Understanding customer satisfaction of augmented reality in retail: a human value orientation and consumption value perspective

Purpose

While customer perceived augmented reality (AR) values have generally enhanced customer experience, AR value would be appreciated the most by a consumer segment that remains unexplored. Drawing from human value orientation theory and consumption value theory, this research proposes a new model analysing the effects of human value orientation (openness to change, conservation, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement) on perceived AR values (playful, social, visual appeal, usability) and subsequently the effects on customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

:The authors employed a two-step online data collection. The first step was to identify those who had used retailers' AR applications, who were then invited to participate in the full survey in the second step. A sample of 253 AR technology users' data was analysed using partial least square and structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results reveal that each human value orientation is associated with its unique perceived AR values and that various perceived AR values influence customer satisfaction differently.

Originality/value

This study shows the pivotal role human value orientation plays in influencing customer perceived AR values and their impacts on customer satisfaction. The findings offer key implications for digital marketing segmentation.

Between Handholding and Hand-held Devices: Marketing Through Smartphone Innovation and Women's Entrepreneurship in Post Conflict Economies in Times of Crisis

There is a wide gender gap in developing countries due to a range of cultural, economic and political barriers. This is even more accentuated in post conflict economies in times of crisis. Smartphones and mobile applications can help to narrow this gap. The economic and non-economic challenges facing women entrepreneurs and the role of smartphone innovation in overcoming these challenges and developing strong marketing strategies were investigated. We drew on the 5 M model to investigate how mobile applications can support women entrepreneurs. We conducted thirty interviews with women entrepreneurs in Iraq. The findings show that mobile applications provided these entrepreneurs with innovative ways to overcome many of the challenges they face in relation to running a business. The research provides theoretical contributions by developing an integrated, multilevel analytical model on women in entrepreneurship based on extending the 5 M model with new technology-related elements. Practical, policy and managerial implications are discussed.

Examining the roles of students' beliefs and security concerns for using smartwatches in higher education

Purpose

Despite the increased use of wearables in education, little attention has been paid to why some students are more likely to adopt smartwatches than others. The question of what impacts the adoption of smartwatches in educational activities is still neglected. In addition, the question of how security determinants can affect the adoption of smartwatches by students has not been addressed yet. Hence, this study aims to develop a theoretical model by integrating the technology acceptance model (TAM) and protection motivation theory (PMT) to study students' adoption of smartwatches for educational purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were distributed to university students in Malaysia. A total of 679 valid responses were collected. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results of data analysis provide support for the proposed model. Furthermore, the findings indicated that perceived vulnerability, self-efficacy, response efficacy, response cost, ease of use and perceived usefulness have significant effects on students' behavioral intention to use smartwatches for educational purposes. In addition, perceived ease of use of smartwatches for educational purposes helps students to realize the benefits of this technology.

Originality/value

This is an original study that develops a new holistic theoretical model by combining the PMT and TAM to study the effects of ease of use, usefulness and security-related factors on the adoption of smartwatches for educational purposes. The study offers practical implications for universities and higher education institutions to improve students' learning experiences to ensure their sustainability using new and innovative ways by exploiting new technologies such as smartwatches.

Customer experiences in the age of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the way customers interact with brands. There is a lack of empirical research into AI-enabled customer experiences. Hence, this study aims to analyse how the integration of AI in shopping can lead to an improved AI-enabled customer experience. We propose a theoretical model drawing on the trust-commitment theory and service quality model. An online survey was distributed to customers who have used an AI- enabled service offered by a beauty brand. A total of 434 responses were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling. The findings indicate the significant role of trust and perceived sacrifice as factors mediating the effects of perceived convenience, personalisation and AI-enabled service quality. The findings also reveal the significant effect of relationship commitment on AI-enabled customer experience. This study contributes to the existing literature by revealing the mediating effects of trust and perceived sacrifice and the direct effect of relationship commitment on AI-enabled customer experience. In addition, the study has practical implications for retailers deploying AI in services offered to their customers.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing customer experiences.

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The study develops a model drawing on trust-commitment theory and service quality model.

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Trust and perceived sacrifice play significant mediating role.

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Relationship commitment has a significant effect on AI-enabled customer experience.

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Perceived convenience and personalisation play a significant role in AI-enabled experiences.

An empirical examination of the moderating role of age and gender in consumer mobile banking use: a cross-national, quantitative study

Purpose

Despite the benefits of mobile banking services in an increasingly digitised world, adoption rates remain unsatisfactory. The present cross-national study examines age- and gender-dependent variations of consumer intentions and use of mobile banking services.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyses consumer mobile banking use by integrating factors such as with trust, security and privacy and it examines the effects of these factors among two demographic factors including age and gender. 897 Lebanese and British mobile banking users completed a survey. Data was analysed by partial least squares-structural equations modelling.

Findings

Consumer behavioural intention was significantly moderated by age through its relationship with facilitating conditions and trust among Lebanese respondents, and performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, price value and habit among their British counterparts. As for gender, a significant moderating effect was evidenced in the Lebanese, but not the British sample, on the level of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, price value and perceived security.

Originality/value

The findings provide evidence of the applicability of the new factors proposed in this research. The reflection of the influence of these demographic factors in a cross-national context provides insights into mobile banking adoption variation between different countries.

Fulminant hepatic failure: Wilson's disease or autoimmune hepatitis? Implications for transplantation

Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) accounts for 10-15% of pediatric liver transplants in the USA annually. Because the onset of FHF may be the first presentation of Wilson's disease (WD) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in previously asymptomatic adolescents, determination of the etiology of FHF is critical as treatment and prognosis differ between these two entities. Patients with AIH may be salvaged by medical treatment. On the contrary, liver transplantation is currently the only life saving therapeutic option available for patients with WD who present with fulminant liver failure. To establish the diagnosis of WD and AIH in the setting of FHF remains challenging for diagnosticians and decisions regarding liver transplantation may be necessary before a diagnosis is firmly established. We report a previously asymptomatic patient who presented with FHF and clinical and laboratory features suggestive of both WD and AIH and who underwent successful therapeutic liver transplantation before the diagnosis of WD could be confirmed.

Cellular localization of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in mouse intestinal tract

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a cAMP and cGMP-regulated chloride channel critical to the regulation of intestinal fluid, chloride, and bicarbonate secretion. In cystic fibrosis (CF), mutations in CFTR result in downregulation of CFTR function and small intestinal obstruction. Unlike the human CF intestine, severe gastrointestinal disease and lethal obstruction is common in transgenic mice deficient in CFTR. The relevance of the physiology of CFTR and pathophysiology of CF in genetically altered mice to that of human CF disease remains incompletely understood. We hypothesized that the expression and distribution of CFTR in mouse intestine may differ from that of human and may contribute to the variation in disease expression between the two species. Using immunocytochemical and immunoblot techniques and well-characterized anti-rodent anti-CFTR antibodies, we examined the cellular distribution of CFTR in the mouse intestinal tract. We identified significant differences in villus distribution for CFTR in the mouse proximal small intestine compared to those previously reported for human and rat. These observations are important to the understanding of CFTR pathophysiology in transgenic CF mouse model systems and bear relevance to the different phenotypic expression of disease in mice compared to human.