From greenwashing to green trust: Understanding the consumer behavior in the fashion industry.

This study aims to analyze the influence of Social Media Marketing and Word of Mouth on Marketing Promotion with Brand Image as a mediating variable in Flamboyan Gorontalo MSMEs. This study is motivated by the importance of utilizing social media and word of mouth communication in increasing the effectiveness of MSME marketing promotion amidst increasingly competitive business competition. The research method used is a quantitative approach with a survey technique. Data were obtained by distributing questionnaires to consumers who have purchased Flamboyan Gorontalo MSME products. The sampling technique used was accidental sampling. Data analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on Partial Least Square (PLS) through the SmartPLS application. The results of the study indicate that Brand Image has a positive and significant effect on Marketing Promotion. Word of Mouth has a positive and significant effect on Brand Image. Conversely, Social Media Marketing has no significant effect on Brand Image or Marketing Promotion. In addition, Word of Mouth also has no significant effect on Marketing Promotion. The results of the indirect effect test indicate that Brand Image is unable to mediate the effect of Social Media Marketing on Marketing Promotion or the effect of Word of Mouth on Marketing Promotion. The research findings indicate that the success of marketing promotions in the Flamboyan Gorontalo MSME is more determined by the strength of its brand image than by social media marketing activities and direct word-of-mouth communication. This research contributes to the development of digital marketing and brand management literature, and provides input for MSMEs in designing marketing strategies that focus on strengthening brand image to increase the effectiveness of marketing promotions and business competitiveness.

Background: This research aims to determine the influence of digital marketing and E-WOM on the purchase decisions of Wardah Unida Gontor students regarding products. Objective: This research examines the influence of digital marketing and E-WOM on the purchase decisions of Unida Gontor students regarding Wardah products. This study was analyzed with SmartPLS version 4.0.9.0. Method: This study employed a quantitative research design. Data were gathered through purposive sampling, yielding 112 respondents among Unida Gontor female students who had purchased Wardah products. Analysis was carried out using the SEM-PLS method. Results: Findings indicate that digital marketing does not significantly affect Wardah product purchase decisions, while E-WOM shows a positive and significant influence on those decisions. Conclusion: Contains Digital marketing had no significant effect on the purchase decisions of Unida Gontor female students. By contrast, E-WOM exerts a positive and meaningful influence on their decision to buy Wardah products. Keywords: Digital Marketing; Purchase Decision; Electronic Word of Mouth; Islamic Business Ethics.

This study examined the relationship between Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and customer retention among selected grocery stores in Cotabato Province. Specifically, the study assessed the level of CRM in terms of knowledge management, CRM-organizing, CRM-based technology, and key customer focus, as well as customer retention in terms of repeat purchase, non-complaining behavior, and positive word of mouth. The study was conducted to address the limited empirical evidence on CRM practices and customer retention in localized grocery retail settings in the Philippines. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was utilized. Data were collected from 100 grocery store customers with loyalty cards using convenience sampling due to the limited number of grocery stores in the locality implementing CRM and loyalty card systems. A structured questionnaire adapted from existing instruments was used to gather the data. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were employed to determine the levels of CRM and customer retention. At the same time, Spearman’s Rho was used to examine the relationship between the variables. Findings revealed that Customer Relationship Management was rated very high overall (M = 4.26, SD = 0.74), with CRM-organizing obtaining the highest mean score (M = 4.29, SD = 0.72). Customer retention was rated high overall (M = 4.12, SD = 0.84), with non-complaining behavior receiving the highest rating (M = 4.19, SD = 0.89), while positive word of mouth obtained the lowest mean score (M = 4.07, SD = 0.78). Moreover, the study found a strong positive and statistically significant relationship between CRM and customer retention (r = 0.726, p < .001), indicating that improved CRM practices are associated with higher customer retention. The study concludes that effective CRM practices play a significant role in strengthening customer retention among grocery stores. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously due to limitations related to convenience sampling, the relatively small sample size, and the study’s focus on a single geographic area, which may limit the generalizability of the results. The study recommends strengthening knowledge management practices, customer engagement initiatives, and CRM-based technologies to further improve customer loyalty and advocacy.

This research aims to analyze the influence of promotion and word of mouth on the decision to use Aya Makeup services through Instagram with service quality as a moderation variable. The study used a quantitative approach with a survey method of 105 respondents who had used Aya Makeup's services. The sampling technique used purposive sampling, while the data analysis was carried out using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with the help of the SmartPLS 3.0 application. The results of the study show that promotion has a positive and significant effect on the decision to use services. In addition, word of mouth and service quality have also been proven to have a positive and significant effect on service usage decisions. Service quality has the greatest influence on improving service usage decisions compared to other variables. However, the quality of service is not able to moderate the relationship between promotion and the decision to use the service nor the relationship between word of mouth and the decision to use the service. A determination coefficient value (R²) of 0.840 indicates that promotion, word of mouth, and service quality are able to explain 84% of the variation in service usage decisions. These findings indicate that increasing the effectiveness of promotions, strengthening consumer recommendations, and providing quality services are important factors in encouraging consumer decisions to use Aya Makeup services.

Navigating user agency in the algorithmic era: A cross-cultural study of perceived autonomy and media consumption intentions in China and South Korea.

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine whether Islamic attributes in halal tourism function as determinants of universal or segment-specific factors by comparing Muslim and non-Muslim tourists in terms of satisfaction, intention to visit (ITV), and word of mouth (WOM). This study employed a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design, using data from 378 tourists with recent travel experience in Bali. The conceptual model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), while structural differences between religious groups were examined through Multi-Group Analysis (PLS-MGA). The results showed that halal attributes, including general halal services (GHS), banning non-halal services (BNHS), and halal food product services (HFPS), significantly influenced tourist satisfaction among both Muslim and non-Muslim tourists. Moderation analysis indicates that religion only moderates the relationship between satisfaction and ITV, with a stronger effect observed among Muslim tourists, while other relationships were not significant. This study provides empirical support that Islamic attributes act as universal indicators of service quality for both Muslim and non-Muslim tourists, rather than being limited to religion-specific features. This finding offers cross-religious evidence within the context of non-Muslim-majority tourism.

Negative service encounters at borders: Unraveling the impact of cross-border tourism attributes on dissatisfaction, and future behavioral intention.

ABSTRACT This paper aims to develop a measurement scale for artificial intelligence word-of-mouth (AIWOM) in the tourism industry within emerging markets. The target respondents are Vietnamese tourists who are aware of the use of AI tools in the tourism sector. Data for the qualitative research were collected through online in-depth interviews, while data for the quantitative research were collected online through a research company’s panel. The AIWOM measurement encompasses three main components: AI-mediated, AI-generated, and AI-personalized WOM. Moreover, distinctiveness and emotional experience significantly affected AIWOM components, driving tourists’ intention to visit rural areas. Tourists’ expectations moderated the relationships in the model.

Purpose This study aims to synthesize the extant service recovery literature using a meta-analytic approach and proposes a comprehensive stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) framework to examine the relationships among key service recovery constructs. In addition, this study conducts moderation analyses to explain inconsistencies in prior empirical findings. Design/methodology/approach A meta-analysis of 186 effect size observations from 161 service recovery studies was conducted using psychometric meta-analytic techniques, including bivariate, multivariate and moderation analyses. Findings The proposed S–O–R model demonstrates that both core and digital service recovery stimuli trigger customers’ affective and cognitive responses, which, in turn, enhance positive word of mouth and revisit intention, thereby reducing switching behavior. The results further indicate that contextual and methodological factors significantly moderate the relationships in the model. Research limitations/implications This meta-analysis was limited to quantitative studies published in English, which may have introduced potential language and publication bias. Practical implications The findings offer actionable insights for marketers and service managers by highlighting the importance of designing effective service recovery strategies that integrate core and digital recovery stimuli to shape favorable customer responses following service failures. Originality/value This study extends the S–O–R framework by developing a comprehensive, theory-driven service recovery model and systematically demonstrating how contextual and methodological moderators influence service recovery outcomes.

ABSTRACT This study compares the configurational effects of ritual interaction (RI) on word-of-mouth (WOM) in religious, political, cultural, and entertainment rituals. PLS-SEM results show that RI significantly enhances WOM via tourist engagement and sense of meaning. fsQCA further reveals that, across ritual types, RI elements have distinct configurations of driving engagement, sense of meaning, and WOM. Scripted processes are central to WOM for most rituals, whereas contextual elements matter most for entertainment rituals but not for political rituals. This study extends RI theory by validating the RI framework for four rituals and offers strategic insights for destination management regarding the configuration of these RI elements.

ABSTRACT In pastoral communities, seeking animal health services for livestock is a male-dominated activity. Women are not always recognised as livestock keepers and face restrictions on interacting with men outside their households. This mixed-methods study qualitatively identified barriers to women's access to vaccines, tested a gender-accommodative intervention in a Rift Valley fever vaccination campaign serving 909 households, and assessed impact on women’s decision-making, financial contributions, and number of livestock vaccinated. In half of the vaccination sites, local government implemented co-designed interventions to improve communication with women. There was no improvement of the target indicators, indicating the intervention was insufficient to address barriers like restrictive gender norms and safety concerns. About half of women reported contributing financially to the vaccination of animals in their households and were more likely to contribute when the household heard about the vaccination campaign through word of mouth, suggesting that informal communication motivated women’s support for vaccination.

This study aims to analyze the influence of social media marketing on purchasing decisions with electronic word of mouth as a moderating variable at Cititex Kupang, a fashion retailer operating in Kupang City, Indonesia. The research employed a quantitative method with an associative approach. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to 100 respondents who met the criteria: consumers who had purchased or interacted with Cititex Kupang products through Instagram, were influenced by reviews or recommendations on Instagram, and had active social media accounts. Data analysis utilized simple linear regression and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results revealed that social media marketing significantly influences purchasing decisions at Cititex Kupang (t-count 9.733 > t-table 1.660; sig. 0.000 < 0.05). However, electronic word of mouth was not proven to moderate the relationship between social media marketing and purchasing decisions, as the interaction variable showed a significance value of 0.065 (> 0.05) with a negative coefficient direction, indicating a weakening tendency. This research contributes to the digital marketing literature by examining the moderating role of e-WOM in the relationship between social media marketing and purchase decisions, particularly in the context of local fashion retail in Eastern Indonesia, an area previously under-researched. The findings suggest that fashion retailers should optimize their social media marketing strategies through engaging content creation, active sharing, and community building. While e-WOM may not serve as a strong moderator, companies should still encourage customer reviews and testimonials to complement their promotional efforts. This study is limited to a single retail location (Cititex Kupang) with 100 respondents. Future research should expand the sample size, include multiple locations, and consider other variables such as price, product quality, and brand trust to provide a more comprehensive understanding of factors influencing purchase decisions.

Patient loyalty in the emergency department: An extended SERVPERF approach comparing first-visit and return patients.

The digitalization era has shifted the role of social media to become a central axis in contemporary marketing practices. Social media no longer merely functions as a communication channel, but has become a strategic space that shapes public perceptions, interests, and consumption tendencies. This study aims to examine the extent to which content marketing, electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), and brand image influence consumer purchasing interest in Tucicakes products. The study subjects involved residents of South Denpasar aged at least 17 years who had been exposed to Tucicakes promotional content on social media and had purchasing experience. A total of 102 respondents were analyzed using a quantitative approach. Data processing was carried out through validity and reliability tests, classical assumptions, multiple linear regression analysis, and hypothesis testing with the F test and t test assisted by SPSS version 26. The research findings confirmed that these three variables have a positive and significant influence on purchasing interest, both simultaneously and partially.

This study aims to analyze the influence of social media marketing and electronic word of mouth on purchase intention through brand image for Sea Makeup products on the TikTok platform in Pekanbaru City. The background of this study is based on the rapid growth of TikTok as a digital marketing platform that plays an important role in shaping consumer perceptions and purchase intentions, especially among Generation Z. The pre-survey results indicate that although content exposure is relatively high, consumer perceptions of the product remain varied. This study employs a quantitative approach using purposive sampling techniques involving 190 Generation Z women respondents in Pekanbaru City. Data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using the SEM-PLS method with the assistance of SmartPLS 4. The results show that social media marketing and e-WOM have a positive and significant effect on brand image and purchase intention. In addition, brand image also has a significant effect on purchase intention and is able to mediate the influence of social media marketing and e-WOM on purchase intention. These findings indicate that digital marketing activities and user interactions on TikTok play an important role in shaping brand image and increasing consumer purchase intention.

Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) emphasizes the alignment of crisis response strategies with perceived organizational responsibility, yet its application in the sports context remains underexplored. This study examines the effectiveness of accommodative crisis communication strategies in managing reputational damage and shaping fan behavior following a high-responsibility sports scandal. This research evaluates the relationships between perceived accommodative crisis response, organizational reputation, supportive behaviors, and word-of-mouth (WOM). Findings reveal that perceived organizational reputation fully mediates the relationship between accommodative responses and supportive behaviors. Conversely, WOM is influenced both directly by accommodative responses and indirectly through reputation. These results underscore the importance of tailoring crisis communication to stakeholder expectations, as fans’ emotional investments demand transparent, sincere, and proactive organizational responses. This study extends SCCT to the sports domain, offering theoretical insights into the dynamics of fan perceptions during crises and provides practical recommendations, emphasizing the critical role of reputation-building and coordinated responses to scandals.

Purpose This study examines whether humanitarian social-media messaging by logistics service providers is associated with supportive consumer intentions in China through an emotion-response-support pathway. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 584 respondents in Guangdong and Gansu, China. The study used a mixed-exposure online survey featuring humanitarian social-media message executions presented in graphic and video formats. Respondents then completed the focal evaluation with reference to the execution they found more salient or impressive. Covariance-based structural equation modelling was used to test the focal affective-to-response-support pathway. Accordingly, execution-related contrasts are reported as supplementary response-based comparisons rather than as randomised causal tests. Findings More positive emotion was positively associated with humanitarian issue response, which in turn was positively associated with willingness to pay, word of mouth and electronic word of mouth for logistics services. In the pooled screened-sample model, all focal structural paths were positive and statistically significant. Originality/value The study contributes to logistics service marketing by conceptualising humanitarian social-media messaging as a claim-based, public-facing service cue in an intangible service context and by modelling humanitarian issue response as the receiver-side response mechanism linking message-elicited affect to supportive intentions.

This study aims to analyze the influence of Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) on purchase decisions through Brand Trust on Aqua gallon products in Surabaya City. This research was motivated by the emergence of various digital issues related to Aqua products that affect consumer perceptions of the brand.This study used a quantitative approach with a purposive sampling technique involving 108 respondents. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Square (PLS) with SmartPLS 3.0 software. The results showed that Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) has a positive and significant effect on Brand Trust. Brand Trust also has a positive and significant effect on purchase decisions. In addition, Brand Trust was proven to mediate the influence of Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) on purchase decisions of Aqua gallon products in Surabaya City. These findings indicate that digital information first shapes consumer trust before influencing purchase decisions. This study serves as an academic reference regarding the role of E-WOM and Brand Trust in influencing consumer purchase decisions on bottled drinking water products.

ABSTRACT Despite the growing significance of negative customer engagement (NCE), existing measurement approaches remain limited in conceptual grounding and multidimensional coverage. This study develops and validates a multidimensional scale for NCE, encompassing negative attention, negative beliefs, negative affect, and negative behavioral intention. NCE is conceptualized as a reflective-formative, higher-order construct. Initial items were generated through a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews. After preliminary testing, the instrument was administered to a large sample and refined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, yielding a psychometrically sound 17-item scale. Nomological validity was supported by a significant positive relationship between NCE and negative word-of-mouth (WOM). The multidimensionality of the scale enables researchers and managers to identify diverse patterns of customer negativity and to design targeted intervention strategies. This study advances engagement theory by conceptualizing NCE as a complex, multi-dimensional construct, and addresses previous measurement limitations through a systematic development and validation process.