A large part of social marketing focuses on people experiencing disadvantage or requiring support in changing behaviour for societal and individual benefit. At the core of social marketing, the concept of consumer vulnerability has been developed into customer vulnerability to include not only individuals who consumes but also the buyer who obtains the good, service, […]

Variety-seeking occurs when consumers diversify their choices in one consumption or switch between different choices over time. For example, consumers may select different colours in a pack of highlighter pens or buy different flavours of fruit juices rather than multiple bottles of the same flavour. Empirical research on drivers of variety-seeking largely focused on the […]

Store layout, floor area design, and product placement are important in-store marketing tactics that can influence customer decisions and in turn boost sales and profitability. Therefore, retail stores such as supermarkets and warehouses are prioritising their budget for sophisticated marketing strategies to ensure an efficient store layout. This would attract customers to the store, keep […]

Online service communities are increasingly developed where consumers can interact with each other and service providers can offer support services and enhanced benefits through technology, such as forums and social media. However, these communities are transforming into online “third places” where consumers socialise and form lasting social connections, which is beyond the scope for which […]

Touch is one of the most important senses that allows consumers to directly experience a product. Haptic information, attained through touch, can influence consumers’ evaluations of a product. Products’ haptic information can vary in terms of their material properties, including texture, weight, hardness, and temperature, and in terms of how salient these properties are to […]

In hospitality services such as restaurants, service triads consisting of technology, customer, and frontline employees (FLEs) are becoming more common, with service robots supporting FLEs in performing advanced frontline tasks such as talking with customers or serving food. The Covid-19 pandemic has further amplified the importance of service robots due to the need to minimise […]

A product, say a cup of tea or a croissant at a bakery, is often given a unique name to describe the product category, imply certain product attributes, and differentiate it from the competition. According to self-congruity theory, consumers either buy products congruent with their self-image or purchase products to supplement qualities that they lack. […]

Firms provide customers with preferential treatment, which are special benefits beyond their core services, such as priority access to the service. This fulfils the customers’ need for status and distinction and encourages their desire to be different from others by using scarcity appeals, uniqueness appeals, and appeals to breaking the rules of one’s reference group. […]

With growing environmental awareness, green consumers are environmentally conscious individuals who seek to consume products and demonstrate green consumption processes with minimal environmental impact. As a result, organisations have started differentiating their products by highlighting green attributes through green marketing communications. However, many consumers fail to translate their positive environmental values, attitudes, and intentions into […]

As omnichannel retailing emerges, consumers now have more ways to shop. For instance, in addition to typical shopping processes, they can also buy online then pick up in store (BOPS) or visit the store to touch and feel the products then order online (showrooming). However, omnichannel retailers may face challenges of between-channel competition or differences […]