Issue #4 (Volume 19 2023)

Digital banks must promote on social media to attract tech-savvy young consumers who use social media extensively. Creating brand loyalty among digital banking customers is necessary to increase retention and motivate them to spend more with the preferred financial brand. This study investigates the impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty and continued usage intentions among young Vietnamese digital banking service consumers. This study employed a quantitative methodology, with a five-point Likert scale questionnaire administered online via non-probability sampling. The sample comprised 244 Vietnamese consumers aged 18 to 35, representing the young consumer segment. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that exposure to social media marketing substantially positively impacts brand loyalty. It was discovered that brand loyalty positively influences the intention to continue using the same digital banking provider. However, social media marketing did not influence continued usage intentions directly. Instead, brand loyalty mediated the positive relationship between social media marketing and future digital banking service usage intentions. The findings have important implications for digital banks’ customer engagement and branding strategies to establish long-lasting relationships with the crucial youth demographic via social media platforms.

Acknowledgment
The author wishes to express sincere appreciation to all respondents who completed the survey. In addition, profound appreciation is extended to all involved parties, as well as the Ho Chi Minh University of Banking, for their tremendous support and assistance, which contributed significantly to the completion of this research.

Destination loyalty has become a topic that needs attention in tourism research, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic because it affects the number of visitors to tourist sites. This study aims to test the effect of destination image on destination loyalty through destination authenticity. The respondents in this study were visitors to the Ecotourism Mount Leuser National Park in Indonesia. The questionnaires were distributed to 301 respondents using purposive sampling. The data were processed using SEM-PLS methods. The results show that destination image influences destination authenticity (p-value <0.05). Next, destination authenticity affects destination loyalty (p-value <0.05) and destination image influences destination loyalty (p-value < 0.05). Finally, destination image through destination authenticity influences destination loyalty (p-value < 0.05). The findings of this study can be beneficial to the respective governmental bodies that seeks to improve destination authenticity and destination image to enhance destination loyalty of visitors and promote revisit intentions toward the Ecotourism Mount Leuser National Park in Indonesia. This study can be used as a reference for tourist destination managers to increase destination loyalty by maintaining and managing the tourist destination area properly. The government acts as a policymaker and is responsible for preserving the environmental impact of tourism, such as pollution, other environmental hazards, and land use issues stemming from poor planning, regulation, and engineering of the site, attractions, and facilities.

Acknowledgment
This study is funded by the DRTPM of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, grant number [097/E5/PG.02.00.PT/2022], for the 2022 fiscal year.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of customers’ perceived value in mediating the relationship between Electronic Service Quality (ESQ) and customer satisfaction in online banking in Malaysia. The research model is developed based on the disconfirmation theory. Non-probability purposive sampling was adopted for data collection. A cross-sectional technique with a self-administered questionnaire was applied. The unit of analysis in this study is bank customers using online banking in Selangor, Malaysia. One hundred twenty-eight usable responses were received and analyzed. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was applied to analyze the data. Findings showed that the variance in customer satisfaction can be significantly explained via E-service quality dimensions (R2 = 0.52). The ease of use, security, reliability, responsiveness (ESQ) have a significant and positive impact on customer satisfaction among online banking users (p = 0.000). Furthermore, it was found that the customers’ perceived value significantly mediates the relationship between E-service quality and customer satisfaction (p-value = 0.0004). The experimental findings for this paper strengthen and expand the theoretical understanding of the relationship between ESQ, customer perceived value, and customer satisfaction that helps the banks in Malaysia to perform more successfully in the rapid business environment. This study also contributed to diminishing the gap in the ESQ literature between developed and developing countries, especially in the Malaysian context.

Self-referential, meta or self-aware advertising uses irony and cynicism to overtly critique and challenge conventional advertising strategies. While increasingly multiple brands are using self-referential advertising campaigns to implement innovative advertising strategies, a limited amount of research has been conducted on the effects of self-referential advertising on consumers’ evaluative responses. This study aimed to identify a link between self-referential ads and the consumers’ sense of self-presentation, mainly the conflict between the ideal self and the real self, and how this, in turn, affects their attitude toward the brand in the subject, further affecting purchase intention and brand perception. A quantitative structured study was conducted in a group of 326 18–35-year-old people, comprising Millennial and Generation Z consumers, using voluntary sampling through links to Google Forms distributed online on various platforms. Findings showed a significant positive correlation between self-referential ads, brand perception, and consumers’ brand attitude (r = 0.777, 0.712). Besides, in the mediation analysis, each of the four regression models establishes a correlation among the three variables. However, significance is not found in the mediating role of consumers’ real selves between self-referential advertising and brand attitude, though consumption patterns mediate consumer acceptance of self-referential advertising. The findings gave product/brand managers and marketing professionals a strategic direction on the importance of using self-referential forms of advertising in congruence with the product life cycle and brand positioning. It also helps to understand the importance of consumption patterns in creating advertising appeals.

Understanding Gen Z’s purchase behavior in online travel agents is essential to effectively engage and meet the unique preferences of this generation, fostering long-term loyalty and satisfaction. Utilizing the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as the theoretical foundation, this study aims to analyze the impact of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition, and trust on purchase decision of flight tickets through online travel agent platforms. The data were collected through an online survey of 253 Gen Z users of online travel agent applications in Indonesia, such as Traveloka, Tiket.com, Pegipegi.com, Agoda, and Booking.com. The study employed PLS-SEM to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions influence trust (t-value 1.645, p-value < 0.05). Further, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions influence purchase decisions (t-value 1.645, p-value < 0.05). However, social influence does not significantly affect purchase decisions (t-value 1.041, p-value > 0.05). The analysis also shows that trust fully mediates the relationship between social influence and purchase decisions, while no mediating effect is identified in the relationship between effort expectancy and purchase decisions. By investigating the key factors contributing to Gen Z’s buying behavior in online travel agent platforms, this paper provides valuable insights for online travel businesses to effectively engage and cater to Gen Z’s unique needs and preferences.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the barriers to the widespread use of smart, green, and sustainable building materials in the construction industry by focusing on the perceptions, motivations, strategies, and challenges faced by consumers. The analysis employed an exploratory methodology and surveyed 385 respondents in Bangalore, India. The study result shows a significant positive partial correlation (r = 0.629, p = 0.001) between the challenges of adoption and the overall factors that influence adoption after controlling the annual income as a control variable. The higher mean score of personal values and ethics of 4.25 implies that moral values and ethics influence the decisions on the adoption of construction materials. The findings of multiple regression with robust standard error revealed perception of performance of smart, green and sustainable building materials is better compared to traditional building materials (p-value = 0.001), factors positively influencing adoption (p-value = 0.004), motivating factors of adoption (p-value = 0.001) and strategies that encourage adoption of smart, green, and sustainable building materials (p-value = 0.001). All of these have a substantial influence on how consumers evaluate the government’s efforts to increase the adoption of such materials. However, challenges in adoption showed a negative coefficient (B= –0.049) and a robust standard error of 0.024 (p-value = 0.048), demonstrating a negative influence on consumers’ perception. This research acts as a guiding beacon for green adoption policies by studying consumer motivations and perceptions toward adoption of eco-friendly building materials for the sustainable future.

The fashion apparel industry constitutes a significant global economic force. Generation Y consumers represent a sought after target market to this industry as they are forecasted to have a disposable income outrivaling that of previous generations. Generation Y individuals are acknowledged as being amenable to the opinions of social media influencers, particularly those expressed by celebrity influencers, who often act as aspirational referents. Despite reports highlighting the relevance of the social media influencer strategy when targeting Generation Y, there remains a paucity of research on influencer marketing. Therefore, this study aims to ascertain the antecedents of Generation Y consumers’ perceived utility of celebrity influencers’ Instagram fashion apparel content and consequent fashion brand predispositions and purchase intentions. Fieldwork yielded 334 questionnaires from a convenience sample of Generation Y students registered at two universities in South Africa; data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that informational value, entertainment value, and trustworthiness account for more than 50% of the variance in Generation Y consumers’ perceptions of the utility of celebrity influencers’ Instagram fashion content. In turn, perceived utility, in conjunction with its determinants, accounts for 70% of the variance in their predispositions toward showcased fashion apparel brands, which collectively accounts for 65% of the total variance in their intentions to purchase those brands. These findings highlight celebrity influencers’ salient role in Generation Y consumers’ fashion brand choices and the necessity of incorporating celebrity influencer appeal into fashion apparel marketing communication strategies designed to engage with this generation.

The Bangsaen 42 Chonburi Marathon is the most attended full-marathon event in Thailand and a high-standard running event classified as the World Athletics Elite Label Road Race. The increase in runners reflected the response from both regular and new runners. This mixed methods study aimed to analyze branding processes, marketing communication perceptions, brand personality, and the relationships between perceptions of marketing communication and brand personality. The qualitative approach involved in-depth interviews with three key informants. A quantitative approach was applied to the questionnaire. The sample included 400 runners who participated in this event using nonprobability sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation statistics, with a significance level of 0.05. The results showed three brand-building processes: 1) strategic brand analysis of runners’ needs, organizing marathon running events in Thailand, and self-analysis; 2) brand identity system under the only marathon running event in Thailand with world-class standards under the concept of “The passion of world-class marathon” and brand value of “You will run a full marathon with world-class standard;” 3) brand identity implementation systems through various media to demonstrate sound management. This sample group perceived marketing communication at a moderate level, and the perceptions of brand personality of the marathon met the competence the most. The relationships between marketing communication and perceptions of sincerity were positively correlated, with a correlation coefficient of 0.46 and a statistical significance of 0.05.

Acknowledgment
A research grant from the Faculty of Sport Science, Burapha University supports this study.

In the marketing landscape, there has been a noticeable shift from the well-established “customer retention” loyalty programs of the 2010s to the emerging trend of “customer attraction” programs in the 2020s. This study aims to investigate the underlying reasons behind these transformations and identify the key components shaping a contemporary customer’s loyalty towards brands. To accomplish this, an empirical research was undertaken, interviewing 129 representatives of the “EU-Conexus” network, which education and research institutions are located in Lithuania (i.e., Klaipeda University), Spain (i.e., Catholic University of Valencia), Croatia (i.e., University of Zadar), Romania (i.e., Technical University of Civil Engineering), Greece (i.e., Agricultural University of Athens) and France (i.e., La Rochelle Université). The study employed a quantitative methodology, using a standardised online questionnaire contained multiple-choice, single-choice 18 detailed closed questions. The collected research data were subsequently analysed using MS Excel software through the application of descriptive statistics data processing techniques. The findings of this study revealed that regular and annoying promotional material and “intricate” loyalty programs are usually irritating contemporary customers and can be a reason to leave a brand. Consequently, modern brands are encouraged to regularly rethink – re-evaluate and re-design – their loyalty marketing strategies to become relevant to customers’ needs. The study also highlighted the key components significantly influencing the loyalty of respondents: (i) high quality and responsibly priced goods and (or) services, (ii) well-organised customer service, (iii) a “rational” customer loyalty program, and (iv) an adequate number of promotional messages containing relevant content.

Acknowledgment
The authors are sincerely thankful to the “EU-Conexus” community for their benevolent and active participation in the research implemented in frames of this study.

Sensory marketing is advantageous because it can help reduce the amount invested to yield such a high effect. However, the existing literature in this area is limited to services (restaurants, hotels, retail, tourism, etc.) and foods for which it is easy to have sensitive sensory experiences. This study aimed to clarify the influence of sensory stimuli on attachment in the Japanese and American automobile markets. An online survey was distributed through a Japanese research company to 1,000 car owners in their 20s to 60s (500 people from each country). The results of applying structural modeling to the survey data confirm the significant effect of sight (β = 0.336, p-value < 0.000), which consists of styling and colors in the exterior and interior, and hearing (β = 0.379, p-value < 0.000), which consists of driving sound, door sound, and startup sound. In contrast, the results indicate no effect of smell (β = –0.031, p-value = 0.663). In addition, comparing the two countries, sight (β = 0.721, p-value < 0.000) was effective in Japan, and hearing (β = 0.741, p-value < 0.000) was effective in the United States. Practitioners should comprehensively evaluate sensory stimuli, understand their priorities, and deliver sensory experiences in multiple functions. This consistent embodiment can strengthen the consumer’s attachment to the product.

Acknowledgment
This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI Grant Number JP23K12567.

University websites are increasingly crucial in meeting the evolving digital demands of students. To effectively manage university websites, it is necessary to first determine students’ behavioral usage intentions of university websites and the factors that influence their intentions, which forms the purpose of this study. Data were collected at a single point in time and described the characteristics of the sample. This study, involving 319 Generation Y students registered at two South African university campuses (one traditional and one university of technology campus), utilizes structural equation modeling to explore the predictive relationships among information quality, system quality, playfulness, ease of use, trust, attitude, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions related to university website use. The study underscores the pivotal role of the university’s website in shaping student satisfaction, with information quality standing out as a significant positive influence. Additionally, playfulness significantly impacts both satisfaction and overall attitudes toward university websites. The system quality of the university website is also noteworthy, showing a statistically significant positive effect on ease of use and fostering trust among students. Furthermore, satisfaction is anticipated by ease of use, creating a cascade effect where satisfaction predicts trust and trust predicts attitudes. Ultimately, students’ attitudes emerge as a critical predictor for their behavioral intentions to use university websites. The model exhibits acceptable fit indices, demonstrating substantial explanatory power (SRMR = 0.1, RMSEA = 0.06, IFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93, CFI = 0.94). These findings offer insights for university management and web designers to enhance online platforms, fostering student satisfaction, trust, and usage.

Social media has revolutionized how businesses connect with consumers, going beyond product promotion to understanding consumer preferences. It is undeniable that social media plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer purchase decisions, as more individuals turn to these platforms to seek advice and opinions from peers. The current study engaged 410 Indian consumers, employing a quantitative approach backed by rigorous statistical methods, including descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS software. The goal was to unravel the intricate dynamics between social media marketing, brand image, and purchase intentions. The findings highlight a significant and positive relationship between social media marketing efforts and brand image perception. Moreover, it was discovered that brand image significantly influences consumers’ purchase intentions. Surprisingly, it did not find a direct and significant impact of social media marketing on purchase intentions.
Notably, the study revealed a crucial insight: the influence of social media marketing on purchase intentions is fully mediated by the perception of brand image. In light of these results, businesses are encouraged to establish a strong presence on social media platforms to effectively promote their products and services. Organizations can effectively steer consumer purchase intentions by harnessing the synergy between social media marketing and brand image.

Acknowledgment
This study is supported via funding from Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University project number (PSAU/2023/R/1444).

This study aims to determine the effect of peer-to-peer lending (P2PL) on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) underpinned by the theory of planned behavior and asses its impact on the borrower’s intention to recommend such a platform. This paper used a quantitative survey method with partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze the data collected through a questionnaire. The data were obtained from 395 respondents who are entrepreneurs or business leaders in SMEs in Indonesia and had experience in borrowing business loan funds from the P2PL apps. The structural questionnaire was distributed from January to May 2022. The results of this study indicate that the three core components of the theory of planned behavior (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) can significantly influence the intention to continue usage and the intention to recommend with an R-squared value of 0.626, which indicates a meaningful explanatory power. The results proved that perceived benefits and risk and electronic word-of-mouth are the antecedents with significant influence. Moreover, this study provides new insights into how self-efficacy and mental accounting can influence perceived behavioral control. These findings could suggest that P2PL management should be more innovative in developing effective marketing strategies based on the traits and borrower’s points of view. Particularly, they could emphasize customer segmentation based on mental accounting.

Social media platforms help businesses connect, communicate, and access information, boosting brand loyalty and awareness. This study aims to determine the relationship between social media marketing, brand engagement, and brand trust toward customer experience and brand loyalty. The focus is on the importance of the role of social media marketing for frozen food brands. The paper uses a descriptive research design and a quantitative approach where data were collected by distributing online questionnaires among frozen food consumers through Google Forms. The selected 250 respondents were located in big cities in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bandung. The data were processed using SmartPLS v.4.0.0 to examine the results of the outer and inner models. The results show that social media marketing has a significant effect on brand trust. In addition, brand engagement has a significant effect on customer experience. Then, social media marketing has an insignificant effect on brand engagement. Brand trust has an insignificant effect on customer experience. Next, the customer experience has an insignificant impact on brand loyalty. In addition, a frozen food company’s social media advertising might not be able to reach its intended audience, which leads to little engagement. To preserve consistency and transparency, a brand should maintain open communication, a customer-centric strategy, and customer engagement through messaging, dialogues, and user-generated content.

The new energy vehicle industry has proliferated in the face of global climate change and challenges to sustainable development. Understanding the factors that encourage consumers to purchase new energy vehicles is essential to driving the new energy vehicle industry’s future development. Based on signaling theory, this study aims to investigate the significant influence of various factors, such as perceived ESG and policy incentives, on Chinese consumers’ intention to purchase new energy vehicles and explore the mediating effect of brand image and perceived value. This study adopts a quantitative research methodology by collecting data from 860 potential new energy vehicle consumers in China through a questionnaire survey and analyzing the data using structural equation modeling in AMOS 24.0. The results of the study show that consumers’ perceived ESG significantly affects their intention to purchase new energy vehicles. Brand image and perceived value mediate consumers’ perceived ESG factors and their purchase intention of new energy vehicles. Consumers’ positive attitudes will increase the purchase intention of new energy vehicles. In addition, government incentives also have a positive and significant effect on the intention to purchase new energy vehicles. These results provide sustainable marketing guidance for NEV companies, confirming the importance of good environmental, social, and governance performance, good brand image, and perceived benefits in driving purchases. In addition, this study provides empirical evidence of policy support for the NEV industry, thus reinforcing its importance for policymakers.

Electronic procurement of government products and services strives to promote good governance by enhancing internal control and fraud prevention. This study aims to assess how e-procurement and internal control can prevent fraud in purchasing goods and services in Indonesia. Participants in the regional work units (SKPD) in Riau’s procurement of goods and services make up the study’s population. The sample included 85 respondents with the requirements for a position relating to the successful procurement of goods and services from December 2021 to December 2022. The paper used a purposeful sampling technique. This study employed a quantitative method and SmartPLS 3.0 to evaluate the data. The results concluded that the implementation of e-procurement (β = 0.231; p < 0.05) and internal control (β = 0.231; p < 0.05) have a substantial impact on fraud prevention during the procurement of goods and services. By absorbing the capital expenditure budget and limiting fraud, it is envisaged that the Indonesian government may maximize its fraud prevention. It is desired that persons involved in procuring products and services constantly broaden their understanding of and perspectives on procurement, particularly those on other crucial aspects of procurement.

The study evaluates the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customer satisfaction and repurchase intention in the fast food service business in Vietnam. This study used quantitative research methods with a sample of 414 customers aged 18 and older who have used fast food service in Vietnam. Primary data were collected based on customers’ willingness to provide information through questionnaire links on social networking platforms such as Facebook and Zalo. Structural equation modeling and mediating effect analysis were used to test the correlation between components in the research model. Research results have identified three components of CSR, including community responsibility, environmental responsibility, and ethical responsibility in business, that directly and positively influence customer satisfaction. The results validate the mediating influence of satisfaction on the correlation between CSR components (community, environmental, and ethical responsibility) and repurchase intention, which very few previous studies have performed. These findings theoretically contribute to the literature, verifying three CSR components from the customer’s point of view in the fast food service business, including community, environmental, and ethical responsibility. Expanding the theory on factors affecting customer satisfaction and promoting cause-related marketing, prosocial behavior, and competitive advantage theory is necessary. As for managerial contributions, fast food business brands are suggested to invest and increase their CSR activities.

The study aims to analyze how factors such as environmental attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and environmental knowledge impact the willingness of Generation Z tourists in Indonesia to make green or environmentally friendly purchases. It also explores the moderating role of environmental knowledge in the relationship between environmental attitude and green purchase intentions. The analysis focuses on Generation Z respondents, totaling 543 individuals. The paper employs the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. The results show that when considered individually, consumer behavior, encompassing environmental attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, exerts a significantly positive impact on green purchase intentions. These results suggest that tourists’ attitudes toward the environment, influence from family or friends, and the ability to control their actions are pivotal in fostering green purchase intentions while traveling. Furthermore, the study demonstrates a substantial positive correlation between environmental knowledge and tourists’ green purchase intentions. Additionally, environmental knowledge moderates environmental attitude, amplifying its positive effect on tourists’ green purchase intentions. This highlights the vital role of environmental knowledge, which not only stimulates green purchase intentions but also motivates tourists to adopt pro-environmental behavior by opting for eco-friendly products.

This study aims to explore the complex effects of post-purchase retargeting ads on consumer behavior, with a focus on expectation confirmation, satisfaction, and repurchase intentions. Additionally, it examines the influence of time spent online on these effects. Anchored in expectation confirmation theory (ECT), the study analyzes responses from 396 Saudi Arabian e-tourism customers who encountered competitive retargeting ads after purchasing an e-tourism package. The analysis employs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and multigroup analysis (MGA) to test the hypotheses. A notable finding is the direct negative impact of retargeting ads on expectation confirmation: increased exposure to such ads post-purchase seems to diminish the perception that initial expectations of the product or service are being met. The negative effect of these ads also indirectly influences satisfaction and repurchase intentions. Furthermore, the MGA results indicate variations in this negative impact based on the time spent online. Specifically, the more time consumers spend online, the stronger the negative impact, leading to a significant decrease in satisfaction and repurchase intentions. These insights reveal the complex nature of post-purchase retargeting ads and underscore the importance of accounting for consumers’ online behavior. They offer valuable direction for marketers to refine retargeting strategies to better resonate with consumer expectations.