evidence on the consumer side of cryptomarkets is still needed – not only regarding the role of cryptomarkets on individual drug-using careers but also on the motives for buying illicit drugs from cryptomarkets. Moreover, research has indicated that national differences exist regarding different variables relating to cryptomarket use and prevalence, as well as to why users are drawn to these markets. In this chapter, the author presents the results of a Belgian case study focusing on drug cryptomarket buyers. Using an online quantitative survey (N = 99) and semi-structured interviews (N = 10), we gain exploratory insight into the motives of Belgian buyers sourcing illicit drugs from cryptomarkets and how they believe these cryptomarkets affect their drug-using careers. Results indicate that most of the respondents had bought drugs offline before buying them from cryptomarkets and that the frequency of their drug use did not change once cryptomarkets were accessed. Almost 60% of our respondents, however, consumed different drugs or a wider range of drugs following their cryptomarket use. Furthermore, most of the respondents purchased from cryptomarkets for their personal consumption, and some of them also shared their supply with friends, that is, social supply. The alternative drug offer was the principal reason why they were using cryptomarkets, followed by curiosity and the price and the quality of the drugs. Although the respondents in this study were well aware of different risks related to market vendors, market administrators, and law enforcement, these risks were considered to be minimal and part of the cryptomarket environment. The results of this case study are informative and highlight areas requiring further research.

Buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) services can put consumers into a debt trap by encouraging consumers to buy things they cannot afford, leading to a culture of materialism and consumerism. Therefore, this research aims to investigate how materialism can influence BNPL use and impulsive and compulsive buying. Additionally, the authors examine if BNPL use and impulsive buying mediate between materialism and compulsive buying.

Data from 556 participants were collected through a structured questionnaire via an online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) using SMART PLS 4 was employed to analyze the relationship between variables and to test the proposed hypotheses.

Materialism impact BNPL use and increases the inclination for impulse buying, precipitating compulsive buying behavior. However, BNPL use does not directly influence compulsive buying. The mediating relationship was identified, where BNPL use, and impulsive buying mediate the relationship between materialism and compulsive buying.

BNPL use alone does not inevitably lead to compulsive buying. The only way BNPL use could lead to compulsive buying is through impulsive buying. Therefore, BNPL service providers need to foster responsible buying habits due to the rise in impulsive buying, which, if not controlled, could lead to a debt trap resulting from compulsive buying.

This study contributes to the limited BNPL literature because there is speculation, but the scarcity of empirical evidence to substantiate, how materialism influences BNPL use and increases the inclination for impulse buying, precipitating compulsive buying behavior.

Food delivery applications (FDAs) are becoming more and more well-liked across Generations X, Y and Z, with Asia experiencing the biggest growth. These three generations of consumers have distinct views toward using FDAs because they were influenced by various social environments, cultures and experiences. Therefore, marketers ought to present customers with various values. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the theory of consumption values (TCV) affects the intention of various generational cohorts to continued usage intentions.

Online surveys were distributed to 745 Thai customers who had previously ordered meals from FDAs to collect information. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis.

Results reveal that there are significant differences among Generations X, Y and Z, while emotional value is insignificant. Generation X is concerned about functional and conditional value, whereas Generation Y expresses the highest concern on epistemic and social value. Meanwhile, Generation Z pays attention to epistemic, functional and social value.

The novelty of this study contributes to TCV affecting the different FDAs consumption value among Generations X, Y and Z, while the previous research only focused on gender and age difference, and this study firstly combines FDAs with TCV to predict the consumers’ intention to continuously use FDAs in the post-COVID-19 outbreak.

This study aims to examine the influence of social media usage (SMU) on minimalist consumption and how the fear of missing out (FoMO) underlies this effect.

Four preregistered correlational/experimental studies (n = 1,763) are used. A pilot study (n = 436) examines the correlations between SMU, FoMO and minimalism. Studies 1 (n = 409), 2 (n = 415) and 3 (n = 503) further investigate the influence of SMU on minimalist consumption intentions, including mindful purchase, forgoing free products and decluttering, and test for evidence of mediation via FoMO by measuring or manipulating FoMO.

The results show that a high SMU makes consumers susceptible to FoMO, leading to impulsive purchases and careless product acquisition. However, when campaigners promote minimalism as a social media movement, they can activate FoMO, persuading consumers to practice decluttering.

Future research might examine how subjective age affects FoMO and minimalist consumption tendencies. Could campaigners use young social cues to make older consumers more susceptible to FoMO appeals? Could old social cues cause younger consumers to perceive greater social responsibility and to embrace minimalist consumption?

Minimalist lifestyles can promote sustainable consumption. This research provides insights into how SMU is a double-edged sword – it can cause FoMO users to disdain minimalism. However, it can promote minimalism if a minimalist campaign is strategically positioned as a social media movement using a FoMO-laden appeal.

Extant consumer behavior research on minimalism has just begun to investigate the antecedents of minimalist consumption. FoMO is conceptually related to minimalism, but the relationship between FoMO and minimalist consumption has not yet been empirically tested. This research fills these gaps by examining SMU and the associated FoMO as antecedents of minimalist consumption. Empirical evidence for the impact of SMU on various minimalist consumption behaviors and the mediating role of FoMO is provided.

This chapter aims to shed light on the role that a sustainable orientation plays in strengthening the relationships between global consumers and online brands. Despite many previous studies about the importance of sustainability considerations for national consumers’ brand commitments and purchase intentions, there is a lack of empirical studies focussing on this relationship from a global consumer perspective. A pre-study (consisting of focus group discussions) and a widely distributed international survey with responses from 74 countries show mixed results. Whereas the results from the focus groups imply that a sustainable orientation influences both global consumers’ purchase intentions and brand commitments towards online brands, the survey results imply that global consumers’ sustainable orientations do not affect purchase intentions directly, even though they influence brand commitments. An implication of these results is that an international online brand’s possibility to portray a sustainable orientation plays an important role in strengthening the relationship with global consumers, especially regarding brand commitment.

Given the increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, egalitarian ecosystems may play an important role to establish equality among various stakeholders. With this idea, the study aimed to understand conflicts and challenges in creating an egalitarian ecosystem in the application-based cab aggregator (ABCA) market.

Narratives of various stakeholders involved in the ABCA business were collected. The study involved narrations from direct and indirect stakeholders up to saturation till common themes were found. Grounded theory methodology using constant comparison was explored to interpret the results. After the results were obtained, root cause analysis was undertaken using the why–why methodology to understand ground-level reality.

In total, 13 major issues were identified using grounded theory for narrative analysis that cab aggregator companies, driver-partners, and riders faced. The stakeholders' inability in the ecosystem to see each other's problems could be accorded to their self-interest, rational boundedness and asymmetric information. These findings collude with Banaji et al. (2004) and Chugh et al. (2005).

This study explained each stakeholder's perspectives about their counterparts that influence non-egalitarianism. The study further suggested possible areas for solving the issues and promoting cooperation.

This study aims to propose increasing the number of dimensions around current intergenerational influence (IGI) construct and renaming it to intergenerational brand influence (IGBI). This research describes the development and validation of the items comprising the dimensions of this new construct.

This study performed a literature review to identify potential dimensions for IGBI based on previous research about IGI. Analysis of items used to measure IGI was conducted to establish a set for each dimension. A structured, self-administered survey was used. Item reduction, measure validation and regression analysis were conducted to measure the predictive validity of the instrument. Moreover, three separate studies were conducted to develop and validate IGBI construct.

IGBI quantifies the various interactions that contribute to intergenerational brand transfer. The interactions could be classified according to one of the five IGBI dimensions: communication, recommendation, observed behavior, good impression and co-shopping with parents.

IGBI recognizes the relevance of influence behaviors such as children observing their parents buy a brand, children participating in shopping and children attempting to develop a good impression through brand loyalty. The first two behaviors indicate the importance of brands advocating purchase behavior as a family activity. The measure of good impression suggests that consumers use brands to maintain family connections, which should be considered a pertinent brand strategy.

This study develops the aforementioned five IGBI dimensions that describe the interactions between parent–child consumers that result in brand transfer.

The study aims to investigate the factors influencing customers’ behavioral intentions to adopt solar net metering systems (NMS) through environmental consciousness, perceived consumer effectiveness and government initiatives constructs along with “the theory of planned behavior” (TPB) constructs, namely, attitude, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intentions and subjective norms.

The data of 472 respondents were collected from 22 states of India using purposive sampling from January to May 2022. The study used international business machines corporation Statistical Package for Social Sciences software for descriptive analysis, and SmartPLS 3.5.5 software was used for structural equation modeling. The data were also checked for multicollinearity, common method bias, skewness and kurtosis using different tests.

The analysis revealed that environmental consciousness, perceived consumer effectiveness and government initiatives significantly influenced the attitude toward solar NMS. Furthermore, behavioral intentions were significantly impacted by three constructs of TPB, which signifies that environmentally conscious customers have a favorable attitude toward solar NMS adoption. Additionally, the role of government initiatives is essential in promoting solar NMS.

This study offers valuable insights for the government, solar product manufacturing companies and other stakeholders to increase the adoption of solar NMS.

This research explores the factors influencing the consumers’ adoption behavior regarding solar NMS; no dedicated study has tried to do so in the Indian context in the past. This study adds novel underpinnings to TPB, enabling better comprehension of solar NMS adoption.