Consumer Point Of View Research Articles

Transformation and Development of New Energy Vehicle Industry Based on Social Policy Inquiry

The new energy vehicle industry has drawn the interest of international attention with the growing global demand for sustainability and reduction of carbon footprint. The growth of the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) industry is profoundly influenced by global policies aimed at driving technological innovation, meeting environmental requirements, and facilitating economic transformation. Multiple stakeholders, from policymakers to companies, from consumers to technology developers, are working together to drive the rapid growth of this industry. By analyzing research and practices from various nations and areas, insights can be gained on strategies for successfully advancing the growth of the new energy vehicle sector. From a social point of view more environmentally friendly, reducing the pollution of the traditional class of oil vehicles on the environment; from the consumer point of view, due to the fierce competition in the growth of the automotive new energy sector, the businessman will provide more tempting products to attract consumers, to promote the consumer to pick the price is more suitable for the quality of the product better, and further increase customer satisfaction. The future development of the new energy vehicle industry relies on progress on multiple fronts: policy, technology, and market. The healthy development and environmental sustainability of the industry can be more effectively promoted through international cooperation, technological innovation, and a deeper understanding of consumer needs. Policymakers need to take these factors into account to ensure that policies are both relevant to current market and technological realities and adaptable to future changes.

Drivers of Ethical Behavior Disruption among Drugstore Retailers: An Investigation on Customers' Perspective

In any retail store, it is necessary to maintain ethical behavior by the retailers by providing accurate information to the customer about the usefulness and side effects of the product, not inducing people in an unethical way to the customer so that the retailer can attract the attention of the customers. In addition, the dishonest behavior of drugstore retailers may lead to a massive health crisis in the community. Considering the novelty and significance of this issue, the current study aims to analyze the ethical behavior disruption of drugstore retailers. Quantitative research design has been utilized to analyze drugstore retailers' ethical behavior disruption from the viewpoint of consumers. A structured questionnaire was delivered to 219 customers using a convenient sampling technique. The PLS-SEM was utilized for data analysis. It is identified that the independent variables like easy access to antibiotics, charging higher prices, and selling expired medicine are responsible for the disruption of the ethical behavior of the drugstore retailers. In conclusion, it is noteworthy that the drugstore retailers in Bangladesh are not maintaining ethical behavior towards the customers, which is unacceptable. The paper strives to assist policymakers, particularly the Ministry of Health, in formulating strategies to combat the unethical practices of drugstore sellers in Bangladesh. Furthermore, future research might be conducted from the standpoint of different retailers.

E-waste Management Practices: A Case of Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal

The fast deterioration of electronic gadgets is being caused by the highly competitive electronic market and the rising purchasing patterns of consumers. It can be difficult to handle electronics when their useful lives are ending and when they are replaced or thrown away for various reasons over time. This research aims to comprehend the viewpoint of electronics consumers regarding managing their electronic waste, with a particular focus on Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City's ward no. 05. The factors found in the literature were used to create questionnaires. The questions were created using various sources, including socioeconomic and demographic data, information on E-waste generation and disposal practices, consumer intentions toward E-waste management, and awareness levels. The study's findings demonstrated that while consumers were aware of the issues surrounding E-waste, they lacked a significant amount of knowledge regarding formal recycling centers and other strategies for managing waste. Additionally, it was seen that most respondents were either willing to sell their televisions and desktop computers to scrap traders or wanted to repair them. For instance, the majority of participants reported never receiving any E-waste management training, but many also claimed they would be prepared to pay the E-waste handling organization to participate in E-waste management programs and hence, Itahari Sub-Metropolitan is advised to undertake community-based initiatives to improve E-waste management programs.

Physicochemical, rheological, sensory, and proximal properties of yogurt flavored with Aloe vera gel

Aloe vera leaves have a transparent mucilaginous, showing an important polysaccharides content and potential bioactive phytochemicals. This study evaluated the physicochemical, rheological, sensorial, and proximal properties of yogurt elaborated using Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus and flavored with Aloe vera gel. Previous studies have shown that the variation of some ingredients, such as the percentage of fat or inoculum, can modify the sensory and rheological characteristics of fermented dairy beverages. Different treatments were prepared using a 2n factorial design varying the percentage of fat (2 and 3%), inoculum (2 and 3%), and Aloe vera gel (5 and 10%).All the samples presented pseudoplastic behavior, and the power law equation showed a better fit in all the samples. The higher percentage of inoculum decreased the fermentation time and increased the apparent viscosity. An increase in fat concentration amplified yogurt’s pH, °Brix, and pseudoplastic behavior. Meanwhile, the gel increased the percentage of syneresis and decreased the apparent viscosity.The formulation with 3% fat, 3% inoculum, and 5% Aloe vera gel obtained higher values in these sensory parameters of smell, flavor, appearance, and acceptability. The production of supplemented probiotic yogurt- up to 5% Aloe vera gel is feasible from an industrial and consumer point of view since it shows acceptable sensory, nutritional, and microbiological characteristics.

Physicochemical, rheological, sensory, and proximal properties of yogurt flavored with Aloe vera gel

Aloe vera leaves have a transparent mucilaginous, showing an important polysaccharides content and potential bioactive phytochemicals. This study evaluated the physicochemical, rheological, sensorial, and proximal properties of yogurt elaborated using Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus and flavored with Aloe vera gel. Previous studies have shown that the variation of some ingredients, such as the percentage of fat or inoculum, can modify the sensory and rheological characteristics of fermented dairy beverages. Different treatments were prepared using a 2n factorial design varying the percentage of fat (2 and 3%), inoculum (2 and 3%), and Aloe vera gel (5 and 10%).All the samples presented pseudoplastic behavior, and the power law equation showed a better fit in all the samples. The higher percentage of inoculum decreased the fermentation time and increased the apparent viscosity. An increase in fat concentration amplified yogurt’s pH, °Brix, and pseudoplastic behavior. Meanwhile, the gel increased the percentage of syneresis and decreased the apparent viscosity.The formulation with 3% fat, 3% inoculum, and 5% Aloe vera gel obtained higher values in these sensory parameters of smell, flavor, appearance, and acceptability. The production of supplemented probiotic yogurt- up to 5% Aloe vera gel is feasible from an industrial and consumer point of view since it shows acceptable sensory, nutritional, and microbiological characteristics.

Flexibility services for household consumers in Finland: Requirements and provided properties

The ability to shift energy consumption to a time when a lot of energy is available supports the integration of renewable energy sources. Services that intend to do this automatically are currently emerging in the markets. These kinds of flexibility services are targeted as smart services to household consumers, promising them cost savings, optimal living conditions, and other benefits. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current demand and offering of these kinds of services in Finland. We performed an extensive consumer survey to untangle consumers’ potential, motivation, and engagement in flexibility services and surveyed the properties, similarities, and differences of the flexibility services in the markets. We then defined a quality dimensions framework for flexibility services, with which we evaluated the results to understand the required properties of the services from a consumer viewpoint and how the services respond to these requirements. The results show that Finnish household consumers are quite willing and ready for these kinds of services, and several services are currently available that fulfill some of the identified requirements. Most of the services are currently provided to larger customers, but it should be noted that there also exists demand among individual households. Therefore, clearer incentives, unambiguous definitions of responsibilities, and effortless service introductions are required to motivate consumer participation.

The profitability of flat-price broadband with an over-the-top subscription content product – benefits from cooperation

We investigate the effect on the broadband market when an over-the-top subscription content product is introduced. Does it necessarily increase or decrease profitability of the broadband product when it (a) boosts the utility of broadband but (b) imposes additional costs to deliver the broadband service? The short answer is it depends. The different scenarios that we choose to illustrate this demonstrate that in many cases, the broadband and content providers can jointly benefit from coordination on how the content product is priced. Empirical evidence confirms that coordination does take place where 'network neutrality' is not mandated. In addition to the illustrative scenarios, we run a large number of simulations with a single broadband and single content provider, restricting the firms to integer prices, for different distributions of the customer valuations. The results show that cooperation between the firms (possibly through paid peering) generally produces better outcomes (also from the consumer point of view) than when the broadband provider reacts by raising the price of broadband independently.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Biodegradable Products in Circular Economy and Consumer Perception

The transition towards a global circular economy is widely acknowledged as one of the most promising solutions to counteract resource depletion and environmental deterioration. In alignment with this perspective, there has been a rise in the availability of environmentally friendly products in the consumer market. This shift towards sustainable production and consumption patterns has led to a surge in scholarly interest surrounding biodegradable studies, particularly from the consumer viewpoint, within the context of the circular economy. However, the exploration of this topic, especially concerning the consumer perspective and its role in the circular economy, remains limited in the existing literature search. With the ongoing progression towards a circular economy, there is an evident need for a deeper understanding, extracted from available literature. Utilizing a bibliometric analysis approach, this study aims to enhance comprehension of the present knowledge landscape and delineate potential future research directions linked to consumers’ roles in the transition from a linear to a circular economy, as well as their intent to adopt biodegradable products. Employing boolean operators and wildcard searches, a topic exploration was conducted within the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database on August 22, 2022. The study spanned from the first publication in the field in 2017 to the current date. A total of 51 documents were retrieved for comprehensive bibliometric analysis. To visualize research productivity and bibliometric insights, Tableau and VOSviewer were employed as presentation tools. The findings unveil the involvement of 223 authors hailing from 26 countries. The top three research areas encompass Environmental Sciences Ecology (35.3%), Science Technology Other Topics (33.3%), and Engineering (29.4%). Notably, the majority of significant contributors originated from the United States. Leading the pack of core publication journals is the Journal of Cleaner Production, cited 129 times in WoS. Co-authorship and country collaboration networks indicate a minimal level of partnerships. Through keywork co-occurrence network analysis, three prominent themes were identified: process, materials, and consumers. This analysis distinctly elucidates various developmental stages as well as nascent dimensions that constitute potential focal points for future research agendas in the field.
 Keywords: bibliometric, biodegradable, circular economy, consumer, WoS

Tourists’ Perceptions and Motivations for Local Food

Local foods play an influential role in improving the tourism experience in destinations. Local foods can enormously enrich the tourism experience by connecting tourists with the heart and soul of a destination. Past research has identified various perception and motivational factors that support local foods' purchase intentions, but only from a consumer point of view. As the demand for local foods in tourist destinations is gaining more and more importance year after year, this study investigates the influence of those perceptions and motivational factors on purchasing local foods in a tourism destination. A survey was conducted among 470 US tourists who have visited destinations and tasted or purchased local foods in the last three years. Regarding the perception of local foods, the study's findings show that factors like freshness, trust and transparency, preservatives free, and better nutrition are highly reported. Regarding the motivations to buy local foods, the study findings show that factors like supporting the local farmers, enhancing sustainable agriculture, increasing local revenue, and reducing carbon emissions were highly reported. The findings of this study will provide a holistic experience for the tourists that allows them to immerse themselves in the destination's food culture and support the local economy and community. By effectively developing and promoting the destination's local foods by highlighting and promoting the highly rated perception and motivational factors, the destination can attract more food enthusiasts and curious tourists seeking authentic food and cultural experiences.

Comparative study on the effects of sous-vide, microwave cooking, and stewing on functional properties and sensory quality of goose meat

The effect of sous-vide (SV), microwave (M) cooking, and stewing (S) on selected functional properties of goose meat were investigated in this study. It was measured cooking loss (CL), texture and color parameters, and sensory evaluation was carried out. The material were 96 breast muscles (BM, n=48 with skin and subcutaneous fat and n=48 without skin) from 17-wk-old "Polish oat geese." The kind of heat treatment and the type of goose meat and interaction the type of meat×heat treatment affected the amount of CL. The lowest value of CL was stated for SV samples. The meat with skin was characterized by a lower shear force value (SF), hardness, gumminess, and chewiness than samples without skin for all cooking methods. There were no differences in SF value for M and S samples with skin. The S samples characterized by the highest value of SF, hardness and the SV meat by the lowest for both kind of meat. The M samples characterized by the higher value of cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness compare to SV and S meat. All instrumental color parameters were significantly affected by cooking technology (P=0.001). There were differences in color lightness (L*) of investigated cooked samples. The SV meat had the highest value of L* parameter and was characterized by a lighter color among others. The highest decrease in a* value was stated for S and lowest for SV meat. The SV showed more intense red color than remaining samples. The a* value decreased and b* parameter increases with an increase the heat treatment temperature. The value of b* was higher in S (about 100°C) samples than in raw meat and processed by SV (70°C). From consumer point of view the best color had goose breast muscles subjected to SV process. Considering all tested sensory features, the overall palatability of SV goose samples was rated as excellent, S as very good and M as good.

Consumers' switching intention towards E-commerce platforms’ store-to-store pickup services: The application of the extended PPM model

The knowledge of the preference of innovative service consumers is crucial for e-commerce platforms to boost profit, gain a competitive advantage, and achieve remarkable growth. In this research, the consumer's viewpoint was applied. Furthermore, the extended Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) model was integrated into the multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) approach to investigate the elements impacting the consumers' attempt of shifting to the store-to-store pickup service developed by e-commerce platforms. Besides, the development of the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) was for the investigation into the reciprocal effects of evaluation dimensions and factors and the development of an influential network relation map (NRM). The DEMATEL-based Analytic Network Process (DANP) was used to calculate the influential weights of these dimensions and factors. It could be seen from the NRM that the first dimension that required improvement and adjustment ought to begin with a push and subsequently a pull, mooring, switching intentions, and inertia. The influential weights from the DANP highlighted inertia as the most impactful dimension, with mooring coming in second. Meanwhile, push held the lowest significance. The next discussion focuses on the theoretical, managerial and practical implications.

CAM-YOLO: tomato detection and classification based on improved YOLOv5 using combining attention mechanism.

One of the key elements in maintaining the consistent marketing of tomato fruit is tomato quality. Since ripeness is the most important factor for tomato quality in the viewpoint of consumers, determining the stages of tomato ripeness is a fundamental industrial concern with regard to tomato production to obtain a high quality product. Since tomatoes are one of the most important crops in the world, automatic ripeness evaluation of tomatoes is a significant study topic as it may prove beneficial in ensuring an optimal production of high-quality product, increasing profitability. This article explores and categorises the various maturity/ripeness phases to propose an automated multi-class classification approach for tomato ripeness testing and evaluation. Object detection is the critical component in a wide variety of computer vision problems and applications such as manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, and autonomous driving. Due to the tomato fruits' complex identification background, texture disruption, and partial occlusion, the classic deep learning object detection approach (YOLO) has a poor rate of success in detecting tomato fruits. To figure out these issues, this article proposes an improved YOLOv5 tomato detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm CAM-YOLO uses YOLOv5 for feature extraction, target identification and Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM). The CBAM is added to the CAM-YOLO to focus the model on improving accuracy. Finally, non-maximum suppression and distance intersection over union (DIoU) are applied to enhance the identification of overlapping objects in the image. Several images from the dataset were chosen for testing to assess the model's performance, and the detection performance of the CAM-YOLO and standard YOLOv5 models under various conditions was compared. The experimental results affirms that CAM-YOLO algorithm is efficient in detecting the overlapped and small tomatoes with an average precision of 88.1%.

Discard the false and retain the true: the effect of hypocrisy on the cognitive legitimacy of social enterprises

PurposeHypocrisy often observed in the social responsibility practices of commercial enterprises is more likely to occur in social enterprises. However, this issue has received little research attention. This study explores, from a consumer perspective, the formation of perceived hypocrisy and its impact on the cognitive legitimacy of social enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThis research conducted two experiments, and data were collected from 515 subjects in China to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsBehavioral inconsistency in social enterprises leads to consumers' perceived hypocrisy. The higher the perceived hypocrisy towards social enterprises, the weaker their cognitive legitimacy of social enterprises. At a lower level of inconsistency, the perceived hypocrisy of social enterprises was lower than that of commercial enterprises. Egoistic attribution to prosocial behavior moderated the negative effect of perceived hypocrisy on cognitive legitimacy. The stronger the egoistic attribution, the greater is the negative effect of perceived hypocrisy on the cognitive legitimacy of social enterprises.Practical implicationsSocial entrepreneurs should be acutely aware of the harmful effects of hypocrisy on social enterprises. Social enterprises should not exaggerate their propaganda or be consistent with their words and actions.Originality/valueThis study innovatively analyzes the damage to the cognitive legitimacy of social enterprises caused by the hypocrisy that tends to occur in commercial enterprises and argues from the consumer viewpoint. These findings enrich the perspective on exploring social enterprise legitimacy.

An Opinion-based research on Cryptocurrency and it's functioning in India.

This paper aims to analyse the crypto market in India from the viewpoint of consumers who could potentially trade in these markets and extend the extent of their behaviour to the importance of a regulatory body within the economy. The central idea of this paper is to estimate the importance of a central bank in the minds of people and how it affects their trust on a currency which is unregulated. This forms the first tier of the paper In order to get insight into the more technical dynamics of cryptocurrencies, the paper then studies cryptocurrency from the point of view of experts who explain the different dimensions of the crypto markets. This forms the second tier of the paper. The paper aims to analyse from the surveys conducted and the available literature, the nature of the crypto market in India with a more reporting approach than a problem-solving model. The research is based on primary data collected by means of surveys and structured interviews. These are termed as the two tiers in the paper. Using quantitative statistical analysis to find the common trend of the sample and a descriptive approach for the analysis of the interviews, the paper examines how the two tiers behave single-handedly and their dynamic when they interact.

The development of a lexicon for Jinhua dry‐cured ham and its application to discriminate samples using descriptive analysis and check‐all‐that‐apply

AbstractJinhua dry‐cured ham (JDH) is a traditional Chinese food with a unique flavor. Its sensory profiles have not been studied using a developed lexicon. In this study, a lexicon to profile sensory characterization of JDHs was developed to characterize samples starting from smelling, during oral processing, and after swallowing. Then the lexicon was composed to profile JDHs using descriptive analysis (DA) and check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine DA data, and correspondence analysis (CA) was used to examine CATA data. The DA data from trained panelists and CATA data from naive consumers were compared by multiple factor analysis (MFA). The result showed a total of 33 attributes composed of the lexicon to describe JDHs including seven terms for odor, six terms for texture, seven terms for flavor, four terms for taste, and nine terms for aftertaste. The application of the lexicon to describe JDHs using DA and CATA showed good discrimination among samples. The comparison between DA and CATA using MFA showed attributes with distinct intensity or significant variances among tested samples located closely on the map, but attributes with weak intensity could varied largely on the map. This lexicon can be useful for manufacturers, producers, and consumers and helpful for the standardization of JDHs.Practical ApplicationsThe development of a sensory lexicon for JDH can be helpful for the breeding of pigs, and the production of JDH with desired characteristics. It also assists manufacturers in differentiating products, optimizing processes, and developing new products with a consistent and expected JDH. The development of a lexicon will help both the trained panelists and consumers to fill knowledge gaps in JDH research from a sensory and consumer point of view. Such data are critical in sensory studies for conducting JDHs from different regions and countries in the future.

The Potential Future of Insects in the European Food System: A Systematic Review Based on the Consumer Point of View.

Edible insects recently gained attention as a potential contributor to the future sustainability of the food system. Insect farming has indeed shown to have environmental and nutritional benefits, but edible insects are still an unusual foodstuff in Europe. The purpose of this article is to analyze the barriers and drivers of insect consumption in Europe and to identify the most promising strategies to convince consumers to include insect-based products in their diets. To answer these research questions, a systematic review of the literature on the consumer's point of view about insects as food was performed. The results show that the main barrier to the development of this market is related to the psychological rejection of consumers induced by disgust toward entomophagy. To break down these barriers, it is essential to increase the general knowledge about the environmental and nutritional benefits of entomophagy. Furthermore, the limited size of the edible insect market appears to be a structural barrier. Expanding the reach of the market and consumer familiarity with edible insects will increase their acceptability. Finally, some product-related strategies are also highlighted. Furthermore, this article brings new knowledge about the effectiveness of the environmental motive in convincing consumers to try edible insects.

A study on the mediating effect of brand trust between perceived legitimacy of influencers and attitude toward brand: evidence from Turkey

PurposeThis study aims to test the effect that the perceived legitimacy of influencers has on the attitude toward the brand from the consumer point of view, as well as the mediating effect brand trust has on the relationship between the perceived legitimacy of influencers and attitude toward the brand.Design/methodology/approachBy using Google Forms to distribute links on various social media platforms, data were collected between January 15, 2021, and February 20, 2021. The population participants were all over 18 and had social media accounts. In the questionnaire, participants were asked to write down three influencers that they followed. They were then asked to answer the other statements in the survey with these three influencers in mind. Participants were included through convenience sampling from the population. A total of 514 people answered the questionnaire. These questions were then subjected to a statistical analysis using PLS-SEM.FindingsThe results showed that cognitive, moral and pragmatic legitimacies significantly affect brand trust. Moreover, the moral and pragmatic legitimacies significantly affect the attitude towards the brand. Regarding the mediation effect, results showed that brand trust has a mediating effect between the perceived legitimacy of influencers and attitude towards the brand.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the main limitations of this study is that the data were collected by convenience sampling. Therefore, the research results cannot be generalised. Another limitation is that the study measures general perceptions of influencers' legitimacy, so it has not been addressed in terms of a specific product group, follower or influencer self-branding issues.Practical implicationsThe managerial contribution of this research centers on the ability to evaluate the influencers and their legitimacy in society; not only by their follower count but also by the legitimacy factors that can be named under the name of primary legitimacy norms. Managers will then be able to use this framework to determine which influencers they want to work with.Originality/valueWhen the literature was reviewed, no study was found that examined and measured the perceived legitimacy of influencers in terms of social norms, values and morals. This research aims to add the concept of the perceived legitimacy of influencers to the discussion in the literature, embody the legitimate framework of influencers' activities and provide a more general conceptual basis for persuasiveness in influencer marketing.

An evaluation model for measuring the impact of omnichannel information processing on digital shopping decision

Recently, the term omnichannel has been associated with some consumers due to their information-processing tendency through physical as well as digital channels. This multichannel viewpoint of consumers tends to offer a seamless digital shopping experience. Consequently, the central objective of this paper is to diagnose the contribution of omnichannel information processing in digital shopping decisions. Elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is employed as a theoretical framework to design the research paper and to understand important contributors of omnichannel behaviour to affect digital shopping decisions. A survey was conducted to organise data from 423 respondents. The proposed hypotheses were analysed using PLS-path modelling and PLS-MGA. The findings supported that omnichannel tendency positively affect digital shopping decision through the central route as well as the peripheral route of information processing. This work offers omnichannel behaviour as a consumer characteristic in information search and analysis. Furthermore, this assignment provided a platform to integrate traditional theories with new concepts.

Factors affecting Arab consumers' attitudes toward online shopping in light of COVID-19: the moderating role of digital marketing

PurposeIn both developed and developing countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new generation of first-time online shoppers. More significantly, academics and practitioners believe that the shift to online shopping will continue in the years to come. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of digital marketing tools as a moderator variable between the independent variables (i.e. consumption patterns, lifestyle, level of income, and payment methods) and dependent variable (i.e. the consumer's attitude towards online shopping) during the COVID-19 pandemic time in Arab countries.Design/methodology/approachA structured and self-administered online survey has targeted online shopping users in six different Arab countries based on a snowball and convenience sample. In total, 577 useable questionnaires were analyzed.FindingsThe findings show a significant positive relationship between the independent variables (i.e. consumption patterns, lifestyle, level of income, and payment methods) and the dependent variable (i.e. consumer attitude towards online shopping). Furthermore, the results reveal that the positive relationship between the independent and dependent variables is strengthened by the existence of the moderator variable, the digital marketing tools.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was based on cross-sectional data collection, rather than a longitudinal study and collected data from six Arab countries. It is suggested that future research should expand the survey in more similar countries to broaden the database for further generalizations and use a longitudinal approach to better assess changes in attitudes over time. In addition, this study focused on the issue from a consumer's viewpoint, so it is recommended that future research could be conducted, but from the viewpoint of marketing managers.Practical implicationsThis study represents a further deeper insight into consumer behaviour; it advocates giving more emphasis on organizations' awareness of their customers' consumption pattern, lifestyle, level of income, and payment method. The findings of this study can help managers and marketers to design a promotional mix to improve consumer's behaviour towards online shopping. The results suggest paying more attention to the high relevant effect of the consumption pattern, lifestyle, level of income, and payment method on the consumer attitude towards online shopping.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few attempts that investigated consumer attitudes toward online shopping in the Arab world. Importantly, it identified the drivers of online shoppers' attitudes in the Arab world. This may be used to develop and implement e-marketing strategies. Furthermore, this paper examines the role of digital marketing as a moderator variable to provide empirical evidence to the body of knowledge of these drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic time in the Arab countries.

Rheological properties of dairy desserts: Effect of rice bran protein and fat content.

Rice bran protein (RBP) is an alternative plant protein that can be used in a wide range of foods due to its unique functional, nutritional, and hypoallergenic properties. The interactions of RBP with other biopolymers have revealed its feasibility for application in dairy products such as whipped cream and dairy desserts. Therefore, the effects of RBP and fat content on the rheological properties of dairy desserts were investigated. The pH value was not influenced by protein, but the nonfat milk solid content was changed by fat and protein content. All the desserts showed thixotropic properties which were mainly related to the molecular disentanglement at high shear rates. By increasing fat like RBP, the apparent viscosity (ηa ) was increased. Rheological parameters such as n value, thixotropic index, storage (G'), and loss moduli (G'') were increased by RBP. Moreover, the dairy desserts containing RBP and whole milk presented generally higher G', G'', complex modulus, and complex viscosity values, and lower tan δ values. The RBP enriched samples also had a higher hardness and gumminess. Syneresis was decreased by RBP, which was related to the formation of ordered mesh-like structures which enabled the entrapment of more water. There was a positive correlation between the rheological, textural, and physical properties of the dessert with added RBP, and therefore dairy dessert attributes can be improved along with fat reduction. However, a sensory evaluation is needed to unravel the acceptability rate of RBP in fat reduction from the view point of consumers. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Rice bran protein (RBP) has nutritional and hypoallergenic properties which enable it to apply to many products such as dairy desserts. One of the main concerns in dairy technology is the growing interest in low-fat products due to health problems. RBP showed unique properties which makes the creamy behavior. The rheological results have elucidated the creaminess associated with RBP and can assist in the proper simulation of mouthfeel.