Issue #3 (Volume 19 2023)

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing consumers’ intention to adopt health fitness apps. The target population for this study were current users of health fitness apps. The data collection process was completed using a Google e-mail form with a cover letter for the convenience of customers, wherein 308 respondents were the final sample size. Data were collected from current members of health clubs and fitness centers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Most of the respondents were males (56%, n = 308), whereas females were 44%, n = 134. Five-point Likert scale was used, where ‘1’ means ‘Strongly Disagree’ and ‘5’ ‘Strongly Agree’, to clarify the item-wise questionnaire. SPSS data analysis software for research purposes was used to evaluate the hypotheses. Cronbach Alpha (α) value was used to justify the reliability of the variables. Four items measure price value; perceived performance, health consciousness, facilitating condition, hedonic motivation are measured by two items; self-efficacy – by three. The results show that the selected six determinants positively and significantly affect consumers’ intention to use health fitness apps. Overall, these variables can explain 55.50% of the variance in predicting behavioral intentions to adopt health fitness apps. Furthermore, this results could provide significant clues to health fitness app developers that can severely influence users to adopt health fitness apps for their wellbeing.

Branding strategy is crucial in strengthening firms’ market competitiveness. This study examined the influence of brand equity of luxury brands on attitudinal responses and behavioral intentions of consumers towards electronic word-of-mouth. The population of this study was consumers in Saudi Arabia who search about online reviews of luxury brands on social media platforms. This study used a convenience sampling technique. The research data were collected on-line from 277 luxury brand consumers in Saudi Arabia using a quantitative Likert-type survey. SPSS and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used to examine the research hypotheses. The results of this study showed that brand equity and its components (brand image and brand awareness) have significant positive relationships with consumer attitude towards electronic word-of-mouth, as values of correlation coefficient were r = 0.440 and r = 0.396, respectively, at a significance level less than 0.01. Additionally, the results indicated that brand image and brand awareness have significant positive relationships with consumer intention to follow electronic word-of-mouth, as values of correlation coefficient were r = 0.336, r = 0.360, respectively, at a significance level less than 0.01. The findings of this study provide valuable theoretical and practical implications for managers and marketers in the luxury brand sector.

This paper aims to explore the factors that drive brand love for Apple in Saudi Arabia, which have not been studied previously. The study utilized the PROCESS macro on SPSS with models 4 and 15 to analyze the data collected from Saudi Arabian consumers. The findings confirmed that self-image congruence has both a direct effect, which equals 0.429, and an indirect effect through price perception, amounting to 0.083, on brand love. This means consumers who perceive themselves as similar to the brand in terms of personality, values, and lifestyles are more likely to develop a strong affection for Apple. The study also revealed the negative moderation of prestige sensitivity in the relationship between self-image congruence and brand love. In fact, the effect of self-image congruence on brand love is significantly higher (0.504) among individuals displaying low prestige sensitivity compared to those exhibiting high prestige sensitivity (0.323). However, the results did not support the moderation of prestige sensitivity in the relationship between price perception and brand love. Overall, this paper contributes to the existing literature on brand love, self-image congruence, price perception, and prestige sensitivity. The findings provide valuable insights for marketers to develop effective strategies to enhance consumers’ emotional connection with their brands. By understanding the importance of self-image congruence and considering the role of prestige sensitivity, marketers can better tailor their marketing messages and branding efforts to appeal to Saudi Arabian consumers. This study highlights the importance of cultural differences in consumer behavior and provides a basis for future research.

Acknowledgment
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this paper through a large group Research Project under grant number RGP2/407/44.

In the digital age and technological advancements, short video platforms have become essential tools for online sales and marketing. In addition, shopping through short video marketing has gained significant attention, especially among Generation Z, as it brings unique and novel shopping experiences. The primary goal of this study is to explore the factors of short video marketing that influence the purchase intentions of Generation Z consumers in Vietnam. To conduct this study, a quantitative approach was employed, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire administered online through a non-probability sampling method. The sample comprised 350 respondents aged between 16 and 26 from Vietnam, representing Generation Z, who made purchases through short video marketing. The relationships among various variables were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study’s results demonstrated a positive, significant, and direct relationship between all factors of short video marketing, including interesting content, perceived usefulness, scenario-based experience, user interaction, perceived enjoyment, and involvement of celebrities and consumer brand attitude. Among these factors, perceived usefulness is the most influential factor on customer brand attitude. In addition, the study revealed that consumer brand attitude, acting as a mediating variable, had a positive and significant impact on consumers’ purchase intentions. Based on the findings, the study suggested strategies for businesses to enhance the quality and content on short video platforms, thereby improving the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.

Acknowledgment
The authors express a sincere gratitude to all the participants who generously took part in this research study.

Umrah is one of the Muslim pilgrimage journeys to the holy city of Makkah. Many Umrah agents provide good services to attract customers. One of the crucial aspects for Umrah agents is service operation quality. The study aims to investigate the influence of service operations on the value, trust, and commitment of Umrah pilgrims in Jakarta, Indonesia. This paper uses a quantitative approach and employs SEM-PLS to analyze the data. Data were collected through an online questionnaire from 425 respondents. The respondents are Umrah pilgrims who performed their pilgrimage before 2019 through agents registered in Jakarta. However, only 370 responses qualified. The results show a strong relationship between service operations and customer value, trust, and commitment. There is also a relationship between customer value and customer commitment and between customer trust and customer commitment. Service operations also have an influence on commitment with trust as a mediator. However, service operations do not influence commitment when mediated by customer value. The practical implication of this study is that Umrah agents should increase their service operation, particularly information technology-based services, add Islamic and social values, and increase the cognitive commitment among customers.

Generation Z makes up the largest proportion of the world’s population and owns active spending power. Born in the internet information age, they have diverse values and consumer behaviors compared to other cohorts of generations. While there has been a significant increase in research on the purchasing behavior of Generation Z in recent years, there are particularly few bibliometric studies in this field. This study aims to sort out the current research status on the purchasing behavior of Generation Z, identify the evolution of purchasing behavior research of Generation Z, determine key research hotspots, and explore future research directions and priority suggestions by analyzing the current literature. The bibliometric analysis is based on the citation information of 638 literature items about Generation Z purchasing behavior in the Scopus database. The results sort out the knowledge structure of the purchasing behavior domain of Generation Z and draw a visual map of the network. Four popular research themes are identified based on keyword co-occurrence analysis, namely the influencing factors of Generation Z consumption behavior, the comparative study with other generations of consumers, the analysis from the perspective of human demography, and the study of sustainable consumption behavior. Studies on Generation Z consumers’ spending habits from 2001 to 2022 may be divided into three stages related to the growth process of Generation Z. Future research should focus on the influence of social media on the purchasing behavior of Generation Z and the sustainability of their consumption patterns.

The study aimed to determine why consumers purchase smartphones. The paper examined product attributes, social factors, pricing, and brand image factors to assess how individuals purchase smartphones. The study was conducted in the Kathmandu Valley, the capital city of Nepal. The respondents of the study were smartphone users in the Kathmandu Valley. The study utilized positivist epistemology with predetermined hypotheses and a deductive approach with a single ontological foundation. The study employed a quantitative method. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on a six-point Likert scale to obtain the primary data. The population for this study was comprised of Smartphone users, and a sample size of 398 was used. This study applied a convenient sampling technique and a causal research design. The effect of independent variables on consumer behavior was determined using structural equation modeling. The path analysis utilizing structural equation modeling demonstrated that product pricing (β = 0.21, p < 0.05), social factors (β = 0.37, p < 0.05), and brand image (β = 0.41, p < 0.05) significantly influence consumer behavior. In contrast, the product attribute has no significant impact (β = 0.05, p >0.05) on consumer behavior. The results provide future scholars and business executives with a road map to view the emerging context of market development.

Neighborhood stores are a business that is rooted in the social and economic structure of societies in developing countries, so their importance in these areas is attractive to analyze from an academic and research perspective. This study evaluated the influence of culture on relationship marketing between neighborhood merchants and their consumers from an alternative perspective to traditional approaches. Thus, a consumer is presented as a human being inserted in a social reality and not as a matter of simple exchange. The study was quantitative in nature, approached from the deductive and correlational method, for which a survey-type measurement instrument with a Likert scale was generated and validated that evaluated the relationship between variables. The reliability of the scale was measured using Cronbach’s Alpha, obtaining acceptable results for culture (a: 0.85) and relationship marketing (a: 0.93). The results indicate a positive relationship between culture and relationship marketing: trust (0.789; p < 0.00), commitment (0.658; p < 0.00), satisfaction (0.853; p < 0.00), and loyalty (0.753; p < 0.00), so that business relationships in a neighborhood store are based on cultural considerations established and maintained in constant interaction between participating members: shopkeepers, consumers, friends and relatives who attend it with some frequency, have these ties deep, since they have been appropriated through the performance of ceremonies and rites in which values, beliefs, mental representations, trust, commitment, satisfaction, and loyalty of the actors involved are implicit, giving vitality to the relationship between buyers and sellers, which they themselves call “socializing links”.

Acknowledgment
The authors thank the Universidad Surcolombiana and the Universidad del Norte for their support in the development of the research.

The objective of this study was to examine the determinants that impact the inclination of Generation Z individuals to use QR Pay in the context of Vietnam following the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to gather the necessary data, this study conducted a survey among a sample of 415 individuals who were customers of the relevant service or product. The survey was conducted using the Google Forms platform from September 2022 to January 2023, employing a convenience sampling approach. This paper constructed a research model utilizing the technology acceptance model (TAM) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) frameworks. Then, it analyzed the data using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Principal findings indicate that attitude, COVID-19 impact, personal innovativeness, perceived compatibility, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and social influence are significant determinants of Vietnamese Gen Z’s intention to adopt QR Pay. This study provides valuable insights into the factors affecting Gen Z customers’ behavior toward technology adoption in Vietnam under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings can benefit business managers and policymakers, as they can better understand the factors that influence customers’ technology adoption and develop effective strategies to enhance customers’ acceptance of technology.

Acknowledgment
The author wishes to convey heartfelt gratitude to all consumers who took the time to complete the survey. Furthermore, heartfelt gratitude is extended to all parties involved, as well as the Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking, for their incredible support and help, which contributed considerably to the completion of this study.

In today’s fiercely competitive e-commerce arena, online service providers are compelled to focus on improving quality service delivery to remain competitive. The e-commerce market in Nigeria has experienced low patronage due to factors such as establishing cost, accessibility, credit card threat, information privacy, data security, and network reliability. Thus, the study explored the impact of quality service delivery on customer loyalty. A survey research design was used to seek information about the phenomenon of interest from the sampled respondents through an online platform, mobile device, and mail. The study used copies of the questionnaire as an instrument to gather data from 385 customers of Jumia and Konga who are engaged in e-business service delivery. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. The results indicated that the computed t values and the associated significant probabilities of responsiveness, privacy, fulfillment, compensation, insistence action by customers, switching restraint by customers, repeat purchase by customers, customer satisfaction and customers loyalty were 16.08 (P < 0.001), 26.33 (P < 0.001), 12.97 (P < 0.001), 6.75 (P < 0.001), 10.60 (P < 0.001), 7.35 (P < 0.001), 15.75 (P < 0.001), 13.74 (P < 0.001), and 11.92 (P < 0.001), respectively. Given the foregoing, it is evident that respondents perceive a firm’s responsiveness, privacy, and compensation to be significant at the ninety-nine percent confidence level. Furthermore, insistence action by customers, switching restraint by customers, repeat purchase by customers, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty are perceived to be significant at the ninety-nine percent confidence level.

When buying skincare products, consumers are more concerned with comfort and safety and seek for high-quality items. Indonesian-made skincare products must be of the highest caliber and adhere to all applicable health regulations. This study aims to determine whether product quality can effectively mediate the effects of brand image, customer value, digital marketing, and product quality on repurchase decisions. The study surveyed people using skincare products in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, utilizing a targeted sample of 385 female responders at least 18 years old. According to descriptive statistics, background status significantly affects the decision to repurchase skincare products. Structural equation modeling was then used to examine the data. The results show that product quality mediates the association between brand image and consumer value on decisions to repurchase. However, it does not mediate the relationship between digital marketing and such decisions. Another finding shows that in contrast to digital marketing, brand image and customer value positively influence product quality.
According to the study’s findings, product quality is a strong mediator and one of the factors influencing consumers’ decisions to repurchase. Additionally, the brand image of skincare products, which differ in each product’s features, enhances the consumer’s decision to repurchase.

In recent years, the TikTok platform has made a significant impact in the social media market worldwide, now holding a large market share in the short video service market popular with young people. Despite all this success, there is little research on how Internet users become loyal to TikTok. Hence, this study proposes a framework based on the use and gratification theory to evaluate the antecedents of adolescents’ continuous use motivations and behavior, and how they influence teenagers’ continuous use of TikTok. The survey population for this study was reached both online and offline. A total of 362 adolescent Chinese users of the TikTok platform were surveyed. The results show that self-expression, entertainment, information seeking, communication, and passing time were derived as adolescents’ motivations to use TikTok. Among these motivations, entertainment, communication, and passing time positively affect user satisfaction with TikTok. Furthermore, user satisfaction and loyalty positively affect the intention to continue using TikTok. Finally, this study advances understanding of adolescents’ use motivation of TikTok and provides new reference material for the continuous innovation of the short video format.

Acknowledgment
This study appreciated the partial financial support from Research Project of Anhui University of Science and Technology in 2023 (Project topic: Research on the construction and improvement strategy of mobile shopping experience evaluation system from the perspective of experience economy; Grant number: 2023yjrc30) and Key Research Projects of Humanities and Social Sciences in Colleges and Universities in Anhui Province (Project topic: Research on the Management Mechanism and Practical Path of Anhui Free Trade Zone; Grant number: SK2020A0199).

Understanding customer co-creation experience in mobile commerce helps business to tailor their offerings, improves customer engagement, and cultivates long-lasting brand relationships, ultimately leading to business success in the competitive digital marketplace. Anchoring in service-dominant logic and self-determination theory framework, this study aims to investigate customers’ internal stimuli as the antecedents of the co-creation experience and its impact on brand relationship behavior. An online survey was employed to gather data from 499 users of Shopee, Tokopedia, Bukalapak, and Lazada mobile commerce marketplaces in Indonesia. PLS-SEM is used to analyze the conceptual model. The results reveal that customers’ internal stimuli of enabling the self and gratifying the self positively influence the co-creation experience (t-value > 1.645, p-value < 0.001). At the same time, no significant effect was found on the relationship between enriching the self and the co-creation experience. This study also confirms the role of co-creation experience in motivating continuance intention and E-WOM (t-value > 1.645, p-value < 0.001). The findings contribute to developing and validating the co-creation experience concept by demonstrating the role of customer internal stimuli in influencing the co-creation experience, thus motivating customer continuance intention and E-WOM behavior. The findings suggest the importance of the focus given by mobile commerce marketplace managers in designing mobile commerce platforms that can also meet the inner needs of users. A positive co-creation experience can enhance customer commitment and thus encourage positive E-WOM. These factors contribute to the long-term success and growth of mobile commerce platforms in an increasingly competitive market.

This study aims to assess the influence of celebrities on the conspicuous consumption of Saudi youth. A descriptive study using a social survey method with 309 randomly selected Saudi students was conducted. A questionnaire was used to gather data. The model included 36 questions. The study utilized the Likert scale, SPSS statistical software, mono-variation analysis, the least difference (LSD) test. The assessment of the sample demographic variables shows that the research population is diversified. The results showed that the most prominent areas of conspicuous consumption for youths were buying clothes, perfumes, cosmetics, and jewelry (the average was 2.70 out of 3). It was also concluded that the major way that celebrities use to present products to the audience is the indirect marketing method (the average was 2.87 out of 3). The main reasons behind youth following celebrities were the celebrity’s attractiveness and a large number of followers (the average was 2.89 out of 3). The manifestations of celebrities’ influence on youths were apparent in their conspicuous consumption as the youths were interested in being the first to buy the products announced by celebrities, which gave them a sense of distinction compared to their friends (the average was 2.89 out of 3). Unplanned purchases were the main difficulty that youth faced in regard to budget management (the average was 2.75 out of 3). The study recommends intensifying awareness of rationalizing consumption and eliminating the negative values of conspicuous consumption among Saudi youths.

Acknowledgment
International Review Board (IRB) Statement: IRB Registration Number with KACST, KSA:H-01-R-059 Informed Consent Statement: Informed Consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
This research project was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, through the Program of Research project Funding After Publication, grant No (PRFA-P-42-6).

South Korea has a good image overseas due to the success of its national branding. With the Korean Wave as their national branding, Koreans introduce their country and culture through Korean entertainment. Indonesia is one of the Asian countries exposed to the Korean Wave, especially Korean dramas. This paper aims to analyze the determinants of changes in perceptions and the desire of Indonesians to visit South Korea as a tourist destination. International strategy theory, international marketing theory, and Korean Wave types are analyzed. The research sample consists of 237 randomly selected Korean Wave fans and non-fans. Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted and modified from previous studies. Respondents received questionnaires on-line via Google Forms. Multiple linear regression analysis was used in this study. The findings show that international strategy and marketing can adequately explain changes in the perception and desire of Indonesians to visit South Korea as a tourist destination. The Korean Wave has a positive and significant effect on changes in public perceptions toward Korea. The significant level of 0.000 <0.05 concludes that the four Korean Wave variables (Korean music, food, dramas, and products)simultaneously have a positive effect on changes in the perception of Indonesians people toward South Korea. However, K-pop and K-food were not found to determine the intention to visit South Korea as a tourist destination.

The Shariah-compliant (Sukuk) bond has been recently introduced in Muslim countries. Sukuk is getting popular among the Muslim population because of its non-interest feature. Thus, this study explores the impact of attitude toward the Sukuk bond, Muslim people’s religiosity, and their subjective norms on the purchase intention of the Sukuk bond in a Muslim developing country: Bangladesh. The study involved 412 individuals who were current customers of Islamic financial products at different financial institutions in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study used a convenience sampling technique. The study used a survey questionnaire to assess the three independent variables: attitude, religiosity, and subjective norms. The dependent variable was the purchase intention of the Sukuk bond. The statistical software package, SPSS version 29.0, was utilized to test the hypotheses considering a 95% confidence interval. The findings indicate that three independent variables significantly correlated with the dependent variable. The highest correlation was found between subjective norms (r = 0.644) and purchase intention. The regression results suggest that attitude, religiosity, and subjective norms statistically impact the individuals’ purchase intention of the Sukuk bond in Bangladesh. It also shows that consumers’ attitude (β = 0.386) has a greater impact on their purchase intention. Also, consumers’ subjective norms (β = 0.302) have the second highest influence on purchase intention. These variables explain a significant proportion of the variability observed in purchase intention. Also, the t-test shows that male individuals have higher purchase intentions than females.

TikTok Shop boosts TikTok’s huge potential as an e-commerce platform that encourages sellers and buyers to increase the number of transactions. The emergence of this feature encourages the online impulse buying phenomenon on the TikTok platform. This study aims to examine the factors that influence online impulse buying on TikTok in Indonesia through the constructs of brand review, sales promotion, customer satisfaction, religiosity, and brand expectation. This quantitative research uses a questionnaire that is distributed randomly online and collected from 312 respondents in Indonesia. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), data analysis was conducted and hypotheses were examined. The results show that customer satisfaction (β: 0.501) and brand review (β: 0.358) play an important role in increasing brand expectation. At the same time, sales promotion (ρ-value > 0.05) has no impact on brand expectation. This study highlights that religiosity (β: –0.239) and brand expectation (β: –0.510) can reduce online impulse buying behavior. Brand expectation (β: –0.510) is the most dominant variable in reducing online impulse buying behavior on TikTok.

Elderly tourism constitutes an important sector within the sustainable development of the tourism industry, attracting an increasing body of research focused on market development. This study aims to outline the progression of elderly tourism research within the past five years (2019–2023) and determine prospective research trajectories and opportunities in the subject. Employing CiteSpace visual analysis technology, this investigation constructs knowledge graphs of authors, institutions, and countries from 332 English-language academic articles from the Web of Science and culminates a keyword co-occurrence knowledge graph. Next, cluster and burst analyses revealed the prevailing trends and focal points in elderly tourism research. The results underscore that while many researchers have been drawn to elderly tourism, the collaborative relationships between these scholars remain tenuous, resulting in the relatively disparate study and the absence of a lead author group. China dominates the field, producing a far greater quantity of studies than other nations. Hence, this study encourages different countries, higher education institutions and disciplines to strengthen cooperation in the management and development of elderly tourism, especially paying attention to the importance of elderly tourism services, quality management and technology integration for the sustainable development of elderly tourism.

This study aims to examine the demand-driven factors that attract foreign tourists to India. This study used an advanced gravity model to examine the factors that drew demand from 15 major foreign tourist destination countries from 1995 to 2018. Descriptive statistics, correlation, OLS, and panel GMM are the statistical tools used in data analysis. The results indicate that the per capita income of India and the countries of origin, the size of the Indian population, and a favorable visa policy all contribute to attracting foreign tourists to India. Meanwhile, the high cost of living in India compared to foreign tourist countries, terrorist incidents, and long distances between India and these countries are some of the factors that discourage foreign tourists from visiting India. The results of the study are robust and compelling and have significant implications for policymakers and the industry. Based on the findings, the study suggests that the Indian government should reduce the cost of living, especially for foreign tourists, by exempting them from paying goods and services tax and other taxes at the departure airport by showing the bill. In addition, security is an issue where the government should ensure the safety of foreign tourists.

This study aims to determine the impact of green marketing (green perceived value), green products (green buildings), and environmental concerns on Jordanian consumers’ attitudes toward buying green buildings in Jordan. The research population includes all consumers in Amman, the capital of Jordan, who might be interested in buying such buildings. A convenience sample is used to collect data from the respondents by distributing the questionnaire among 400 consumers using Google Forms. 357 questionnaires were found valid for statistical analysis. The results of the multiple regression test showed that R equals 0.815, which indicated that green marketing and consumers’ attitudes toward buying green buildings in Jordan are positively and highly correlated, with a percentage of 81.5%. R square equals 0.664, indicating that the variation in green marketing explains 66.4% of the variance in consumers’ attitudes toward green buildings in Jordan. Moreover, the hierarchical multiple regression test showed that there is an increase in R and R2 values in the existence of product awareness as a moderating variable between green marketing and consumers’ attitudes toward buying green buildings in Jordan.