The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence consumers’ acceptance intentions towards Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Genetic Testing service. DTC genetic testing service can be considered in two aspects: the application of new technology in genetic testing customers can directly purchase and the services for receiving the test results customer can’t directly analyze. Existing technology-based acceptance models have difficulty fully explaining consumers’ acceptance intentions towards DTC genetic testing services. Therefore, this study aims to propose a new acceptance model considering these two characteristics. A survey was conducted with 377 potential consumers for this research. The analysis revealed that health interest, prior knowledge, subjective norms, innovativeness, perceived usefulness, and perceived value affect consumers’ acceptance intentions. The results obtained through this study can help establish strategies and marketing plans necessary for the diffusion of services, such as DTC genetic testing services, that combine a new technology and a service. In the long term, the accumulated DTC genetic testing results data can contribute to the development of national genetic information infrastructure and preventive medical applications, as well as improve individuals’ quality of life.

본 연구는 스키장 렌탈샵의 서비스 품질이 소비자의 지각된 가치 및 구매행동에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 규명하여 스키장 렌탈 산업의 서비스 품질을 개선하고 고객들의 욕구를 충족시킬 수 있는 기초 적 자료를 제공하고자 했다. 따라서 국내 스키장 6곳(하이원리조트, 용평리조트, 지산리조트, 곤지암리조트, 휘닉스파크, 웰리힐리)의 렌탈샵 방문 이용자를 대상으로 조사를 수행됐다. 수집된 자료는 SPSS(ver. 25.0) 프로그램을 활용하여 빈도분석, 탐색적 요인분석, t-test, 일원변량 분산분석, 상관관계 분석, 단순 및 다중 회귀분석을 실시했다. 본 연구에서 도출된 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 스키장 렌탈샵의 서비스 품질이 지각 된 가치에 편리성, 공감성, 서비스, 시설환경 순으로 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 지각된 가치가 구매행동의 구매의도 및 추천의도에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 스키장 렌탈샵 의 서비스 품질이 구매행동의 구매의도 및 추천의도에 공감성, 시설환경, 편리성, 서비스 순으로 유의한 영 향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

An increasing number of companies are using service robots, such as physical robots and virtual chatbots, to interact with their customers. Service robots are autonomous agents with the purpose of providing services to customers by performing a variety of physical and nonphysical tasks (Joerling et al., 2019). Conceptual work has suggested that social robots will increasingly be used in the front line of service encounters (Gonzalez-Jimenez, 2018; Van Doorn et al., 2017). Real examples of the inclusion of these robots in retail settings already exist. For instance, some retailers use Softbank´s robot Pepper to greet and inform customers. Social robots such as Pepper can use their sensors and cameras to interpret customer reactions and adapt accordingly. Moreover, the robot can even make product recommendations based on the assessed customer´s mood, age, gender and, if available, purchase history (McKenna, 2018). Not surprisingly, there is a vast market potential associated with these robots, which is expected to grow to 87 billion by 2025 (BCG, 2017).

The rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has accelerated the promotion and application of service robot in the market. Although technology has provided service robot with increasingly autonomous functions, more research is needed on how service robot with different levels of autonomy affects customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry. Guided by affordance theory, the study examines whether service robot operational and decisional autonomy would have effects on customer satisfaction and explored explanatory mechanism. Adopting an experimental vignette method (EVM), the study reveals that direct effect of service robot operational autonomy and indirect effect of decisional autonomy on customer satisfaction, and functional affordance played a positive mediating role in the impact of service robot autonomy on customer satisfaction. This research extends and enriches the relevant literature on human-machine interaction and customer satisfaction research. Further, the study also provides marketing insights for enterprises to improve autonomous robot design and enhance customer relationships.

Technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics are emerging as a new way to improve services, readjusting and impacting all business industries and relationships among people (Loureiro et al., 2021; Makridakis, 2017; Mingotto et al., 2020). The hospitality industry is no exception to this (Mingotto et al., 2020) since a quick growth in the use of robots and AI in this industry has registered a turnover of 249 million U.S. dollars (International Federation of Robots, 2021). However, very few of the existing studies highlight the customers’ perspective and sentiments on service robots (Luo et al., 2021) or the robot-human interactions/ customer service experience (Choi et al., 2021). Thus, further studies in the enhancement of human well-being through transhumanistic technologies, close relationship marketing capabilities, and the evolution of the engagement process between humans and AI-enabled machines are necessary (Loureiro et al., 2021). This research intends to understand how different types of robots influence customers’ perception of the service provided. Therefore, the following research questions are proposed; Can humans develop feelings of identification with a service robot? Can the identification that customers perceive between themselves, and service robots be strong enough to influence the creation of a close relationship between both parties? What are the features of service robots that heighten customer well-being?

본 연구는 헤어서비스전문가의 블랙컨슈머 행동지각이 정서적 소진과 자아탄력성에 미치는 영향에 대하여 연구하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 서울, 경기, 전남지역 헤어미용전문가를 대상으로 318부의 설문지가 최종 분석 자료로 사용되었으며 SPSS 26.0 통계 프로그램을 사용하여 분석 되었다. 연구결과는 첫째, 블랙컨슈머 행동지각이 정서적 소진에 정적(+)상관관계를 보였고, 블랙컨슈머 행동지각이 자아탄력성에 부적(-)상관관계를 보였다. 정서적 소진과 자아탄력성은 서로 부적(-)상관관계를 보였다. 둘째, 블랙컨슈머 요인 중 과도성이 정서적 소진에 영향을 미치고 있음이 확인되었다. 셋째, 블랙컨슈머 요인 중 과도성, 상습성이 자아탄력성에 영향을 미치고 있음이 확인되었다. 넷째, 정서적 소진은 자아탄력성에 영향을 미치고 있음이 확인되었다.

The current study uses risk theory to explore factors mitigating consumers’ intention to use SSTs. The findings of an empricial study reveal that the perceived time, security and addiction risk indirectly reduce consumers’ intention to use SSTs through the per-ceived psychological risk. Most importantly, this study’s findings show that an increas-ing autonomy of SSTs strengthens the effects of perceived addiction risk.

Building on Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model(TRAM), the study aimed to examine how technology readiness affects consumers’ perceptions of ease of use, usefulness, and risk, which in turn predict their intention to use retail service robots. Specifically, the study proposed that technology readiness motivators (optimism and innovativeness) would influence perceived ease of use and usefulness, while technology readiness inhibitors (discomfort and insecurity) would affect perceived risk. The study further examined if the perception factors (ease of use, usefulness, and risk) contribute to intention to use retail service robots. A survey method was used with data collected from Korean consumers. The final sample size was 418. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings of the study revealed that technology readiness motivators positively affected perceived ease of use and usefulness while innovativeness had no impact on usefulness. All the inhibitors increased perceived risk. Lastly, as hypothesized, perceptions of ease of use, usefulness, and risk predicted intention to use retail service robots. This study extended the retail technology literature by applying and validating TRAM to the context of consumer acceptance of retail service robots. The study further helped marketers and retailers by highlighting the importance of technology readiness in improving consumer perceptions and responses towards retail service robots.

Consumers’ desire for beauty has become a driving force in the beauty service industry which was further developed through specialization and segmentation. Nail-care service, which is one of the beauty services, is showing rapid growth, and intense competition among salons has become apparent. Thus, service management method and marketing strategy are required for customer satisfaction. Therefore, in this study, we tried to classify the nail-care services on the basis of systematization and realization of its characteristics which are fundamental when developing management and marketing strategies. The subjects of this study were women in their 20s and above living in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon areas. As a result, the nail-care service factors are classified as “external environment” (interior, celebrity, newness), “internal environment” (equipment and products, cleanliness, and environment), “location” (location and transportation convenience), “reputation” (good reputation), “technician skill,” “kindness,” “relationship” (relationship, empathy, and affinity), and “price and discount.” The consumer types of nail-care services were classified into three groups according to the degree of involvement of these concept systems. These results can be used as marketing basics and will be the basis for studying marketing strategies. However, the consideration of setting up a marketing strategy for each consumer type will be presented in a follow-up study.

This research aims to shed a light on the benefits and perceived risks to the willingness to use perceived by consumers, centering on design-customizing service catering to individuals’ tastes and needs, and to study their impacts on the use of a design-customizing service. The validation of how benefits and perceived risks affect the intention to use showed that only aesthetic and self-expressive benefits had significant impacts on the willingness to use. However, only time/economic loss and self-design risks had negative impacts on the willingness to use a service. By gender, there was no difference in benefits and perceived risks to willingness to use for the benefit factors, whereas in terms of perceived risks to willingness to use factors. By age, there were also differences in the effects of benefits and perceived risks to purchase on the willingness to use a rash guard customizing service. There were variations in the perceived risks to the willingness to use and benefits depending on age. In particular, it was found that there were no perceived risks to the willingness to use for the age group of 10s. As design-customizing services based on individual tastes have drawn more attention recently, this research on the benefits and perceived risks to purchasing a rash guard design customizing service, as well as their effects on service use (particularly backed up by comparative analysis by gender and age), is expected to provide insights into design-customizing service strategy development.

Nail-care services are growing rapidly. If causes for the increase in nail-care service consumption is diversion or self-satisfaction, we can speculate that consumers perform self-care through nail-care services. Nail-care-service consumption should be allowed to increase because of the positive psychological effects such as improving mood or alleviating depressed emotions. Moreover, the psychological effects of nail-care services differ according to consumers’ tendencies. Therefore, this study divides the types of consumers, to investigate whether there is a difference in the psychological effects of nail-care services depending on the types. This study used the questionnaire survey method. Results of the study revealed that the sub-factors of self-esteem, extracted as two factors, were “personal self-esteem” and “social self-esteem”. Consumers were classified according to the sub-factors of self-esteem into four groups. There were differences in the psychological effects of nail-care services according to these four groups. It was found that all groups had psychological effects above the average value. This result indicates that only the degrees of psychological effects differ in accordance with the types of self-esteem, and that psychological effects generally play a large role in all types. Since psychological effects were positive for everyone regardless of their self-esteem, utilizing nail-care services considerably reduces the depression and anxiety of modern people. Nail-care services expected to become the basis of the nail therapy field.

Nowadays, many innovative marketers can leverage the augmented reality (AR) technology to create special experiences, offer more interactive advertising, as well as provide new ways to online shopping, especially for mobile marketing. The beauty industry occupies a large proportion in the fashion market and has become its essential part. For the fashion and beauty industry, consumers are willing to have the same level of experience online as when they are shopping offline. Accordingly, many brands develop mobile applications with AR capabilities that provide mobile AR services offering special experience. This new approach to mobile shopping eliminates the risk of shopping when consumers choose products, while indirectly changing consumer purchase behavior and lifestyles. However, relevant evidence about the AR service provided by mobile applications in the fashion and beauty industry remains to be scarce. To fill this gap in the literature, the present study seeks to explore the impact of the mobile AR technology on the consumer perception of the beauty brands and the changes in consumer’s behavior. In terms of the methodology, a semi-structured interview approach is employed. The results of the present study demonstrate that the effect of using the mobile AR technology varies according to the differences in consumers’ cognition and attention to beauty products. The playfulness provided by the mobile AR technology is a key factor for consumers to better understand and experience the brand, and consumer ROI is an important factor for consumers to purchase using the mobile AR service. At the same time, the degree to which the AR technology is mature affects consumer experience of the product. Surprisingly, our results suggest that the use of the AR technology has a certain educational effect on consumers, especially on those who are not good at make-up or have a low level of understanding of beauty products.

A wide consensus of research points to an increasing responsibilization of individuals, as consumers engage in self-improvement through services and products (Giesler & Veresiu, 2014). Self-tracking services, with which consumers can monitor physiological and cognitive attributes such as breathing, pulse or mood, are a common manifestation of this change. This responsibilization means that solving structural well-being problems is left to individual consumers (Anderson et al., 2016). However, how this takes place in practice, and how service providers construct their service in this context of responsibilization has not yet been studied within Transformative Service Research. Through qualitatively analyzing text content from the websites of eleven different wearable devices and applications for self-tracking, this paper shows a novel conceptualization of how service providers present well-being capabilities to responsibilized consumers. The findings show that while well-being is in almost all cases concerned with managing a stressful work life, or enhancing the presentation of a healthy self, service providers present consumers with differing types of capabilities for tackling these issues. The first type refers to changing, which implies actively conforming to norms by changing one’s appearance or physique. The second type entails coping, i.e. more passively withstanding and learning to live with stress or pressure. The third type of capability, countering, refers to an active, non-conformist stance towards external norms, instead advocating well-being through self-knowledge. This study contributes to Transformative Service Research by responding to calls for research on well-being as a socio-culturally constructed phenomenon (Anderson & Ostrom, 2015). The findings show how “consumer capabilization” (Giesler & Veresiu, 2014) takes place in practice through services. In addition, it extends discussions on service providers’ abilities to transform or reproduce structures (Edvardsson, Tronvoll & Gruber, 2011; Blocker & Barrios, 2015) and how this can affect well-being.

With the introduction of virtual reality (VR) devices for private consumers in 2013, the industry experience great attention and notable progresses have been made in relation to hardware components (Papagiannidis et al. 2013). This enables better experiences of virtual environments and reduces the awareness of the consumer to be exposed to virtual stimuli, so that the virtual environment is perceived as (almost) real – the so-called immersion effect (Grau 2003). Even though VR is already in place, little research in service marketing literature exists about it (Bigné, Llinares, and Torrecilla 2016), so that this technique represents one of the most important topics to investigate from service perspective (Kannan and Li 2017). We assume that the immersion-effect might influence the perception of the service encounter and thus influence consumer evaluation in a new way. Thereby, we contribute to service marketing literature by exploring the value and barriers for VR usage in so-called virtually-extended service encounters from a customer perspective. Thereby, we further examine for which kind of services VR is useful, how consumer perceive VR technology in service environments and how the extension of the traditional service encounter by VR technology influences consumers’ service quality evaluations. VR represents a promising technology to promote high-involvement products or services like travel, furniture, or cars. Companies offering these kind of products and services can provide simple devices to customers, who can experience the product in a realistic setting upfront their purchase decisions. Especially novelty and innovation characteristics of VR-technology may have positive spillover effects on company brand, the product as well as the final purchase decision. To proceed with this research, we plan lab experiments with well-developed VR-devices.

This research was conducted in order to examine the effect of comparative price on consumers’ reactions to service failure in the loyalty program. The current study finds that under condition of lower level of persuasion knowledge, compared to single retail price, comparative price would mitigate consumers’ negative emotion in the context of service failure, which in turn improves customers’ tolerance. The authors test this prediction in two experiments. Experiment 1 aimed to provide an initial exploration of hypothesis by employing a between-subjects design. This experiment recruited undergraduate students at Suzhou University to complete an online survey. After reading the scenario of service failure, participants were asked to answer a series of questions about their intension of spreading negative word of mouth (NWOM). A one-way ANOVA on intention of spreading NWOM suggested that the NWOM activity was significantly lower in the group of comparative prices than in the group of single retail price. In experiment 2, the authors measured angry and intension to complain when participants finished reading the scenario of service failure. Furthermore, one week later the authors measured price tactic persuasion knowledge of participants. The bootstrap method (number of bootstrap samples = 5000, level of confidence = .95) was used. The results showed that customers’ angry level mediated the effect of comparative price on intension of complaint. The authors further conducted a mediated moderation analysis with the participants in the high- and low-persuasive-knowledge conditions. The results indicated the indirect effect of the comparative price on intention to complain was mediated by customers’ angry when they have low persuasive knowledge, whereas the mediation effect of customer’s angry level was no longer significant in the higher persuasive-knowledge condition. To summarize, this research suggested that comparative price would exert a marked impact on the tolerance of members of loyalty program in the context of service failure. The present paper adds to the existing comparative price literatures by confirming its impact on consumers’ judgment in the context of service failure even if they are all members of loyalty program and informed with information of discounted size in advance. Given the special meaning of NWOM and complaint, current paper provides implications for marketing practices.