Search Results (1,336)

This study examines the determinants of online customer engagement (OCE) and its role in influencing the repurchase intention of healthy food through social commerce (s-commerce) platforms. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, 300 Indonesian urban shoppers were surveyed to explore the impact of customer internal and external buying stimuli through online content quality (OCQ) and customer experiences, encompassing hedonic and social value. PLS-SEM analysis highlights the significance of OCQ in enhancing customer trust and engagement while underscoring the importance of emotional gratification and perceived social benefits mediating customer engagement in building repurchase intentions. The analysis also reveals the insignificant direct effect between social value and repurchase intention, suggesting a more nuanced mechanism in consumer behavioural response. The findings provide theoretical insights into s-commerce research and practical implications for designing online food services to retain customers, emphasising the need for integrative strategies incorporating emotional, social, and informational elements. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour in using social media for healthy food marketing. It offers sustainable and actionable recommendations for the digital era. Full article

Disease outbreaks pose a significant challenge in aquaculture, leading to substantial economic losses for producers. Tenacibaculosis, a significant ulcerative bacterial disease caused by Tenacibaculum maritimum, affects a wide range of marine fish species globally. Current disease management relies on antibiotics and chemicals, leading to environmental issues, impaired fish and consumer health, and increased antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This narrative review critically explores welfare-oriented alternatives, specifically examining the potential of temperature modulation and functional diets. Although thermal strategies show promise for warm-water species through behavioural fever mechanisms, their effectiveness remains limited by species-specific thermal tolerances and lack of commercial validation. Nutritional interventions using marine algae, probiotics, and immunostimulants demonstrate broader applicability but suffer from inconsistent methodologies, limited commercial validation, and significant knowledge gaps. We propose that integration of these approaches could theoretically represent a paradigm shift from pathogen-focused to host-centred disease management, pending empirical validation. However, this integration concept requires rigorous validation, as significant knowledge gaps persists regarding optimal implementation protocols, welfare monitoring frameworks, and economic viability assessments. From our perspective, transitioning to welfare-oriented aquaculture demands rigorous evaluation and validation, commercial-scale trials, economic cost–benefit analysis, and the establishment of regulatory frameworks before these theoretical alternatives can be responsibly implemented. Full article

Background: This study explores how consumer behaviour influences household food waste and its ripple effects on the efficiency of the agri-food supply chain. Methods: Using survey data, we applied regression analysis to analyse the links between shopping habits, household demographics, waste reduction goals, and disposal practices. Results: Results show that purchasing driven by promotions significantly boosts household waste, while waste reduction goals strongly reduce disposal behaviours. These results illustrate how irregular consumer purchasing patterns create upstream demand fluctuations, making inventory management and production planning more complex. The findings highlight opportunities for logistics improvements, such as demand-based inventory systems, optimised purchasing routines, adjusted promotional strategies, and consumer-involved forecasting models to cut waste and promote resource sustainability. Conclusions: This research connects consumer behaviour with supply chain management, offering practical insights for building more sustainable and efficient food supply chains through targeted logistics actions. Full article

This paper examines the risks linked to E-business collaboration between China and West Africa, with particular emphasis on Ghana as a pivotal digital commerce centre. This research employs the Hesitant Fuzzy Best–Worst Method (HF-BWM) to systematically identify and prioritise the institutional, technological, sociocultural, and legal issues affecting cross-border e-business operations. This study combines Transaction Cost Theory (TCT), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Commitment–Trust Theory to create a comprehensive framework for analysing the interplay of these risks and their effects on transaction costs and company sustainability. The findings indicate that institutional risks constitute the most substantial obstacles, with deficient digital transaction legislation and inadequate data governance recognised as the principal drivers of uncertainty and increased transaction costs. The research indicates that these institutional challenges necessitate immediate focus, as they immediately affect corporate operations, especially in international digital commerce. Technological risks, such as cybersecurity vulnerabilities, insufficient IT skills, and deficiencies in digital infrastructure, were identified as the second most critical factors, leading to considerable operational disruptions and heightened expenses. Sociocultural hazards, such as language difficulties and varying consumer behaviours, were recognised as moderate concerns that, although significant, exert a weaker cumulative impact than technological and institutional challenges. Eventually, legal risks, especially concerning cybercrime legislation and the protection of intellectual property, were identified as substantial complicators of e-business activities, increasing the intricacy of legal compliance and cross-border contract enforcement. The results underscore the imperative for regulatory reforms, investments in cybersecurity, and methods for cultural adaptation to alleviate the identified risks and promote sustainable growth in China–West Africa e-business relationships. This study offers practical insights for governments, business leaders, and investors to effectively manage the intricate risk landscape and make educated decisions that foster enduring collaboration and trust between China and West Africa in digital trade. Full article

Background/Objectives: Poor dietary habits remain a significant public health concern, highlighting the need to promote healthy and sustainable eating patterns, especially in childhood and adolescence. This study assessed the eating habits of primary school children in the Tagus Lezíria region, focusing on adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD), recognized for its health and environmental benefits. Methods: The KIDMED index (Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents) was applied to 435 children, the vast majority (97.7%) aged 6–10 years. Results: The data showed that 64.6% of participants exhibited high adherence to the MD, 32.0% medium, and 3.5% low adherence. Despite these encouraging levels, several gaps were identified: 80% of the children did not meet the recommendation for regular nut consumption (≥2–3 times/week), 44% consumed legumes less than once a week, and 43% failed to eat vegetables more than once a day. Regarding demographic factors, no significant differences were observed in overall adherence categories; however, differences emerged in specific eating behaviours. For example, girls consumed more vegetables and cereals than boys, and children in rural areas consumed less dairy than those living in urban settings. Conclusions: These findings emphasize the importance of reinforcing targeted school-based educational interventions to promote healthier dietary behaviours, particularly increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, pulses, and nuts. Strengthening children’s adherence to the MD from an early age may contribute to improving their health and fostering sustainable eating practices. Full article

Neuromarketing studies the brain function as a response to marketing stimuli. A large amount of neuromarketing research uses data from electroencephalography (EEG) recordings as a response of individuals’ brains to marketing stimuli, aiming to identify the factors that influence consumer behaviour that they cannot articulate or are reluctant to reveal. Evidence suggests that individuals’ processing styles affect their reaction to marketing stimuli. In this study, we propose and evaluate a predictive model that classifies consumers as verbalizers or visualizers based on EEG signals recorded during exposure to verbal, visual, and mixed advertisements. Participants (N = 22) were categorized into verbalizers and visualizers using the Style of Processing (SOP) scale and underwent EEG recording while viewing ads. The EEG signals were preprocessed and the five EEG frequency bands were extracted. We employed three classification models for every set of ads: SVM, Decision Tree, and kNN. While all three classifiers performed around the same, with accuracy between 86 and 93%, during cross-validation SVM proved to be the more effective model, with kNN and Decision Tree showing sensitivity to data imbalances. Additionally, we conducted independent t-tests to look for statistically significant differences between the two classes. The t-tests implicated the Theta frequency band. Therefore, these findings highlight the potential of leveraging EEG-based technology to effectively predict a consumer’s processing style for advertisements and offers practical applications in fields such as interactive content designs and user-experience personalization. Full article

E-commerce platforms offering regional fresh produce often face a trade-off between logistics costs and product quality. Due to limited use of cold chain logistics, consumers frequently receive damaged goods, resulting in negative post-purchase experiences. This study examines how logistics service encounters, as reflected in consumer reviews, influence subsequent purchase behaviour, and how the alignment between review images and text moderates this relationship. We analyse sales and review data from 694 fruit products on Tmall between February and April 2024. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is applied to extract logistics-related review content. At the same time, image–text similarity is assessed using the Chinese-CLIP model. Regression analysis reveals that positive logistics service encounters significantly enhance purchase intention. However, high image–text similarity weakens this positive effect, suggesting that overly repetitive content may reduce informational value for prospective buyers. These findings advance understanding of consumer behaviour in online fresh produce markets by highlighting the interactive effects of logistics experiences and user-generated content. The results offer practical implications for improving logistics services, enhancing content diversity in review systems, and increasing consumer trust in e-commerce environments. Full article

Nowadays, various technologies exist with differing rendering performance for interactive web maps. These maps are consumed on devices with varying capabilities; therefore, choosing the best-performing library for a dataset is emphasized. Unlike existing research, this study presents a comparative analysis on libraries’ native performance for rendering large amounts of GeoJSON vector data, partially extracted from OpenStreetMap (OSM). Four libraries were analyzed. Results showed that regardless of feature types, Leaflet and OpenLayers excelled for features up to 10,000. Up to 5000 points, these two were the fastest, above which the libraries’ performance converged. For 50,000 or more, Mapbox GL JS rendered them the quickest, followed by OpenLayers, MapLibre GL JS and Leaflet. For up to 50,000 lines and 10,000 polygons, Leaflet and OpenLayers were the fastest in all scenarios. For 100,000 lines, OpenLayers was almost twice as fast as the others, while Mapbox rendered 50,000 polygons the quickest. The performance of Leaflet and OpenLayers scales with the increasing feature quantities, yet for Mapbox and MapLibre, any performance impact is offset to 1000 features and beyond. Slow initalization of map elements makes Mapbox and MapLibre less suitable for rapid rendering of small feature quantities. Other behavioural differences affecting user experience are also explored. Full article

As global awareness of environmental and social challenges continues to rise, companies are increasingly re-evaluating how they connect with consumers. This study investigates the role of digital marketing in promoting more sustainable consumer behaviours. Based on a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature retrieved from the Scopus database, and conducted following the PRISMA framework, this research analysed 84 academic publications. The findings highlight that strategies such as personalised messaging, social media engagement, influencer collaborations, and eco-conscious branding are significantly influencing purchasing decisions. Approaches rooted in transparency, emotional storytelling, and ethical data practices appear to enhance consumer trust and strengthen brand relationships. Although the field is technically well developed, it remains underexplored in areas such as digital accessibility and ethical governance. Overall, this study suggests that, when aligned with sustainable values, digital marketing becomes more than a promotional tool—it emerges as a key driver of responsible consumption and the cultivation of long-term, value-based connections between consumers and brands. Full article

The objective of this study is to investigate the attitudes of Bulgarian citizens towards domestic leisure tourism, to identify the reasons behind negative attitudes across different territory types. An adapted version of Fishbein’s multi-attribute model was applied to a nationally representative sample through a two-staged clustered sampling method with a stratification at two stages. The purpose of this research is to examine consumer attitudes towards both winter and summer domestic leisure tourism by region. The highest level of negative attitudes towards domestic winter leisure tourism were found in non-maritime territories, followed closely by the densely populated non-maritime and the maritime areas. The main concerns are the lack of natural snow and insufficient tourism services. For summer leisure tourism, negative attitudes are relatively higher with the overdevelopment of resorts and pollution cited as the primary issues. The discussion compares these findings with those of previous studies. This study contributes to the existing literature through its original approach and practical relevance. Its significance lies in the potential to inform the development of effective regional marketing policies. Practical and theoretical implications are provided, offering insights into regional and national tourism strategies. These include territorial planning to prevent overdevelopment, improving tourism services, and adopting the best practice to mitigate environmental pollution. Full article

This study examines the formation of awareness, perceived ease of use and trust in the most widely used videogame platforms, in the context of increasing digital engagement. Based on a sample of 317 participants who had made purchases on one or more videogame platforms, this study employed a quantitative methodological approach using statistical techniques such as t-tests, ANOVA, and regression analysis to assess the proposed relationships. The research explores two main objectives: to analyse the causal impact of platform awareness and ease of use on trust in videogame platforms and to examine how sociodemographic characteristics may influence these constructs. The results confirm that platform awareness and perceived ease of use are key determinants of trust, while gender, age, educational level and income do not significantly affect it. However, age and income do appear to play a causal role in awareness of the platform and perceptions of usability. Overall, the findings provide valuable guidance for advancing towards a more user-centred videogame industry. Full article

Background/Objectives: Proper nutrition is crucial for the growth, development, and performance of young football players. Despite higher nutritional needs, physically active adolescents often have a suboptimal diet. This study assessed the diet quality of youth football players aged 11–16 from Poznań, Poland, focusing on the frequency of consuming health-promoting and non-healthy food groups. Methods: Participants were Football Championship School students. A total of 78 boys were analyzed and divided into early (11–13 years) and middle adolescence (14–16 years) groups. Dietary behaviours, nutritional knowledge, physical activity, screen time, and family affluence were assessed using a validated questionnaire (SF-FFQ4PolishChildren). The pro-Healthy Diet Index (pHDI) and non-Healthy Diet Index (nHDI) were calculated based on the frequency of food consumption. Results: The key predictors of the pro-Healthy Diet Index (pHDI) were the Cole index (β = −0.39; p < 0.001), subjective self-assessment of dietary habits (β = 0.23; p = 0.023), and the level of nutritional knowledge (β = 0.22; p = 0.030), explaining 25% of the variance in pHDI. In early adolescence, the Cole index was the main predictor (β = −0.51, p < 0.001, R² = 32%), whereas in middle adolescence, self-assessment of dietary habits (β = 0.49, p = 0.002) and nutritional knowledge (β = 0.34, p = 0.03, R² = 30) were the strongest predictors. Despite high levels of physical activity and positive self-assessment, only 1.28% of participants met all key criteria for a healthy diet. Screen time was negatively correlated with physical activity and positively associated with energy drink consumption. Conclusions: The results highlight a discrepancy between declared knowledge and actual behaviours, emphasizing the need for targeted, multi-level interventions involving families and coaches to improve dietary practices in young athletes. Full article

This study explores how AI chatbot experiences on travel websites influence consumer engagement, with satisfaction from using AI chatbots as a mediating factor. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, the research shifts the focus from utilitarian models to examine how chatbot attributes—e.g., ease of use, information quality, security, anthropomorphism, and omnipresence—affect satisfaction of using AI chatbots and subsequent consumer engagement behaviours. Survey data from 519 Portuguese travellers were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The study contributes to theory by (1) demonstrating S-O-R’s advantages over utilitarian models in capturing relational and emotional dimensions of AI interactions, (2) identifying satisfaction with using AI chatbots as a pivotal mediator between AI chatbot experience and consumer engagement, and (3) revealing generational disparities in drivers of engagement. Notably, satisfaction strongly influences engagement for Generation X, while direct experience matters more for Generation Z. Millennials exhibit a distinct preference for hybrid human–AI service handoffs. The practical implications include prioritizing natural language processing for ease of use, implementing generational customization (e.g., gamification for Gen Z, reliability assurances for Gen X), and ensuring seamless human escalation for Millennials. These insights equip travel businesses to design AI chatbots that foster long-term loyalty and competitive differentiation. Full article

This study explores how Turkish Generation Z adapts their fashion consumption behaviours in response to economic crises, particularly focusing on involuntary anti-consumerism. Through a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling, the research captures the coping strategies and emotional experiences of young consumers in Türkiye. A thematic analysis of fifteen interviews reveals an original “8Rs” framework—Reject, Restrict/Reduce, Reuse/Reclaim, Re-find, Reconsider, Re-framing Discounts, Re-direction of Resources, and Emotional Responses—that illustrates both behavioural and psychological adjustments under financial strain. Notably, the study introduces two novel concepts: “recession rush,” a calculated urgency to purchase before price hikes, and “re-direction of resources,” the reallocation of budget from other categories toward fashion purchases. By focusing on a geographically underrepresented context and a pivotal consumer segment, this research contributes new insights to the literature on anti-consumption, economic adaptation, and youth identity expression in crisis economies. Full article

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), the world’s most widely grown legume crop, is not only of great commercial importance but is also a vital smallholder crop in low-to-medium-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa common bean provides consumers with a major proportion of their dietary protein and micronutrients. However, productivity is constrained by viruses, particularly those vectored by aphids and whiteflies, and problems are further compounded by seed-borne transmission. We describe common bean’s major viral threats including the aphid-transmitted RNA viruses bean common mosaic virus and bean common mosaic necrosis virus, and the whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses bean golden mosaic virus and bean golden yellow mosaic virus and discuss how high-throughput sequencing is revealing emerging threats. We discuss how recent work on indirect and direct viral ‘manipulation’ of vector behaviour is influencing modelling of viral epidemics. Viral extended phenotypes also modify legume interactions with beneficial organisms including root-associated microbes, pollinators and the natural enemies of vectors. While problems with common bean tissue culture have constrained transgenic and gene editing approaches to crop protection, topical application of double-stranded RNA molecules could provide a practical protection system compatible with the wide diversity of common bean lines grown in sub-Saharan Africa. Full article