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on Marketing |
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Issue of 2026–10–19
two papers chosen by Marco Novarese, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Virginie Lavoye; Olivia Petit (Kedge BS - Kedge Business School); Anssi Tarkiainen; Jenni Sipilä |
| Abstract: | Encouraging online green purchasing requires overcoming the abstract nature of e-commerce and making the environmental benefits of green products more tangible. Augmented reality (AR) is a promising tool that allows consumers to try on green products virtually, fostering self-proximity-the perception that the augmented selfrepresentation is close to oneself. We explore how and under what conditions AR-enabled self-proximity enhances consumer responses to green products. We find that AR-enabled self-proximity enhances the personal relevance of green products, heightens the anticipated warm glow, and improves consumer responses to green products. AR is particularly effective in promoting green purchasing because it heightens anticipated warm glow, which in turn leads to higher purchase intentions for green products than for generic ones. We highlight the need to carefully design AR experiences that emphasize self-relevance and intrinsic rewards to maximize impact, offer practical recommendations, and suggest avenues for future research in this growing area of study. |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05732303 |
| By: | Kypros Zantis (Cyprus University of Technology, 3036, Limassol, Cyprus Author-2-Name: Author-2-Workplace-Name: Author-3-Name: Author-3-Workplace-Name: Author-4-Name: Author-4-Workplace-Name: Author-5-Name: Author-5-Workplace-Name: Author-6-Name: Author-6-Workplace-Name: Author-7-Name: Author-7-Workplace-Name: Author-8-Name: Author-8-Workplace-Name:) |
| Abstract: | " Objective - Despite rapid growth in conversational AI adoption, the emotional mechanisms shaping AI-mediated purchase behavior remain underexplored. Grounded in Need to Belong Theory and Brand Equity, this study tests a moderated mediation model in which consumer loneliness influences purchase intentions through brand trust, with brand equity conditioning this indirect pathway. Methodology/Technique - A survey of 378 UK adults using conversational AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Copilot) was conducted via Prolific Academic. A scenario-based design manipulated brand equity (high vs. low), with data analyzed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The study tested direct, mediating, moderating, and conditional indirect effects. Findings - Consumer loneliness did not directly affect brand trust, yet brand trust strongly predicted purchase intention. Brand equity significantly moderated the loneliness–trust relationship, amplifying the indirect effect of loneliness on purchase intention through brand trust. High-equity brands converted loneliness-driven relational motivations into stronger trust and purchase intentions more effectively than low-equity brands, confirming the moderated mediation. Novelty - This study reconceptualizes consumer loneliness as a conditional relational motivator contingent on brand equity, repositions brand equity as a relational amplifier in conversational AI settings, and establishes brand trust as the affective conduit through which unmet belonging needs translate into purchase behavior — bridging consumer psychology, branding, and human–AI interaction research. Type of Paper - Empirical" |
| Keywords: | consumer loneliness; brand trust; brand equity; purchase intention; conversational AI; artificial intelligence; moderated mediation. |
| JEL: | M31 D91 O33 |
| Date: | 2026–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gtr:gatrjs:jmmr369 |