Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services最新文献

{"title":"Unlocking the power of artificial intelligence in customer relationship management: a comprehensive analysis of critical success factors","authors":"Cristina Ledro ,&nbsp;Anna Nosella ,&nbsp;Ilaria Dalla Pozza","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104754","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104754","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper addresses the need for comprehensive research on the critical success factors (CSFs) that may facilitate the successful integration of artificial intelligence (AI) for customer relationship management (CRM). While AI offers potential for enhancing CRM strategies, empirical research investigating the factors that support successful AI–CRM integration remains scarce. At the same time, managers face challenges due to uncertainties regarding outcomes, system complexity, and the appropriate use of AI in CRM. Our study contributes to this gap by exploring factors supporting successful AI integration in CRM across multiple industries (primarily service and retail) and application types. We identify 21 CSFs and show how their relevance varies depending on the type of AI application. In particular, we develop a two-dimensional, contingent framework based on two key dimensions of AI applications: the extent of personalized interactions and the degree of user oversight.</div><div>The identified factors and the proposed framework extend existing theory by providing a nuanced, contingent perspective on AI–CRM integration. This advancement in understanding enables organizations to better leverage AI's potential more effectively, improve decision-making processes, and support continuous innovation in CRM practices, while recognizing that applicability may vary across contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 104754"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Selling virtual fashion in the metaverse: Behavioral evidence from blockchain transactions","authors":"Charles Perez,&nbsp;Karina Sokolova,&nbsp;Florian Pradines","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104768","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104768","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As virtual economies expand and brands explore new opportunities, digital fashion emerges as a promising retailing vector. This study investigates the factors driving the purchase and retention period of digital wearables in metaverse marketplaces, using behavioral blockchain data from 65,000 real transactions over a 21-month period. Grounded in the Theory of Consumption Values and the Theory of Luxury Value, we examine how item rarity, utility, aesthetic escapism, and seller popularity influence consumer behavior. The results reveal that rarity does not operate as expected: Common items with escapist aesthetics and sold by popular sellers achieve higher sales. The retention period is primarily linked to aesthetics, with no significant effect from rarity or utility. These findings demonstrate how established consumer value frameworks apply to blockchain-based retail environments, and reveal how social visibility and aesthetic appeal substitute for material scarcity. The study provides actionable insights for brands and digital creators seeking to design, position, and market virtual fashion effectively within metaverse marketplaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 104768"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of servicescape on employee loyalty and customer satisfaction in a public sector bank","authors":"Debajani Sahoo ,&nbsp;Ome Naraian Shrivastava ,&nbsp;Abhishek Mishra","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the potential influence of physical and social servicescapes on employee and customer behaviour for a public sector bank (PSB). The stimulus-organism response (S-O-R) framework is leveraged to formulate a model in which the servicescape serves as an antecedent (stimulus) of employee emotions/satisfaction/loyalty (organism), which in turn influences customer satisfaction (response). A total of 505 bank employees and 505 customers (in a dual-respondent format) from 102 PSB branches in metro, semi-urban, and rural regions, identified through stratified random sampling, participated in the data collection. The data analysis revealed that the physical (signs, symbols and artefacts) and social servicescape (except customer characteristics) strongly predict employee emotions, and that employee job satisfaction mediates the relationship between employee emotions and loyalty, which, in turn, shapes customer satisfaction. This work highlights the importance of employees' experiences at the PSB as an intervening variable between servicescape and customer satisfaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 104743"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When access creates threat: Core customers’ responses to in-house rental services","authors":"Eunji Kim,&nbsp;Eunsoo Baek","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Access-based consumption is rapidly expanding as firms adopt circular business models, with many brands now offering in-house rental services. Yet research on brand-managed access remains limited, with most work emphasizing the functional case for access such as economic and sustainability benefits. Shifting the lens to the core customer, the present research investigates how in-house rental services reshape identity-relevant emotions and brand evaluations. Drawing on identity signaling and brand community perspectives, we examine the symbolic and affective consequences of brand-managed access for core customers.</div><div>Across three experiments spanning fashion and technology, offering an in-house rental option lowered core customers’ brand image evaluation. This effect was driven by stronger perceived symbolic threat from non-core customers and reduced brand-related pride. Moreover, the mechanism varied across non-core customer types—<em>brand immigrants</em> (who claim in-group membership) versus <em>brand tourists</em> (who use the brand without asserting membership). While prior work suggests immigrants are more threatening in ownership-based contexts, we find a departure from under brand-managed access: in rental settings, tourists elicited stronger symbolic threat among core customers than immigrants.</div><div>Overall, this research extends access-based consumption research to brand-managed access and clarifies how access modality shapes identity-based brand evaluations. The findings also offer actionable guidance for brands considering in-house rental programs by identifying conditions under which core-customer backlash is likely to emerge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 104751"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond the code: How algorithmic creativity enhances tolerance to recommendation bias?","authors":"Manzhi Liu ,&nbsp;Lijing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104769","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104769","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While algorithms drive transformative changes in marketing practices, they concurrently generate recommendation biases that result in unequal consumer outcomes and adverse reactions. This research examines the issue of recommendation bias stemming from recommendation algorithms. Grounded in intentionality theory, the study elucidates the underlying mechanism through which algorithmic creativity (high vs. low) influences consumer responses. Across six studies (N = 2686), the results demonstrate that under conditions of recommendation bias, consumers exhibit less negative responses toward high creativity algorithms than toward low creativity ones. This effect is serially mediated by intentionality inference and perceived unfairness. Furthermore, the impact of algorithmic creativity is amplified in the context of experience goods, whereas no significant difference emerges for search goods. These findings offer novel insights into consumer reactions to algorithmic decision-making and provide practical implications for firms seeking to refine their personalized recommendation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 104769"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond technology: The dual role of AI and narratives in driving ESG performance in China's retail industry","authors":"Tian tian Mu ,&nbsp;Qiaojuan Shan ,&nbsp;Guangyu Zhu ,&nbsp;Yang Xu ,&nbsp;Gomaa Agag ,&nbsp;Osman Alipour","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research explores the dual role of artificial intelligence (AI) and its narratives in shaping environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in China's retail industry. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities view and signaling theory, we conceptualize AI as both a substantive technological resource and a symbolic communicative mechanism, with green innovation serving as a mediating process. Using panel data of 2306 A-share listed retail firms from 2020 to 2024 (9710 firm-year observations), we employ system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimations to address dynamic panel bias, endogeneity, and unobserved heterogeneity. The findings reveal that both AI technology and AI narrative have a positive impact on ESG performance, with AI technology exerting a stronger substantive effect and AI narratives functioning as credible signals that enhance legitimacy. Moreover, green innovation significantly improves ESG outcomes and partially mediates the artificial intelligence - ESG performance relationship. Robustness checks using alternative measures, estimators, subsamples, and placebo tests confirm the stability of the findings. This research contributes to the literature by linking digital transformation and sustainability, highlighting the interplay between substantive and symbolic mechanisms, and providing insights from an emerging economy context. The findings offer theoretical, managerial, and policy implications for leveraging AI to advance sustainable development in retailing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 104675"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When help feels creepy: A MOA model of AI smart-retail adoption via perceived intrusiveness and the moderating role of trust in AI","authors":"Chih-Jou Chen ,&nbsp;Julian Ming-Sung Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104699","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104699","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>AI is reshaping in-store and omnichannel retail, yet adoption hinges on whether assistance feels helpful or “too close.” This study develops and tests a perceived-intrusiveness (PI)–centered MOA framework for AI-enabled smart retail. PI is theorized as the proximal appraisal that links motivation, opportunity, and ability cues to attitude and, in turn, adoption intention. Specifically, perceived usefulness and personalization quality (motivation), AI transparency and user control (opportunity), and algorithmic literacy and privacy self-efficacy (ability) are modeled as antecedents of PI. Using quota-based data from Taiwanese shoppers who recently used AI retail services (n = 861), we estimated PLS-SEM models with 5000-sample bootstrapping. Personalization quality and user control are the strongest intrusiveness-reducing antecedents; ability variables exert smaller but significant negative effects; usefulness and transparency are weaker. Trust in AI moderates the first-stage links: it strengthens the intrusiveness-reducing effects of personalization quality and user control, does not amplify usefulness, and transparency shows a compensatory pattern (helping chiefly when trust is low). All six antecedents exhibit significant indirect effects operating through PI to shape attitudes and, sequentially, intention. An exploratory check distinguishes personalization intensity from quality and finds a positive incremental link to PI net of quality. The findings clarify designable levers and boundary conditions in MOA and yield actionable guidance: prioritize quality over intensity, provide granular in-flow controls, and use purpose-linked transparency especially for low-trust segments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 104699"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Display advertising or social media post? The impact of endorsement execution form on the effectiveness of virtual influencers’ advertising endorsements","authors":"Yan Li ,&nbsp;Xiaofang Xiang ,&nbsp;Ruijuan Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, an increasing number of brands are choosing to employ virtual influencers rather than human endorsers for marketing promotions. This transition is reshaping marketing communication strategies within the advertising industry. Unlike the single endorsement form discussed in previous studies, this research comparatively investigates different endorsement execution forms—display advertising versus social media post—used by virtual influencers. Through a pre-test and three main experiments, we confirm that the endorsement execution form of virtual influencers significantly affects their advertising effectiveness. Specifically, compared to social media post, endorsements by virtual influencers in the form of display advertising tend to have a stronger impact, as this form effectively reduces the perceived falsity of the endorsement. Furthermore, the impact of endorsement execution form on advertising effectiveness is more pronounced for products that emphasize proximal-sensory experiences (such as taste, smell, and touch) than for those that focus on distal-sensory experiences (such as vision and hearing). These findings not only contribute to the existing literature on virtual influencers and influencer marketing but also provide valuable design ideas and practical insights for the advertising and marketing applications of virtual digital humans in the era of AI.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 104685"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The interplay of typeface and apology source in shaping sincerity and forgiveness","authors":"Ruojia Xiang ,&nbsp;Hyun Jung Park","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how typefaces influence consumer responses in text-based brand apologies. Three experiments demonstrate that handwritten typefaces, compared with machine-written typefaces, can enhance perceived sincerity and willingness to forgive. The source of the apology moderated the impact of handwritten typeface on forgiveness. When an individual, such as a CEO, issued a handwritten apology, it enhanced perceived sincerity; conversely, when an apology was issued by an official source, such as a company or brand, the effect of the handwritten typeface disappeared. The results indicate that matching the apology typeface to the source enhances perceived sincerity, and such source–style congruence can improve crisis recovery effectiveness in text-based digital environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 104697"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visual fidelity and price transparency in luxury-brand NFTs: Impacts on consumer authenticity perceptions and purchase intentions in metaverse retailing","authors":"Guanglu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104651","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;As luxury brands expand into metaverse retail environments, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have emerged as critical tools for digital brand storytelling and value creation. However, the translation of brand authenticity from physical to digital luxury goods remains poorly understood, particularly regarding how visual design fidelity and pricing strategies influence consumer perceptions and behaviors. This research addresses a fundamental tension in luxury NFT marketing: while high-fidelity digital representations may enhance perceived authenticity through detailed brand cues, they may simultaneously degrade authenticity perceptions by exposing the gap between digital simulation and physical product ownership. Drawing on signaling theory and authenticity research, this study investigates how NFT visual quality (high vs. low fidelity) and price disclosure strategies (transparent vs. absent) jointly influence consumer authenticity perceptions and purchase intentions for flagship luxury handbags in metaverse retail contexts.Three preregistered experiments (aggregate N = 1278) employing diverse luxury brand stimuli systematically test these relationships. Study 1 establishes that high-fidelity NFT visuals paradoxically reduce perceived brand authenticity and purchase intentions compared to low-fidelity representations, despite enhanced aesthetic appeal. Study 2 reveals that transparent price information (versus no pricing) moderates this effect: when price transparency is low, the negative authenticity impact of high-fidelity NFTs diminishes, and purchase intentions rebound to levels comparable with high-fidelity designs. Study 3 employs a three-cell design (low price, high price, no price) to confirm that premium pricing serves as a compensatory signal that buffers the authenticity penalties associated with photorealistic NFT representations, while low prices amplify the negative effects of visual realism on perceived authenticity.Across all studies, mediation analyses demonstrate that perceived authenticity functions as the primary psychological pathway linking visual fidelity and price transparency to purchase intentions. Consumer familiarity with NFT technology emerges as a secondary moderator, with NFT-experienced consumers showing greater acceptance of high-fidelity digital representations. The findings extend signaling theory to digital luxury contexts by demonstrating that traditional brand signals (visual realism, price) operate differently in virtual environments where authenticity concerns are heightened. This research provides actionable strategic guidance for luxury retailers entering metaverse platforms: managers must carefully calibrate NFT visual resolution and pricing strategies to preserve brand authenticity perceptions, either investing in ultra-realistic assets paired with premium pricing or adopting stylized, lower-fidelity designs with transparent value propositions to drive conversion in digital retail environments.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;","PeriodicalId":48399,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 104651"},"PeriodicalIF":13.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145738244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}