Hedonic Benefits Research Articles

Brand loyalty and electronic word-of-mouth antecedents: the moderating effects of experiences

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze brand loyalty and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) antecedents in restaurants: (1) utilitarian and hedonic benefits, (2) brand satisfaction and (3) brand love. It also provides valuable knowledge through the comparison between positive and negative restaurant experiences.Design/methodology/approachA survey was carried out of restaurant satisfied and dissatisfied consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group analysis (MGA) were performed to examine the cause-and-effect relationship in both groups.FindingsThe results show the relevance of benefits, brand satisfaction and brand love as causes for brand loyalty and e-WOM. Also, these relationships are significantly stronger for dissatisfied consumers than for satisfied ones.Originality/valueThe outcome of the research provides new insights to develop a conceptual stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model of consumers’ restaurant behavior by drawing comparisons across satisfied and dissatisfied ones.

Designing Effective Hybrid Course Curriculum: A Design Science Approach to Gamification and Student Outcomes Validation.

In the modern educational landscape, the integration of gamification into hybrid learning environments has emerged as a promising approach to enhance student outcomes. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive frameworks for designing gamified hybrid courses and validating their impact on student outcomes. This paper proposes a design science-based approach to gamified course design in hybrid learning contexts. Drawing on the principles of design science research, we developed a framework for designing a gamified hybrid course curriculum that incorporates course content, activities, and assessments based on four elements of gamification (achievement elements, utilitarian value, hedonic benefits, and competition). To validate the effectiveness of our approach, we conducted a study with 294 students enrolled in a hybrid business course that implemented the proposed gamification framework. Our findings indicate that all gamification elements of our proposed gamified hybrid courses positively enhance student engagement, achievement, and satisfaction. Ultimately, this paper not only contributes to the 'gamification in education' literature by providing a comprehensive framework for designing engaging and effective hybrid courses but also proposes a roadmap for the application of design science to embed gamification in business course curriculum design within the context of modern hybrid learning environments.

Explanation of time perspectives in adopting AI service robots under different service settings

This study bridges a gap in AI acceptance literature by integrating Time Perspective Theory with the Technology Acceptance Model by examining how time orientations influence AI acceptance in various service settings. The results show that past-positive, present-hedonistic, and future time perspectives impact individuals' privacy concerns and their recognition of AI's utilitarian and hedonic benefits. Conversely, past-negative and present-fatalistic perspectives show negligible effects. The study highlights distinct patterns in credence versus experience services, with future-oriented and present-hedonistic individuals favoring AI's benefits in hospitals over restaurants, and past-positive individuals valuing hedonic benefits more in restaurant settings. These orientations affect perceived usefulness and ease of use, with privacy concerns significantly influencing ease of use. The findings offer significant theoretical and practical implications, underscoring the nuanced role of time perspectives in AI service robot acceptance across different environments.

Perceptions of customer-facing digital technology: a qualitative interview study from grocery retail

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide in-depth knowledge on customer-facing technology and customer experience in the grocery retail sector, including how the value-added potential of customer-facing technologies may be enhanced. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on 30 in-depth interviews with “early adopters” of customer-facing digital retail technologies in the Norwegian grocery sector. Theoretically, the study draws on notions of the customer journey and customer experience. Findings The study contributes to deepening insights concerning how digital retail technology is used and may be geared to further increase value for customers, specifically how retailers may use data on customers and products to personalize digital retail technology offerings and gain a competitive advantage. The findings underline how customer value is context-dependent and show that while grocery retail customers primarily emphasize utilitarian benefits related to customer-facing technologies, hedonic benefits are valuable biproducts. Moreover, the study showcases how personalization is key in addressing customers’ needs and wants, and may serve to increase the overall value of customer-facing technologies for customers and retailers. Originality/value The study’s sector-specific focus on technology in use contributes to enhance knowledge on how digital retail technologies can be leveraged to the benefit of customers and retailers, including customers’ sector-specific needs and wants.

How multidimensional benefits determine cumulative satisfaction and eWOM engagement on mobile social media: Reconciling motivation and expectation disconfirmation perspectives

With the ceaseless flourishing of network information technologies, mobile social media have recently gained tremendous popularity and infiltrated people’s quotidian digitized lives in mainland China. Leveraging motivation theory and expectation disconfirmation approach, the principle aim of the current study is to systematically examine the dynamic influences from multidimensional perceived benefits (functional benefits, psychosocial benefits, and hedonic benefits) on WeChat users’ cumulative satisfaction, as well as to comprehensively evaluate the impact stemming from cumulative satisfaction alongside their stickiness on electronic word-of-mouth engagement (eWOM). Data were gathered utilizing an online survey from 689 active WeChat users in mainland China, and subsequently analyzed employing structure equation modeling. The pivotal findings demonstrate that functional benefits, psychosocial benefits, and hedonic benefits positively influence WeChat users’ cumulative satisfaction. Additionally, the empirical investigation discovers that WeChat users’ cumulative satisfaction and their stickiness significantly affect eWOM engagement. Additionally, the mediating role of stickiness between cumulative satisfaction and eWOM is identified. These obtained results illuminate and provide novel evidence on how mobile social media could drive users and heighten their cumulative satisfaction and stickiness which consequently would propel users’ engagement in making comments on specific products or services in contemporary mobile-saturated environments.

A comprehensive analysis of presence, seamlessness, and player responses in metaverse gaming

This study delves into the complex world of gaming metaverses to explore the psychological factors shaping user experience and engagement. Amidst increasing interest in virtual gaming worlds, it examines the roles of presence, seamlessness, and psychological responses in influencing user satisfaction and continuance intention. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the research analyzes responses from 273 gaming metaverse users. The results highlight that presence significantly boosts vicarious satisfaction, escapism, and self-expression. While seamlessness enhances vicarious satisfaction, it doesn't markedly affect escapism or self-expression. Vicarious satisfaction contributes to hedonic benefits, albeit not to immersion. Both escapism and self-expression positively influence hedonic benefits and immersion. Hedonic benefits positively impact immersiona, satisfaction, and continuance intention. Immersion directly affects satisfaction and indirectly influences continuance intention through satisfaction. These findings challenge established ideas in gaming psychology and provide actionable insights for metaverse developers, emphasizing the importance of balanced game design for optimal user engagement and satisfaction. The research lays the groundwork for further studies, particularly in qualitative analysis and specific gaming genres.

Consumer preference and willingness to pay for 3D-printed chocolates: A discrete choice experiment

This study explores the emerging field of 3D food printing, specifically examining consumer preferences for 3D-printed chocolate bars. While 3D printing has revolutionized various industries, the consumer acceptance of 3D-printed food remains a relatively underexplored topic. A discrete choice experiment was conducted to investigate consumer preferences and willingness to pay for 3D-printed chocolate bars in the UK. Key attributes included in the study were price, chocolate type, and the use of 3D printing technology. Using a mixed logit model, preference heterogeneity was assessed, revealing a general inclination towards 3D-printed chocolates, with an estimated increase in willingness to pay of £0.21 per 100 g. Furthermore, the influence of individual (participants’) characteristics, such as age, gender, prior knowledge of 3D food printing, and food technology neophobia, on perceived benefits associated with this technology and willingness to pay was also explored, using a structural equation modeling analysis. The results indicated that only perceived hedonic benefits, such as improved texture, positively impacted the willingness to pay, while food technology neophobia acted as a significant barrier. The results of this study therefore contribute valuable insights into the consumer acceptance of 3D-printed foods, specifically chocolates, highlighting potential avenues for market adoption and emphasizing the importance of effective communication in shaping consumer attitudes toward novel food processing technologies.

Do AI-Based Voice Assistants Influence Brand Continuous Usage? The Mediating Role of AI-Driven Customer Experience

This study aimed to assess the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistant (VA) on customer experience, resulting in the continuous use of mobile brands. Specifically, this article assesses the role of hedonic, utilitarian, and social benefits provided by AIVA on customer experience and continuous usage of a mobile phone brand. Using a primary data collection instrument, the quantitative approach was adopted to examine the study’s variables. Data from 348 valid responses were used for the analysis based on structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS version 23. Three main factors were identified to influence customer experience, which results in continuous usage of a mobile phone brand. These factors are social benefits, hedonic benefits, and utilitarian benefits. In conclusion, a significant and positive relationship exists between AI-enabled customer experience and brand continuous usage. It recommended that mobile brands consider and research their prospects’ and customers’ social, hedonic, and utilitarian needs to provide them with desired products and experiences.

An Analysis of the Influence of Customer Participation in Airline Loyalty Programs: A Multi-Group Examination

Loyalty programs have long been seen as a critical factor in the success of many businesses. While there has been extensive research into the benefits, satisfaction, perceived functional value, and loyalty associated with LPs, few studies have sought to compare these results across different consumer groups. This study aims to examine how user involvement levels relate to airline loyalty programs. The survey collected 429 responses from individual members of airline loyalty programs, using multi-group analysis with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The findings indicate that satisfaction and perceived value mediate the relationship, while consumer involvement moderates it. A distinction was found between the two consumer groups regarding hedonic benefits, satisfaction, and loyalty. This research makes a valuable contribution to the airline industry by emphasizing the importance of loyalty program benefits and highlighting consumers' role in these programs. Furthermore, it offers practical insights for future research endeavors

THE ROLE OF GAMIFIED CUSTOMER BENEFITS IN PURSUING CUSTOMERS’ LOYALTY: A MEDIATED ROLE OF CUSTOEMR ENGAGEMENT

The social media platforms have become progressively vital in modern era as a means of interacting with consumers and as a means for marketers to focus on online social networks so as to foster loyalty of brands. Purpose of this study is to analyze the causal relationship among the characteristics of gamified customer benefits (epistemic benefits, social integrative benefits, personal integrative benefits and hedonic benefits), customer engagement and customer loyalty with respect to online brand communities on social media platforms. This study also analyzes the mediating role of customer engagement between gamified customer benefits and customer loyalty. Data is collected from 250 individuals and Smart PLS-4 is used to empirically test the hypothesis. Results reveals that epistemic benefits, social integrative benefits and hedonic benefits has positive & significant impact of customer engagement & customer loyalty while personal integrative benefits shows insignificant impact on customer engagement & loyalty. This study shows mediating role of customer engagement amid gamified customer benefits and customer loyalty. Thus, this study may help brand managers to better understand role of gamified customer benefits with customer engagement and customer loyalty.

Influencers and donations: The impact of source and product benefits

AbstractNonprofit organizations (NPOs) are increasingly using social media as a communication platform to promote their charitable marketing efforts. The purpose of our research is to investigate how NPOs can enhance message effectiveness by utilizing a social media influencer and different product benefit appeals (utilitarian vs. hedonic) in their social media posts to enhance attitudes toward the donation campaign and word‐of‐mouth (WOM) intention, leading to higher donation behavior. Across two experimental studies, we show that an NPO's donation post (i.e., social media post promoting a donation campaign) is evaluated more favorably when paired with a hedonic benefit appeal, while an influencer's donation post is more favorable when paired with a utilitarian benefit appeal. Further, we find that the effects of source and product benefit appeal types on donation behavior are serially mediated by attitude toward the donation campaign and WOM intention. As the use of influencers is becoming increasingly popular to support fundraising and charitable causes, our findings provide timely implications for researchers and practitioners who are interested in optimizing NPO communication strategies in the digital landscape.

Robots or humans: Who is more effective in promoting hospitality services?

Although consumers’ evaluation and adoption of robotic services have been widely investigated, the effectiveness of robotic sales promotion in the hospitality industry remains unclear. Utilizing the benefit congruency framework, this study proposes that robotic (human) promotion is more suitable for utilitarian (hedonic) benefits. Based on an experiment with and field data provided by a Chinese restaurant chain, this study demonstrates that robots perform better than humans in monetary promotion (e.g., price discounts) that offers utilitarian benefits but not in nonmonetary promotion (e.g., extra dish) associated with hedonic benefits. Moreover, an anthropomorphic language style can reduce the performance difference between robots and humans in nonmonetary promotion. Accordingly, this study’s findings inform hospitality marketers that humans and robots should be in a cooperative rather than substitutive relationship in sales promotion.

Determining Consumer Perceptions of Sales Promotion Tools by Latent Class Analysis

It is argued that promotion-focused consumers are inclined to products with emphasis on hedonic benefit, while prevention-focused consumers are oriented towards products with emphasis on utilitarian benefit. According to the Regulatory Focus Theory, some people need to approach situations with positive consequences, while others prefer to avoid situations with negative consequences. Sales promotion tools provide a number of hedonic and utilitarian benefits in addition to monetary savings through some motivations according to the promotion and prevention focus of individuals. The aim of this study is to tendencies of individuals to the products they buy with sales promotion tools were tried to be determined by the latent class analysis. The data required for the analysis were obtained by face-to-face survey method with 1006 consumers who voluntarily participated in the research with convenience sampling. According to the results of the analysis, it has been understood that there are 3 classes sensitive to price discount sales promotion tools in cleaning products, while there are 4 classes that are sensitive to buy-one-get-one-free sales promotion tools. It has been understood that there are 3 classes sensitive to price discount sales promotion tools in cosmetic products, while there are 3 classes sensitive to buy-one-get-one-free sales promotion tools.

Fostering the Adoption and Use of Super App Technology

Super application (super app) is a technology that integrates different functionalities for users to access various services in one umbrella app. In recent years, mobile users have become interested in accessing several services by installing a single app while the super app technology is a new business model and has not yet been fully utilized. Therefore, it is essential to identify the motives affecting the adoption and use of super app as a disruptive technology that requires nonsuper apps to reform. In this regard, this research scrutinizes the impact of three main motives: 1) hedonic benefit, 2) utilitarian benefits, and 3) social benefit on the adoption and use of super app technology. We considered user satisfaction and engagement in adopting super apps as mediators. To address this point, this study integrates the technology acceptance model and Social Construction of Technology theory to develop a theoretical background. The results illustrate that quality positively affects the adoption of super app only through satisfaction while social benefit positively affects super app adoption through engagement.

The bellwether of community: The influence of lead users' characteristics on ordinary users' participation in online brand communities

AbstractThe traditional lead user theory proposes that lead users are an important source of innovation. However, little is known about how lead users influence other users in online brand communities. Based on the uses and gratifications theory, we introduce ordinary user‐perceived benefits—including cognitive benefits, social integrative benefits, personal integrative benefits, and hedonic benefits—as mediators to explain the relationship between lead users' characteristics and ordinary users' participation in an online brand community. Furthermore, we introduce the hosting type of the brand community (consumer‐run vs. company‐managed brand community) and explain its moderating effect on the relationship between lead users' characteristics and ordinary users' participation. The finding reveals that lead users' characteristics have a significant positive effect on ordinary users' participation, and that the effect is partially mediated by cognitive benefits, social integrative benefits, and personal integrative benefits. Besides, the relationship between lead users' characteristics and ordinary users' participation is stronger for consumer‐run brand communities than for company‐managed brand communities.

Assessing user benefits and privacy concerns in utilitarian and hedonic mobile augmented reality apps

PurposeThe application of mobile augmented reality (MAR) for enhancing user experiences and consumer patronizing intention has been the focus of recent MAR literature. Few studies examine the differences between apps. This study fills the research gap by examining how consumers assess their experiences with different MAR applications and how their decision-making process is performed, particularly in the setting of smartphones.Design/methodology/approachA web-based online survey was administered to collect data on consumers' perceptions of two different MAR apps: utilitarian and hedonic apps. Reliability and validity of the measurement scales, non-response bias and comment method bias were assessed. With the support of measurement model, partial least square (PLS) was employed to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThis study reveals that the technological attributes of augmented reality (AR) apps have significant effects on consumer perceptions of their utilitarian and hedonic benefits, including interactivity, visual quality, service quality, technicality and aesthetics. Moreover, this study shows that consumers of hedonic apps place more importance on their enjoyment with the MAR app; consumers of utilitarian apps focus more on the accrued functional values. The findings provide practical insights for retailers in AR marketing and application development in the MAR environment.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive viewpoint for analyzing ongoing use and purchase intentions simultaneously in a unified theoretical framework. In addition, it compares different types of MAR apps: hedonic and utilitarian. Furthermore, it is one of the first few studies attempting to provide a comprehensive understanding of the predictive role of MAR technologies by incorporating privacy concerns into the research model based on user and gratification framework.

The Role of Openness Personality in Indonesia an Online Marketplace that Influences Online Impulsive Buying Behavior

The development of technological innovation in this era has resulted in shopping activities through online marketplaces, which are currently trendy and have shown increasingly high sales, which can be used as the right context to explore consumers' impulsive buying behavior in online marketplaces. The results are only hedonic motives and monetary sales promotions that can significantly influence online impulsive buying behavior partially. Openness personality does not moderate the influence of e-wom, hedonic motives, and monetary sales promotion on online impulsive buying behavior. Suggestions to increase strong online impulsive buying, online stores can use stimulating sales promotion activities that integrate hedonic benefits such as providing promotions when releasing new products.

Factors Affecting the Memorable Experiences of Chinese Customers in Duty-Free Shopping

The current research explored the antecedents and consequences of the memorable experiences of Chinese tourists in duty-free shopping. Utilitarian (i.e., savings, quality, and convenience) and hedonic (i.e., value expression, exploration, and entertainment) benefits were proposed to enhance the memorable experiences of these tourists. Unlike previous studies, this study examined the antecedents and consequences of memorable experiences in the field of duty-free shopping for the first time. Based on these theoretical relationships, a research model with 11 hypotheses was developed and the hypotheses tested with data collected from 523 Chinese tourists with shopping experiences at duty-free shops in Korea. The results of structural equation modeling analysis indicated that savings, quality, exploration, and entertainment benefits play important roles in the formation of memorable experiences. Additionally, memorable experiences were found to be an important predictor of brand attitude and brand preference. Moreover, brand preference had a positive influence on WOM.

Metaverse in services marketing: an overview and future research directions

ABSTRACT Although it is still at the inception stage, the Metaverse is likely to revolutionize service marketing and management by disrupting existing business strategies, consumer norms, and marketing practices. However, most of the existing research focuses on the co-creation of metaverstic experiences in terms of interaction, but not on the co-creation of the purchase experience process of the actual products and services. This study proposes a conceptual framework that explains how and why the Metaverse will have significant impacts on creation and delivery of service experiences, the marketing of those experiences, and the co-creation of the purchase experience process through the provision of functional and hedonic benefits to various stakeholders. This study also discusses the potential of Metaverse in mitigating decision risks attributed to uncertainties associated with service experience offerings, information overload, and confusion in the marketing ecosystems and customers’ service experience journey. Since the adoption of the Metaverse will have significant implications for all stakeholders while presenting challenges, implications of the Metaverse and the associated challenges are discussed. This study also provides a research agenda to investigate the possible impacts of the Metaverse on service industries.

Modeling the intention and donation of second-hand clothing in the context of an emerging economy

The culture of fast fashion accelerates the consumption rate of individuals but at the expense of significant environmental stress. With a large amount of discarded clothing accumulating in landfills, it is crucial to encourage people to dispose of second-hand clothing (SHC) as sustainably as possible, especially in an emerging economy with large volume consumption. Through a survey of 619 respondents from China, this study explored the factors affecting people’s intentions and actual donation behaviors toward SHC. It extends the theory of interpersonal behavior (TIB) with environmental factors to construct a research framework, which included cognitive factors (attitude towards sustainable consumption), social factors (sense of community) and personal factors (perceived hedonic benefit) under TIB and the environment factors refers to problem awareness and ascription responsibility. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that attitudes toward sustainable consumption, problem awareness, ascription of responsibility, sense of community, and perceived hedonic benefit significantly and positively influenced people’s intentions and practices of SHC donation. This study will aid governments and relevant green environmental protection organizations in formulating more precise strategies for sustainable development, and promote relevant research on the sustainable disposal of SHC.