ABSTRACT This study examines how persuasive sustainability messaging translates into environmental stewardship within floating market destinations by integrating the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM). Using survey data from visitors to Thai floating markets, we applied PLS-SEM to test probabilistic sufficiency, Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA), and a combined importance–performance map analysis (cIPMA). Central-route cues, such as argument quality and information relevance, and selected peripheral cues, including, visual appeal, emotional appeal, and social proof significantly shaped awareness of consequences. Environmental stewardship behaviour was driven by argument quality, information relevance, source credibility, and social proof. The NAM sequence was strongly supported. Personal norms further emerged as a necessary condition for stewardship. NCA revealed necessity for awareness of consequences in argument quality, cognitive engagement, information relevance, visual appeal, emotional appeal, and social proof. For environmental stewardship behaviour, necessity held for argument quality, information relevance, need for cognition, visual and emotional appeal, social proof, and personal norms. cIPMA identified the largest necessity shortfalls in information relevance, visual appeal, and argument quality. Findings refine persuasion theory by positioning visual and emotional design as threshold enablers and reaffirm NAM’s sequential logic, offering practical and marketing guidance for destination managers.

Digital environments have become important contexts in which consumers form sensory expectations and evaluate food quality prior to consumption. Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model and attribution theory, this study develops a theoretically grounded process model to explain how visual and textual cues in online presentations of natural foods shape food-related cognition. Specifically, we propose that perceived naturalness serves as an initial perceptual input that can trigger cognitive engagement through multiple mechanisms: directly, via credibility as a validation mechanism, via taste inference as an experiential simulation, and through a sequential chain in which credibility enables taste inference that subsequently sustains elaboration. A 2 (platform type: content-oriented vs. transaction-oriented) × 2 (image scene: lifestyle-oriented vs. nature-oriented) × 2 (text framing: consumption-oriented vs. production-oriented) between-subjects experiment (N = 320) was conducted. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test direct and indirect effects; multi-group analysis examined boundary conditions across experimental contexts; and necessary condition analysis identified minimum required levels of predictors for high engagement states. The results indicate that perceived naturalness has a significant direct effect on cognitive engagement, as well as indirect effects through credibility and taste inference independently and in sequence. The indirect pathway is more pronounced in content-oriented environments, particularly when nature-oriented images and consumption-oriented text are used. Taste inference emerged as the strongest necessary condition for high cognitive engagement, followed by credibility; perceived naturalness showed a weaker but significant necessity effect. These findings demonstrate how visual and textual cues jointly guide anticipatory sensory processing and cognitive engagement in digital food contexts, offering both theoretical contributions to cue-based processing research and practical implications for the design of online presentations of natural foods.

Cleaner greenhouse production depends not only on advanced technologies but also on producers' adoption of safety innovations that protect workers, consumers, and environmental quality. Despite their importance, safety technologies remain under-adopted compared with productivity-oriented innovations, particularly in developing-country agricultural systems. Existing adoption models provide limited explanation of this paradox because they focus primarily on behavioral outcomes rather than the cognitive mechanisms underlying information evaluation under conditions of occupational, regulatory, and market risk. To address this gap, this study develops and empirically tests an extended Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) incorporating perceived risk as a key antecedent of motivation, cognitive ability, and attitude formation. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire survey administered to greenhouse owners and managers operating automated or semi-automated production systems in Iran. Using a stratified random sampling approach, 119 valid responses were obtained from major greenhouse production regions. The sample represents technology-exposed producers engaged in commercial greenhouse cultivation. Results from Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling indicate that attitude is the strongest predictor of intention to adopt safety technologies. Perceived risk does not directly influence intention but operates through indirect cognitive pathways by increasing motivation and perceived ability to process information, which activate central and peripheral persuasion routes. While central-route processing leads to systematic evaluation of safety technologies, peripheral cues remain influential under conditions of limited cognitive engagement. Increased motivation reduces reliance on heuristic cues, reinforcing the importance of informed decision-making. These findings highlight the importance of integrated interventions combining risk communication, capacity building, credible endorsements, and supportive policy instruments to promote safer and more sustainable greenhouse production systems.

ABSTRACT The results of a recruiter behavior training program (RBTP) were reported to enhance informativeness and affective delivery in student recruitment, based on the elaboration likelihood model and instructional theory. Two longitudinal field experiments examined how the RBTP affected recruiters involved in student recruitment for a higher education institution (HEI). The pilot study included 86 recruiters who participated in a 1-h lecture. Recruiters who were trained through the RBTP engaged in more informative and affective recruitment interactions. The intervention study refined and expanded the RBTP to a total of 8 h and examined the effects of this on 100 recruiters. The findings showed that trainees continued to provide more informative and affective delivery for three months and that their enhanced recruitment behavior attracted more student applicants and promoted their pursuit intentions. These findings validate the recruitment-oriented RBTP as a feasible way of training recruiters to attract more applicants during student recruitment.

ABSTRACT Although on-screen engagement metrics (e.g. viewer counts, comments, and likes) in Livestream Commerce strongly correlate with sales, the soaring costs of traffic acquisition and the ambient noise of potential metric inflation cast doubt on their true Return on Investment. This study examines whether these metrics possess a genuine psychological persuasive effect beyond a simple mathematical scale effect. A randomized experiment (N = 495) confirms that high engagement metrics enhance Perceived Collective Engagement (PCE), increasing purchase intention via trust in the streamer and perceived product risk. Crucially, while product knowledge attenuates PCE’s effect on product risk, it does not weaken its effect on trust. Theoretically, this research validates Social Proof’s resilience in low-trust environments and refines the Elaboration Likelihood Model by demonstrating the object-dependent nature of social cues. Practically, the study warns that without a foundational trust infrastructure, inflated metrics merely provide a scale effect rather than a genuine persuasive advantage.

GenAI has become a crucial channel for health information, and people are increasingly relying on and uncritically accepting AI-generated health content. This automation bias in the AI era has triggered a global AI-driven infodemic. Therefore, activating users’ proactive discernment of misinformation is essential to maintaining cognitive sovereignty and collaborative governance. Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study investigates the underlying mechanisms and key factors influencing users’ intention to discern AI-generated health misinformation. Using a scenario-based experiment (N = 594) with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), the study finds that AI’s perceived diagnostic capability reduces users’ intention to discern misinformation by lowering information uncertainty, with AI cognitive tendency acting as a moderator. Additionally, older users show a lower intention to discern. Among information factors, quality has the greatest impact on perceived diagnostic capability, followed by explainability. Transparency and accountability also influence perceived diagnostic capability, but fairness does not, which contrasts with prior studies. The effect of transparency and accountability differs between SEM and ANN, suggesting nonlinear effects. By focusing on the user perspective, this study provides a comprehensive view for understanding the complexity of AI-driven health misinformation communication and its governance.

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) not only affects a person’s social communication and behaviors, but also has an impact on their parents, who encounter different challenges during caregiving. Interventions developed for parents of children with ASD often focus on improving child outcomes and seldom consider the well-being of parents and families. Interventions leveraging mindfulness-based approaches have been developed to support parents of children with ASD, but the costs, inflexibility, and scarcity of resources may limit their accessibility. App-based interventions can be an accessible, scalable, and economical way of providing interventions at a primary health care level.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to develop an evidence-based digital intervention that complements existing, overloaded psychiatric services, to provide mindfulness-based psychoeducation for parents of children with ASD to improve their mental well-being.MethodsThe app development process follows the systematic approach of intervention mapping. Needs assessment was first conducted through semistructured qualitative interviews with health care professionals. Performance and change objectives were specified; theory-based and practical application methods were selected, followed by the design of the curriculum for a structured intervention. A pilot waitlist randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the app with parents of children with ASD recruited from a tertiary child psychiatric service in Hong Kong.ResultsThe resulting intervention, the TRIP app, is a 6-week structured intervention consisting of 6 sessions per week (each session lasting 15‐20 minutes), covering topics on ASD parenting skills and mindfulness practices. The six weekly themes include (1) cultivating curiosity in parenting, (2) mindfulness of the breath and body, (3) management of core and associated features of ASD, (4) managing conflicts and setting boundaries, (5) perspective taking, and (6) cultivating self-compassion. The curriculum was designed to target the determinants of parental stress, including parents’ knowledge, skills, emotions, and attitudes. App content and features were designed to incorporate behavioral change techniques, social cognitive theory, and elaboration likelihood model, to enhance efficacy and promote long-term usage. The app was found to be feasible and acceptable in the pilot randomized controlled trial (n=40), with greater long-term usage among parents of children on the waiting list who were yet to receive diagnostic assessment and clinical management, when compared with parents of children who have already been receiving clinical care.ConclusionsThe TRIP app was developed based on knowledge and expertise across psychiatry, public health, behavioral science, and implementation science. It caters to the unmet needs for improving caregiver well-being in the holistic care model for families of children with ASD. The clinical efficacy of the TRIP app is yet to be evaluated through clinical trials.

BackgroundDespite the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine being available to males for the past 12 years, adolescent males continue to lag in HPV vaccine uptake due to a variety of factors. With the ubiquitous nature of social media use among this population, further research is needed to improve HPV vaccine confidence among young adolescent males using these platforms.ObjectiveUsing the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study sought to better understand knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HPV and HPV vaccination among male adolescents aged 14-17 years and examine how social media messaging influences vaccine perceptions and explore the characteristics of persuasion and trustworthiness of digital content narratives across age and vaccination status.MethodsThe study team recruited 18 adolescent males to participate in a series of online focus groups and interviews stratified by age (14-15 years and 16-17 years) and HPV vaccination status. The study team worked with our in-house national probability survey panel, AmeriSpeak Teen Panel, to recruit for the discussion groups and interviews. All discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded using NVivo 14 (Lumivero). ELM was used to develop discussion guides, codebook, and analysis. Emergent themes were identified, and the full team participated in double-coding and analysis. Data were analyzed using rigorous thematic analysis to identify patterns across groups.ResultsKnowledge of HPV varied by age and vaccination status. Older, vaccinated adolescents were more likely to understand that HPV affects both genders and is sexually transmitted, whereas younger, unvaccinated adolescents often had little to no prior awareness. Parents—especially mothers—were the primary decision-makers for vaccinated adolescents, with older adolescents more likely to be engaged in that decision. Trust in social media health messages was low overall, with participants relying on perceived source credibility over content format or style. Trusted sources included parents, physicians, and well-known health organizations. Younger adolescents were more influenced by personal anecdotes, whereas older adolescents preferred statistics, facts, and reliable sources.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the importance of tailoring HPV vaccine messaging by age and developmental stage. Trusted messengers, clear factual content, and platform appropriateness are critical for engaging adolescent males. ELM provides a useful lens for interpreting these findings: younger adolescents were more influenced by peripheral cues, personal stories, or visual appeal, whereas older adolescents engaged in more central processing, evaluating the credibility of the source and the factual content of the message. This underscores the need to match message strategies with adolescents’ cognitive and motivational readiness. Future interventions should consider dual strategies targeting both youth and parents, especially for younger adolescents. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, further research should also examine how generative artificial intelligence (AI) may serve as a trusted source or tool for communicating accurate, engaging health information to adolescent audiences.

ABSTRACT How do audiences respond to AI-authored news content? This study draws on Source Credibility Theory, the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM), and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to examine how source attribution (AI vs. human journalist) and news topic (economy vs. immigration) affect perceived news credibility. It also explores whether AI familiarity and personal topic involvement moderate this relationship, and whether perceived credibility predicts future AI news selection. A preregistered 2 (source: AI vs. human journalist) × 2 (topic: economy vs. immigration) between-subjects experiment (N = 1,012) was conducted. Results show no significant interaction between source and topic on credibility ratings, and neither AI familiarity nor personal involvement moderated this relationship. However, credibility perceptions were significantly associated with future AI news selection among participants with high topic involvement. These findings suggest that readers often overlook or disregard source attribution, possibly reflecting a broader normalization of AI authorship in news. Rather than source cues, personal involvement with the issue emerged as a more influential factor in shaping future engagement with AI-generated news. The study highlights the need for more effective strategies to signal AI authorship and informs ongoing debates about transparency and trust in AI-powered journalism.

PurposeThis study aimed to assess levels of knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) and its vaccine among female undergraduates compare these levels between healthcare and non-healthcare majors, and examine their associations with vaccination willingness.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,293 female undergraduate students from two universities in Chengdu. Knowledge was measured using a self-designed questionnaire, categorized into basic and advanced domains. Vaccination willingness was assessed via a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance and hierarchical multiple regression to identify associations and compare the two student groups.ResultsA total of 1191 valid questionnaires were analyzed. Participants demonstrated moderate basic knowledge of HPV (mean score = 5.21 ± 1.91/8) and its vaccine (mean score = 2.99 ± 1.05/5), but low advanced knowledge of HPV (mean score = 1.02 ± 1.03/6) and its vaccine (mean score = 2.00 ± 1.53/6). Students in healthcare majors demonstrated significantly higher scores in HPV basic knowledge (p = 0.023),HPV vaccine basic knowledge (p = 0.012), and advanced HPV vaccine knowledge (p < 0.001) compared to their non-healthcare peers. Overall vaccination willingness was higher among healthcare majors (p = 0.011), students from urban areas (p < 0.001), and those with higher monthly living expenses (p < 0.001). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that higher scores in basic knowledge were significantly associated with greater vaccination willingness (p < 0.001, △R2 = 0.127).ConclusionsThe study confirms a significant knowledge and intention gap between healthcare and non-healthcare students. Basic knowledge of HPV and its vaccine acts as an effective peripheral cue that boosts vaccination willingness, aligning with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). However, widespread deficits in advanced knowledge, even among healthcare students, impede central-route processing and durable attitude formation. Public health efforts should prioritize clear core messaging while simplifying and disseminating advanced knowledge to narrow knowledge gaps across student students with different academic backgrounds.

Purpose Information cues in online medical communities (OMCs) critically shape patients’ physician service adoption, yet their joined effects remain underexplored. Based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the service quality model, this study develops an extended adoption framework to examine (1) the relative effects of central-route cues (information quality and interaction quality) vs peripheral-route cues (electronic word-of-mouth, eWOM) and (2) their joint effects under balanced and imbalanced conditions. Design/methodology/approach Using archival data from Haodf.com, this study applies polynomial regression with response surface analysis (RSA) to capture the complex relationships among adoption cues. Findings Results show that eWOM exerts a significantly stronger positive effect on service adoption than interaction quality. When service quality and eWOM are balanced, adoption is higher when both are high than when both are low. Under imbalance, adoption is higher in the low service quality – high eWOM condition than in the high service quality – low eWOM condition. Originality/value This study advances understanding of patients’ service adoption in OMCs by revealing the asymmetric and joint effects of central- and peripheral-route cues, offering actionable implications for platform governance and physician service strategies.

Stigma remains a pervasive barrier to public health initiatives, which is often exacerbated by advertisements that, while raising awareness of risks and consequences, can also inadvertently stigmatize individuals based on their sexual health status. Transformative advertising offers a strategy to overcome this barrier; however, research is needed to uncover the pathways and mechanisms through which this can occur. Leveraging the Elaboration Likelihood Model and social identity theory, this study develops a process model to identify how advertising can strengthen Anti-stigma Perceptions towards people with sexually transmitted infections. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach (i.e. survey and interviews), it identifies three distinct mediating pathways in which Executional Elements, Message Strategy and Perceived Relatability influence Anti-stigma Perceptions through Advertising Effectiveness. Furthermore, Perceived Risk moderates responses: Executional Elements affect high-risk individuals, whereas Message Strategies influence low-risk individuals. Practical implications highlight considerations for designing public health advertising that drive effectiveness and reshape societal issues.

ABSTRACT This study examines whether consumers notice formal green certifications compared to the implicit conservation signals embedded in online reviws of cross-continental conservation destinations, using Signaling Theory and the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List framework, Good Governance, Sound Design and Planning, Effective Management, and Successful Conservation Outcomes. The study analyzes 11,713 public reviews from Africa, South America (Brazil and Colombia), and Australia. Topic modelling and emotion mining reveal consistent implicit signals (biodiversity, wildlife, clean water, nature reserves) and governance cues (well-managed sites, good guides, safety). Sentiment was largely positive, dominated by joy and trust. Conservation explicitness varied, from subtle in Brazil to moderate in Australia and stronger in Colombia and Africa. These patterns align with Green List principles, suggesting that destinations with stronger governance and management practices naturally generate review language reflecting certification values, even without label recognition. Destination managers and certification bodies should strengthen clear, credible, emotionally resonant signals to connect visitor perceptions with recognised certifications.

Tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use continue to pose substantial public health challenges in China. Although public service announcements (PSAs) are widely used for prevention, little is known about how these messages are constructed or the extent to which they draw on established health communication theories. This exploratory study aimed to characterize the design features of anti-substance use PSAs in China, assess their use of constructs from the extended parallel process model (EPPM) and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), and compare patterns across anti-substance use PSAs. We conducted a content analysis of 89 publicly available anti-substance use PSAs produced in mainland China. Messages were identified via major Chinese video platforms and institutional websites and then screened using predefined eligibility criteria. Variables captured message source, intended audience, framing, substance depiction, cultural appeals, and EPPM and ELM components. Frequencies and proportions were calculated, and χ2 tests were used to examine differences by PSA type. To account for multiple comparisons, P values were adjusted using the Holm-Bonferroni correction. Most PSAs did not identify a target audience (54/89, 60.7%), and public security departments were the most common sponsors (n=37, 41.2%), while none were sponsored by public health agencies. Theory use was selective: response efficacy (n=63, 70.8%) and perceived severity (n=55, 61.8%) appeared more often than self-efficacy (n=45, 50.6%) and perceived susceptibility (n=34, 38.2%); peripheral cues (n=79, 88.8%) were more common than central route cues (n=16, 18%). Differences across PSA types were observed in sponsorship, message features, and theoretical constructs. After adjustment for multiple comparisons, associations involving sponsoring organizations (public security departments and Chinese media) and perceived susceptibility remained statistically significant (all adjusted P=.01). Antidrug PSAs were predominantly associated with public security sponsorship, whereas antialcohol and antitobacco PSAs were more frequently linked to Chinese media sources. Perceived susceptibility cues were more common in antismoking PSAs than in antidrug PSAs, while other differences in framing, substance cues, cultural appeals, and ELM or EPPM constructs were not statistically significant after adjustment. Anti-substance use PSAs in China were characterized by limited audience segmentation and uneven use of theory-based persuasive strategies. Observed differences across alcohol-, tobacco-, and drug-focused messages suggest that PSA design may be shaped not only by partial application of communication theory but also by institutional influences and substance-specific contexts. These findings highlight the need for more context-sensitive and theory-informed approaches to anti-substance use PSA design in China.

As short-form videos continue to gain popularity, more marketing and branding activities are being conducted on these platforms to engage consumers. This study aims to exaime the effects of short-form video content features and executional elements on consumer engagement behaviors, as well as the moderating effect of brand type (domestic vs. international, macro vs. micro). Based in the Chinese context, this research collected a dataset of 6,606 Douyin short videos through web scraping and manual coding and employed Negative Binomial regression for analysis. The research findings show that content features (informativeness, emotional intensity, interactivity) have different effects on likes, comments and shares. Subtitles negatively affect comments and shares, while vocal background music positively influences all three engagement behaviors. These effects vary by brand type. This study broadens the application of the Elaboration Likelihood Model from the standpoint of firm-generated content, and it provides practical guidance for designing attractive branded short-form videos.

ABSTRACT With the increasing importance of online healthcare platform (OHP) in patients’ decision-making, their usage psychology and behaviour have received more attention. Based on the elaboration likelihood model, this study investigates patients’ overall satisfaction, trust, and information adoption behaviour towards OHP through central routes (i.e. information quality and level of information exchange) and peripheral routes (i.e. doctor responsiveness, network externalities, and structural assurance). Results reveal that both central and peripheral routes significantly affect overall satisfaction, which in turn has a significant positive effect on patients’ information adoption through their trust in OHP. This study extends the research on online healthcare by employing the elaboration likelihood model to systematically explain the external dual-route influencing factors and internal psychological mechanisms of patients’ information adoption behaviour towards OHP. It discusses implications for promoting the sustainability of OHP from users, OHP operators, and government.

Purpose Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and dual-process theory (DPT), this study investigates how design elements of ecotourism websites influence visual attention and booking intentions, offering evidence-based guidelines for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-methods design combined eye-tracking (n = 62), an online survey (n = 196) and follow-up interviews (n = 18). Participants interacted with a purpose-built beta website featuring six ecotourism categories before completing attitudinal measures. Findings Textual information attracted 62% of total fixation time, yet food-related images drew 2.3 × longer initial fixations than generic landscape photos. Congruent central (detailed sustainability text) and peripheral (official ecolabels) cues yielded the strongest booking intentions, especially when site branding included destination names. Ambiguous labels such as National Parks reduced engagement by 28%. Practical implications SMEs should adopt a layered content strategy that pairs concise, trust-building text with high-impact visuals, integrate destination branding and replace technical jargon with benefit-oriented language. Automated booking widgets and transparent pricing further increase click-through rates. Originality/value This study triangulates eye-tracking with the ELM and DPT to explain how ecotourism website design influences user attention and booking intentions.

Amidst growing consumer concern for environmental sustainability, firms increasingly leverage environmental advertising claims to promote green products. To construct a theoretical model of how environmental advertising claims influence consumers' green purchasing intention, this study integrates the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, the Affect-Reason-Involvement (ARI) model, attribution theory, and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework compromising consumer characteristics with information processing, including information content, processing mechanisms and outcomes. Experiment 1 (n=189) revealed that substantive claims significantly outperform associative claims in enhancing purchase intentions, and that perceived greenwashing negatively mediates this relationship, while green warmth positively mediates the relationship between claim type and purchase intention. Experiment 2 (n=193) demonstrates that environmental concern and environmental knowledge jointly moderate the effect of environmental advertising claims on purchase. Consumers with low environmental concern will not be interested in any environmental information. Therefore, there is no difference in the persuasive effect of either substantive claims or associative claims. When individuals have high motivation and ability, they tend to rely on central cues, i.e., substantive claims have a better persuasive effect. When a person has high motivation and low ability, they tend to use peripheral cues, i.e., associative claims are more effective in the persuasive effect. Collectively, these findings advance our understanding by establishing an integrative framework that delineates how the interplay between message characteristics (claim type), psychological mechanisms (rational and affective processing), and individual differences (environmental concern and knowledge) shapes consumer responses to green advertising. It also provides actionable insights for designing credible environmental advertisements and segmenting green consumers.

ABSTRACT The tourism sector faces pressing sustainability challenges, especially during crises. The rural communities reliant on ecotourism remain vulnerable, highlighting the need for responsible tourism. This study integrates social cognitive theory (SCT) and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to examine how self‐efficacy and outcome expectation influence attitude, intention, and ultimately responsible tourism behavior across economic, socio‐cultural, and environmental dimensions. Influencer credibility was proposed as a moderator of self‐efficacy‐attitude and outcome expectation‐attitude relationships. Using a survey of 383 ecotourists, data were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM), complemented by a post‐survey engagement for deeper insights. Results reveal that self‐efficacy and outcome expectation significantly influence attitude, which subsequently shapes intention and responsible tourism behavior. However, influencer credibility did not moderate the proposed relationships. This study advances SCT and ELM in responsible tourism and provides valuable guidance for policymakers and destination managers to promote sustainable practices.

Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers exhibit a distinctive multi-platform purchase behavior: they habitually discover products through social commerce (S-commerce) stimuli—including influencer content and livestream shopping—yet systematically migrate to e-marketplaces to complete their transactions. Despite the strategic importance of this behavioral pattern for platform operators, brand managers, and policymakers, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study advances a Consumer Decision Journey framework comprising five stages—Social Commerce Stimuli, Discovery, Risk Evaluation, Marketplace Evaluation, and Purchase Decision—and integrates Stimulus-Organism-Response theory and the Elaboration Likelihood Model to explain how Gen Z consumers navigate cross-platform purchase decisions. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, we conducted a large-scale survey (n = 423 Gen Z respondents) analyzed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, complemented by 18 in-depth qualitative interviews. Results confirm that influencer persuasion, livestream engagement, and perceived product authenticity drive product discovery; price comparison mediates, and price sensitivity moderates the discovery-to-risk pathway. Critically, perceived risk in S-commerce paradoxically accelerates cross-platform migration and elevates trust in e-marketplaces. Trust in e-marketplaces and logistics reliability each moderate the risk-to-purchase relationship. Qualitative analysis reveals that cross-platform behavior is a deliberate, internalized strategy among Gen Z—a platform arbitrage norm. These findings have substantial implications for S-commerce platform design, influencer marketing strategy, and e-marketplace positioning in emerging economies.