Purpose This paper investigates how stockist brand equity is created in the unorganized pharma retail sector in emerging markets despite the absence of any proactive brand-building efforts by distribution firms (stockists). In addition, this study also aims to unravel the sources of stockist brand equity. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from grounded theory, a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews was conducted, and a theoretical saturation approach was used for this purpose. The retailer–stockist (business-to-business [B2B]) relationship in the Indian pharmaceutical market context was used as the study context. Findings The findings show that in the absence of any brand-building activities, stockists’ sales representatives play an important role in creating stockist brand awareness. In addition, word of mouth from other retailers also plays a minor role. Rational and emotional brand associations which are strong, favorable and unique are created 1) directly by the services provided by stockists, which includes product availability, deliverability, accuracy in billing and batch numbers, credit facilities and discounts, handling issues such as product expiry, and 2) indirectly by the services provided by stockists’ sales representatives which includes their frequency of visits, proactive customer orientation rather than sales orientation, fulfilling commitments and relationship with retailers. The strength of the retailer–stockist (B2B) relationship also depends on retailer-driven factors and other external factors discussed in this study. Social implications Strong stockist brand equity helps build trust and loyalty with pharmacies, ensuring a consistent and timely supply of medicinal products, which will benefit their end consumers or society. Originality/value This study identifies the antecedents determining the strength of the retailer–stockist (B2B) relationship, a precursor for establishing retailer-based stockist brand equity in the unorganized sector. This study also highlights the consequences of establishing strong retailer-based stockist brand equity.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial orientation and total quality management on quality performance of pharmaceutical manufacturers in Pakistan. It also investigates the mediating role played by total quality management in the EO-QP relationship. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 115 pharmaceutical manufacturers in Pakistan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. Findings The results show entrepreneurial orientation that and total quality management positively and significantly affect quality performance. Moreover, the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on quality performance is partially mediated by total quality management. Research limitations/implications The study uses cross-sectional data. Therefore, the long-term effect of entrepreneurial orientation and total quality management on quality performance could not be determined. Moreover, quality performance has been measured based on perceptual data, which may be prone to biases, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), quality performance (QP), total quality management (TQM). Originality/value The study is unique in providing empirical evidence linking entrepreneurial orientation with quality performance through the mediating role of total quality management. Quality performance is vital in the pharmaceutical industry; thus, the study makes a valuable contribution by identifying a new mechanism to achieve it. Moreover, although both entrepreneurial orientation and total quality management are very important, only a few studies have so far investigated their interrelationship. By providing evidence from a new cultural and industrial context, the study makes a valuable contribution to an under-researched yet important area.

Purpose This study aims to assess the collective impact of social media engagement and anxiety due to COVID-19 on telemedicine adoption intentions with other constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) concerning anxiety linked to COVID-19 and the influence of privacy concerns on TAM constructs. These constructs encompass the perception of ease of use, perceived usefulness, one’s attitude toward telemedicine and the intention to utilize telemedicine. Design/methodology/approach A total of 178 comprehensive responses were gathered over a six-month period from residents in Mumbai, India, to examine the proposed model. The data was analyzed using software tools, including SPSS version 23 and IBM AMOS 21, to compute factor loadings, assess model fit, estimate path relationships and conduct hypothesis testing. Findings Privacy concerns with telemedicine usage had a significant negative impact on behavioral engagement (B = −0.20, SE = 0.08, p < 0.05) and positively impacted affective engagement (B = 0.25, SE = 0.06, p < 0.01). Similarly, anxiety due to COVID-19 had a negative impact on the perceived usefulness of telemedicine (B = −0.10, SE = 0.03, p < 0.05). Research limitations/implications This research addresses a void in the existing literature by merging the TAM and the Social Media engagement theory. This study reaffirms the impact of past and relevant experiences, privacy concerns and COVID-19-induced anxiety on various components of TAM, thus expanding and enriching the TAM model. Practical implications Healthcare administrators should implement strategies to alleviate privacy-related apprehensions associated with telemedicine platforms. Additionally, they should promote existing users to create and disseminate positive content to mitigate COVID-19-induced anxiety and foster meaningful engagement, thereby enhancing the willingness to adopt telemedicine. Social implications Providers and promoters of telemedicine platforms and services may lean toward employing digital marketing campaigns that rely on emotional persuasion, including tapping into the fear factor to boost subscription and service sales. Such practices raise ethical questions, underscoring the need for well-defined advertising standards to govern the marketing of these products. Originality/value This article is among the relatively rare studies that document the favorable influence of emotional engagement on the intention to utilize telemedicine, underscoring the significant role of emotions in shaping telemedicine adoption Intentions.

Purpose E-healthcare has gained importance, particularly in emerging economies, because of its ability to provide health-care products and services while minimizing contact with the external world, which was particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its advantages, consumers seem hesitant to use mobile apps to access such services. Previous research has found that perceived usefulness, time consumption and price significantly impact consumer willingness to purchase e-healthcare products on mobile apps. This study aims to investigate the role of consumer trust in the willingness to purchase e-healthcare products on mobile apps while controlling for the effects of perceived usefulness, time consumption and price. Design/methodology/approach Data have been collected using non-probability judgmental and snowball sampling techniques from five major cities in India. After the data cleaning process, 238 questionnaires were used for data analysis in this study. The authors used confirmatory factor analysis to validate all the constructs and subsequently used the hierarchical regression technique to conduct this study. Findings The study’s findings show that consumer trust is the most crucial factor for predicting a willingness to purchase e-healthcare products through mobile apps, despite several other variables that also have a positive impact. These findings present important practical implications for mobile app developers, health-care professionals and lawmakers to further enhance the adoption of e-healthcare products on mobile apps. Research limitations/implications The research was conducted by considering primarily young adults (those between the ages of 20 and 45 – above) and targeted five cities in India. This highlights a limitation in the research, as small groups of the intended audience were included (mainly young people). Originality/value This study considers perceived usefulness, time and price, in addition to trust, to predict consumer willingness to purchase. Its findings can be valuable in the fields of consumer behavior, health care and technology, especially in emerging markets.

Purpose In an era of rapid telemedicine expansion, patient loyalty is paramount for effective health-care delivery. This study aims to understand loyalty behaviours in telemedicine to refine services. The primary objectives are to elucidate the current state of scholarly inquiry concerning loyalty within the telemedicine sphere and to address existing research deficiencies within this domain. This exploration seeks to provide valuable insights and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this critical area of inquiry. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a bibliometric analysis to investigate patient loyalty in telemedicine. By reviewing existing literature and analysing bibliometric data, the research identifies key deficiencies and addresses pertinent research questions within the telemedicine loyalty domain. This methodological approach aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of the current state of research and highlight areas requiring further investigation. Findings This study reveals significant gaps in existing research on telemedicine loyalty, identifying a need for more focused studies on patient loyalty behaviours. Through a bibliometric analysis, the findings highlight critical areas for improvement and potential strategies for enhancing patient loyalty in telemedicine. These insights are crucial for refining telemedicine services and ensuring effective health-care delivery. Research limitations/implications The findings may not capture all dimensions of patient loyalty in telemedicine, requiring further empirical studies. Future research should expand on these limitations by incorporating diverse methodologies and broader data sets to validate and extend the study’s insights. Practical implications The insights from this study can help health-care providers refine their telemedicine services to enhance patient loyalty. By understanding loyalty behaviours, providers can develop targeted strategies to improve patient satisfaction and retention. These practical implications are essential for the continuous improvement of telemedicine services, ensuring they meet patient needs and expectations effectively. Social implications Enhancing patient loyalty in telemedicine leads to significant societal benefits, particularly by improving health-care access for underserved populations in rural or economically disadvantaged areas. Continuous and trusted care helps reduce health-care disparities and fosters health equity, positively impacting quality of life through timely medical consultations. In the context of medical tourism, telemedicine facilitates reliable remote consultations, boosting confidence in health-care systems abroad and benefiting local economies. In addition, tourists can access health-care services while travelling, enhancing their sense of safety and well-being. Overall, these advancements highlight telemedicine’s potential to create a more equitable and accessible health-care landscape. Originality/value This study fills a critical gap in telemedicine research by focusing on patient loyalty, an area often overlooked in existing literature. The bibliometric analysis offers a novel approach to understanding and addressing loyalty behaviours. The findings contribute valuable knowledge, advancing the discourse on telemedicine loyalty and providing a foundation for future research and service improvements.

Purpose The study aims to examine diabetic patients’ switching intentions toward self-monitoring blood glucose devices, incorporating perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, with switching cost as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was developed using established measuring scales. Data from 321 respondents was collected and analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach. Findings Results indicate that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use influence switching intention. Switching cost does not moderate the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and switching intention. This study reveals important information for healthcare practitioners and device manufacturers. Originality/value The significance and originality of this study stem from its pioneering investigation into the switching intentions of diabetic patients regarding self-monitoring glucose devices through the application of the technology acceptance model, thereby addressing a notable gap in the existing literature on diabetes management and technology adoption, which has lacked comprehensive examination of patients’ transition behaviors in this specific context.

Purpose This paper aims to provide a model that expands the technology acceptance model (TAM) by identifying aspects that influence consumers’ attitude and behavioral intention toward chatbots in the beauty care industry. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on an online questionnaire responded by 211 Generation Z individuals from Morocco. Data was collected based on a convenience nonprobability sampling technique, and a partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to validate the model and test the hypotheses. Findings Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and subjective norms are significant influencers of the attitude toward chatbot. Perceived risk was not found to be influencing behavioral intention to use chatbot, and personality does not moderate the relationship between perceived ease of use and attitude. Research limitations/implications This paper provides insights into the motives behind customers’ attitude and behavior toward chatbots in the beauty care industry and can be relied on as a guideline for implementations technology to boost sales and build strong relationship with customers. Practical implications This research provides new insight for retailers on the implementation of chatbots at the point of sale. Marketers and business owners should be aware of the usefulness and ease of use of technology for Generation Z and be able to interact with them on this basis in order to generate increased economic performance and better brand image. Originality/value The model extends the original TAM and introduces two new constructs, subjective norms and perceived risk, in addition to including personality as a moderating factor. The data was gathered from the under-studied region of North Africa.

Purpose Scarcity appeals in advertising can increase consumer purchase intentions. This study aims to examine the impact of different online scarcity message appeals and the association with consumer attitudes for functional and symbolic aspects of vitamins and supplements. Design/methodology/approach This survey of 789 participants evaluated the scarcity appeals of high-demand message, limited-time message, low-stock message and countdown timer and the association with consumer attitudes for functional and symbolic aspects of vitamins and supplements. Findings The results showed that high-demand messages as compared to regular advertising messages was significantly associated with increased functional and symbolic scale scores. African Americans, Hispanics and Asian/Asian Americans were each significantly associated with increased functional and symbolic scale scores as compared whites. Advertising deception of veracity was significantly negatively associated with symbolic scale score but not associated with functional scale score. Advertising deception of ethical was significantly positively associated with symbolic scale score but not associated with functional scale score. Practical implications In conclusion, high-demand messages may be a particularly useful type of scarcity appeal to use in online advertising for vitamins and supplements. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of online advertising message scarcity types and how they are associated with consumers attitudes for functional and symbolic aspects of vitamins and supplements.

Purpose Preventive health-care behavior (PHB) adoption as a primordial prevention to stay healthy and avoid lifestyle disease risk is a global trend. This paper aims to use the PHB model and stimulus-organism-response theory to empirically examine the role of individual and technological factors in influencing primordial PHB. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-method was adopted to identify the primordial PHB adoption and propose a conceptual framework. The identified determinants and the hypothesized relationships were empirically tested using a convenience sample of 406 urban Indians. Partial least square structural equation modeling is used for data analysis. Findings The derived conceptual framework was empirically tested to assess the role of health literacy (HL), health value (HV) and digital health information seeking (DHIS) on primordial PHB. Findings confirmed the significant influence of DHIS on HL, HL on HV and PHB and HV on PHB. The direct effects of DHIS on PHB and HV were insignificant. HL solely mediated the indirect effect of DHIS on PHB, while the mediation of HV was insignificant. HL and HV fully mediated the relationship between DHIS and PHB. Research limitations/implications The impact of DHIS on PHB adoption and the serial multiple mediating roles of HL and HV are significant in understanding primordial PHB adoption for both academic theory and practice. However, the cross-sectional study on urban Indians needs further validation across geographies. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this pioneering study is among the first to propose and validate a comprehensive model of primordial PHB adoption.