Issue #4 (Volume 20 2024)

Peer-to-peer recommender systems play a critical role in online shopping in Vietnam. This paper aims to identify the relationship between Recommendation Quality and Purchase Intention and the moderating effects of Attitude and Trust on this relationship. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was used as a research method. The sample consisted of 365 respondents who frequently use recommender system when shopping online. Data were collected using non-probability sampling method. The questionnaire is delivered to online customers who frequently rely on peer-to-peer recommender systems to make a purchase decision. The results show that Recommendation Transparency, Recommendation Accuracy, Recommendation Novelty, and Recommendation Diversity are positively related to Recommendation Quality. Consequently, Recommendation Quality has a positive impact on Attitude, Trust, and Purchase Intention. Besides, Attitude has a positive impact on online Purchase Intention. Trust also has a positive impact on online Purchase Intention. Practical implications are proposed to improve the impacts of peer-to-peer recommender systems on online shopping.

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the purchase intentions of male and female Muslim Gen Z in Indonesia toward halal cosmetics. A total of 434 female and 302 male respondents participated in the survey, and the data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) technique. The results indicated that religiosity significantly influenced attitudes and subjective norms of female respondents (β = 0.170, p = 0.000; β = 0.184, p = 0.000), and affected attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of males (β = 0.119, p = 0.014; β = 0.105, p = 0.092; β = 0.181, p = 0.002). Halal knowledge significantly affected attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and purchase intentions of females (β = 0.149, p = 0.004; β = 0.272, p = 0.000; β = 0.361, p = 0.000; β = 0.185, p = 0.001), whereas it affected attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of males (β = 0.202, p = 0.009; β = 0.370, p = 0.000; β = 0.367, p = 0.000). Halal certification also significantly influenced attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of females (β = 0.200, p = 0.000; β = 0.310, p = 0.000; β = 0.169, p = 0.009) and males (β = 0.124, p = 0.043; β = 0.305, p = 0.000; β = 0.189, p = 0.006). In conclusion, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are key determinants of the purchase intentions of both male and female Gen Z individuals regarding halal cosmetics.

The study explores the moderating role of peer conformity on the relationship between self-concept, economic literacy, and e-money adoption with the consumptive behavior of university students, specifically those receiving the KIP Kuliah scholarship in Indonesia. Data were collected through an online survey of 328 students and analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results indicated that the relationship between self-concept and consumptive behavior, as well as e-money adoption and consumptive behavior, was significantly strengthened by peer conformity. However, the effect of economic literacy on consumptive behavior was not moderated by peer conformity. These findings suggest that while self-concept and e-money adoption are influenced by peer conformity, economic literacy operates independently of peer conformity. The importance of fostering economic literacy and a critical self-concept among students to mitigate the effects of peer pressure on consumption was highlighted in this research. The findings reveal that peer conformity strengthens the effect of self-concept and e-money adoption on consumptive behavior, but does not moderate the impact of economic literacy. The research highlights the need for fostering economic literacy and critical self-concept to reduce the influence of peer conformity on student consumption decisions. Further research should expand the scope beyond KIP Kuliah students to include a broader student population.

Amid rapid technological advancements, the telecommunications sector in the United Arab Emirates increasingly adopts big data analytics to optimize customer relationship management. This study investigates the effects of big data on customer satisfaction, decision-making, operational efficiency, and ethical practices. Data from 296 stakeholders, including employees, management, and customers, were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the Analysis of Moment Structures.
The results demonstrate a strong positive correlation between big data integration and improved decision-making in customer relationship management (r = 0.75, p < 0.001), which significantly enhances customer satisfaction (r = 0.80, p < 0.001). Additionally, big data integration directly influences customer satisfaction (r = 0.42, p < 0.001), further validating its critical role. However, ethical data usage presents challenges, showing a negative correlation with customer satisfaction (r = –0.15, p < 0.05) and decision-making (r = –0.50, p < 0.001). Descriptive statistics indicate strong approval for big data integration (mean = 3.6) and decision-making (mean = 3.93), while ethical practices score lower (mean = 3.38), and the complexity of big data analytics remains high (mean = 4.43), revealing significant implementation barriers.

The primary aim of this research is to investigate the effects of Advertisement Presentation of Contents (APC) and Advertisement Visual Types (AVT) on the eWOM of Sharia hotels. A quantitative approach was utilized, analyzing 202 Instagram posts from five Indonesian Sharia hotels between June and November 2023. The methodology involved the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis using Smart PLS software. The results revealed that visual content types, such as photos, videos, and reels, significantly enhance consumer attraction, with a path coefficient of 0.372 and a p-value of 0.000, indicating a strong positive influence. In contrast, hashtags and links showed no significant effect, with a path coefficient of -0.838 and a p-value of 0.000. The R-squared adjusted value of 0.208 indicates that the independent variables explain 20% of the variance in the dependent variable. The AVT’s influence on eWOM is at a high level (f-squared = 0.042). These findings suggest that Sharia hotels should prioritize creating high-quality visual content to enhance their social media marketing strategies. The study concludes that effective visual content on Instagram can enhance eWOM and improve consumer perceptions of Sharia hotels, enabling them to compete with conventional hotels. These findings provide valuable insights for Sharia hotel marketers to optimize their social media strategies, emphasizing the importance of visual content over textual elements like hashtags and links.

Online travel agencies have profoundly influenced the travel industry by offering numerous essential advantages to both consumers and service providers. This paper aims to examine the factors that influence the intention to continue using online travel agencies in Vietnam, while also assessing the moderating effect of e-loyalty on the relationship between perceived usefulness and continuance intention. An integrated research framework was constructed using the Technology Acceptance Model as its foundational basis. The study utilized the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling approach to analyze the data. The survey data were obtained through an online survey administered to a valid sample of 301 Facebook users with prior experience using online travel agencies. Compared to conventional approaches such as telephone or mail surveys, utilizing Facebook for data collection offers a more cost-efficient alternative. This platform also enables researchers to reach a broad and diverse population of potential respondents, representing a wide range of demographics, geographic locations, and backgrounds. The results reveal that perceived compatibility, perceived ease of use, innovativeness, electronic word-of-mouth, and subjective norms all positively influenced perceived usefulness. Additionally, perceived usefulness is found to have a significant impact on the intention to continue using online travel agencies, while e-loyalty positively moderates the relationship between perceived usefulness and continuance intention to use online travel agencies. These findings extend the Technology Acceptance Model within the context of online travel agencies and provide practical insights for enhancing strategies among online travel agencies in Vietnam.

Acknowledgment
The author would like to thank the International University, Vietnam National University (VNU), HCMC, for providing research assistance.

In today’s fiercely competitive realm of higher education, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) have emerged as a crucial approach for institutions to effectively connect with prospective students. This study examines the influence of IMC strategies on students’ choices of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Bangalore, India. Using a descriptive research design, data were gathered via a structured questionnaire from a sample of 384 students. The findings reveal notable disparities in perceptions of IMC based on gender, academic discipline preference, and institution type. Interestingly, age does not yield significant differences in IMC perceptions. A positive correlation (0.632) between IMC perceptions and choice of HEIs underscores the importance of customized strategies in attracting and engaging students. IMC strategies such as digital marketing, social media engagement, content marketing, alumni engagement, and student ambassadors significantly influence the choice of HEIs with the variance of 0.315, 0.523, 0.394, 0.619, and 0.298, respectively. Further, IMC strategies such as digital marketing, social media engagement, alumni engagement, partnership with influencers, and student ambassadors significantly influence the selection of disciplines with the variance of 0.298, 0.642, 0.497, 0.421, and 0.234, respectively. In essence, this study emphasizes the pivotal role of effective IMC strategies in higher education choice decision-making and provides actionable insights for institutions seeking to refine their marketing approaches.

This article seeks to investigate how safety and security affect consumers’ tendency to use electronic wallets in Hanoi. The study was conducted based on data using Google Forms, with a total of 237 valid responses. For data analysis, this research employs quantitative techniques using SPSS 22 and AMOS 25 software. The results demonstrate that safety and security positively impact four factors in the following order: financial benefits (β = 0.853; p = 0.000), brand image (β = 0.830; p = 0.000), technology function (β = 0.708; p = 0.000), social influence (β = 0.589; p = 0.000). Particularly risk perception (β = –0.192; p = 0.013) is a factor that is inversely affected, whereby greater safety and security result in reduced perceived risk. The results also show that only social influence (β = 0.408; p = 0.000) and brand image (β = 0.172; p = 0.000) influence the willingness to adopt e-wallets. Therefore, the safety and security only indirectly influence the tendency to use e-wallets through two variables: social influence and brand image. The study provides recommendations for e-wallet service providers, identifies limitations, and suggests future research directions.

In the digital age, viral marketing has emerged as a key driver in shaping brand equity, particularly in the highly competitive Egyptian home appliances sector. Traditional marketing strategies have proven insufficient in reaching consumers with the same efficacy as viral campaigns, which leverage digital platforms and consumer networks. This study examines the influence of viral marketing on brand equity dimensions – brand awareness, perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand association – through the lens of both customer perception and legal frameworks Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from 270 respondents across 389 companies, with a response rate of approximately 70% of the total population in Egypt’s home appliances sector, with simple linear regression analysis employed to assess the relationships. The results indicate a strong positive effect of viral marketing on brand equity. Specifically, viral marketing accounts for 27.2% of the variance in brand awareness (R² = 0.272, p < 0.001), 28.1% in perceived quality (R² = 0.281, p < 0.01), 13.6% in brand loyalty (R² = 0.136, p < 0.05), and 40.9% in brand association (R² = 0.409, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the study finds that regulatory compliance plays a moderating role, ensuring that viral marketing campaigns remain within ethical and legal bounds, thereby enhancing consumer trust and the long-term impact of marketing efforts.
These findings highlight the strategic value of integrating viral marketing with a firm understanding of legal frameworks to optimize brand equity in Egypt’s home appliances industry. This research provides actionable insights for brand managers and marketers looking to maximize the efficacy of their viral campaigns while maintaining brand integrity.

Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at University of Bisha for supporting this work through the Fast-Track Research Support Program.

In the context of a rapidly evolving digital landscape, the co-creation of value with customers has gained importance in both academic and business realms, particularly within the hospitality sector. This study aims to analyze the integration of value co-creation strategies to enhance the online reputation of hotels, with a focus on active customer involvement. Using a qualitative research strategy, the study involved semi-structured, in-person interviews with twenty hotel managers from various hotels in Fez, Morocco. Thematic analysis of the interview data, conducted using NVivo 14 software, highlighted the critical role of value co-creation, customer experience, and e-reputation in enhancing hotels’ online reputation. Key sub-themes identified under value co-creation include active collaboration, innovation based on customer needs, and taking into account online comments. Regular online surveys were also significant for gathering customer proposals. In terms of customer experience, themes such as engagement, satisfaction, and perception were prominent. E-reputation management emerged as crucial, with sub-themes including real-time monitoring and response, integrating feedback into improvement processes, adopting advanced tools, and adapting online reputation strategies based on continuous feedback. The results underscore the interconnectedness of customer engagement, experience, and e-reputation. Integrating strategies that consider online comments and adopt advanced tools significantly improves the online reputation of hotels. Conclusions advocate for a cohesive approach prioritizing customer experience and continuous improvement, through innovative technologies and strategic adjustments to meet evolving customer needs, fostering a positive and enduring hotel online presence.