Customers' contamination concerns: an integrative framework and future prospects for service management

How has COVID-19 impacted the economic resilience of retail clusters?: Examining the difference between neighborhood-level and district-level retail clusters

The spread of COVID-19 greatly restricted physical and economic activities in global cities due to growing fears of infection and lockdown policies. Accordingly, the transfer of shopping activities from traditional markets to e-commerce has accelerated. Urban retail has substantially declined by competing with these disrupting factors, but resilience capabilities are known to vary by scale and regional characteristics. This study identifies which types of retail clusters were more resilient to the economic shock caused by the pandemic. This research focuses on the changes in online and in-store sales and how retailers recovered differently at the neighborhood and district levels in 2019 and 2020. This research compares the resilience of two types of retail clusters by calculating the loss of resilience and online adaptivity. The findings suggest that neighborhood-level retail areas were more resilient and bounced back in sales at a faster rate than district-level retail areas during the pandemic. These findings suggest that retail clusters are more resilient if they have steady populations and low-rent loads and can accommodate online shopping. The study contributes theoretical insights into how sales have changed and how e-commerce has increased the resilience of retail clusters throughout the pandemic by examining in-store and online sales.

Which visual elements on packaging affect perceived credibility? A case study of in vitro diagnostic kits

With increasing public health awareness and the unprecedented global health crisis, consumers' demand for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) reagents is gradually increasing. However, consumer mistrust remains a significant barrier to purchasing and using IVD products. Pharmaceutical companies and governments prioritizing direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing have recognized the impact of visual packaging elements on consumer perception. Thus, we researched whether visual packaging elements systematically influence consumers' perceived credibility of IVD products' credence attributes, namely, their ability to protect personal and public health. Combining previous related studies, this study was conducted experimentally with rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits, assuming that the visual elements (i.e., typeface, color, pattern, and information) of packaging can influence consumers' perceived credibility of RDT kits and explored which elements are more credible. Questionnaires were randomly selected and assigned to 216 participants. The results indicated that all four elements influenced the participants' perceived credibility. Specifically, a sans serif typeface, realistic pattern, chromatic color, and more information made the participants feel more credible. Our research results fill a gap in the consumer perception of over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products by providing new insights into dissecting consumer perceptions. This offers a novel design strategy for online and offline marketing and promotional efforts by different companies and governmental organizations.

Reflections and predictions on effects of COVID-19 pandemic on retailing

Purpose

The Covid-19 pandemic has a strong effect on societies, business and consumers. Governments have taken measures to reduce the spread of the pandemic, such as social distancing and lockdowns. The latter has also resulted in a temporary closure of physical stores for “non-essential” retailing. Covid-19 thus has a profound impact on how people live. The period of relative isolation, social distancing and economic uncertainty changes the way we behave. New consumer behaviors span all areas of life, from how we work to how we shop to how we entertain ourselves. These shifts have important implications for retailers. This paper aims to discuss the potential structural effect on shopping behavior and retailing when Covid-19 measures are no longer needed and society moves back to a normal situation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper synthesizes empirical and conceptual literature on the consequences of COVID-19 and introduces a conceptual framework along with a set of predictions that can be investigated with empirical data.

Findings

This study suggests that Covid-19 shapes both consumer needs and behavior and how retailers respond to these changes. Moreover, it suggests that this will not only affect market outcomes (i.e. retail sales and market share online) but also firm outcomes (i.e. customer experience, firm sales) and importantly the competition between online and offline retailers.

Originality/value

In the conceptual framework, this study aims to advance knowledge on longer-term outcomes (vs immediate outcomes such as panic buying) and how COVID-19 is changing the competitive landscape of retail.

To serve and protect: a typology of service robots and their role in physically safe services

Purpose

Although consumers feel that the move toward service robots in the frontline so far was driven by firms' strive to replace human service agents and realize cost savings accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has led customers to appreciate frontline robots' ability to provide services in ways that keep them safe and protected from the virus. Still, research on this topic is scant. This article offers guidance by providing a theoretical backdrop for the safety perspective on service robots, as well as outlining a typology that researchers and practitioners can use to further advance this field.

Design/methodology/approach

A typology is developed based on a combination of a theory- and practice-driven approach. Departing from the type of behavior performed by the service robot, the typology synthesizes three different service robot roles from past literature and proposes three new safety-related role extensions. These safety-related roles are derived from a search for examples of how service robots are used in practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The typology's roles are corroborated by discussing relevant robot implementations around the globe. Jointly, the six roles give rise to several ideas that jointly constitute a future research agenda.

Originality/value

This manuscript is (one of) the first to provide in-depth attention to the phenomenon of service customers' physical safety needs in the age of service robots. In doing so, it discusses and ties together theories and concepts from different fields, such as hierarchy of needs theory, evolutionary human motives theory, perceived risk theory, regulatory focus theory, job demand–resources theory, and theory of artificial intelligence job replacement.

Indonesian hospital telemedicine acceptance model: the influence of user behavior and technological dimensions

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, several hospitals in Indonesia have started to develop teleconsultation services to expand the reach of health services and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of analyzing the influence of user and technological dimensions on the acceptance of the use of hospital teleconsultation applications by users. The research was conducted using quantitative methods with data from questionnaires distributed online. The respondent criteria for this study were Indonesians aged 17 years and over who knew about or had used a hospital's teleconsultation application, and this resulted in 534 respondents. Data processing was carried out using the covariance-based structural equation modeling method with the AMOS 24 application. The user behavior and technology dimensions are influence intention to use telemedicine applications. Furthermore, the results showed that contamination avoidance, safety, reliability, professionalism, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and information quality have a significant positive influence on the behavioral intention to use hospital telemedicine applications. Meanwhile, facilitating conditions and social influence were not shown to have a significant positive effect on the behavioral intention to use such applications. Finally, behavioral intention to use significantly and positively influences actual use. This research can help hospitals and the government in providing guidance in terms of developing telemedicine applications.

Triggers of consumers' enhanced digital engagement and the role of digital technologies in transforming the retail ecosystem during COVID-19 pandemic

This study seeks to unravel the factors that have triggered changes in individuals' engagement with online consumption during the COVID-19 crisis and investigate the influence of digital technologies on the retail ecosystem during the lockdowns, as seen through the eyes of consumers. In doing so, a qualitative empirical research approach was adopted, and data was collected via in-depth interviews with 35 respondents during the COVID-19 lockdown in China. The study has delineated a systematic mapping of the retail ecosystem's reactions to the COVID-19 shock. Three overarching dimensions related to consumers' online purchasing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified: triggers of enhanced digital engagement, transformative capacity of digital technologies, and socio-economic adaptability during crises. The relevant themes underlying each aggregate dimension were further elaborated with evidence from the interviews. The study findings advance the extant literature on purchasing behavior and online retailing in times of crisis and offer important practical implications on improving crisis management capabilities of the retail ecosystem via digital technologies. As a final output, four propositions were extracted to serve for further research.

Patients' perceptions of teleconsultation during COVID-19: A cross-national study

In recent months, humanity has had to deal with a worldwide pandemic called COVID-19, which has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people and paralyzed the global economy. Struggling to cure infected patients while continuing to care for patients with other pathologies, health authorities have faced the lack of medical staff and infrastructure. This study aimed to investigate the acceptance of teleconsultation solutions by patients, which help to avoid the spread of the disease during this pandemic period. The model was built using some constructs of the technology acceptance model UTAUT2, Personal traits, Availability, and Perceived Risks. A new scale on Contamination Avoidance was developed by the authors. The questionnaire was disseminated in several countries in Europe and Asia and a total sample of 386 respondents was collected. The results emphasize the huge impact of Performance Expectancy, the negative influence of Perceived Risk, and the positive influence of Contamination Avoidance on the adoption of teleconsultation solutions. The findings highlight the moderating effects of Age, Gender, and Country.

Equilibrating resources and challenges during crises: a framework for service ecosystem well-being

Purpose

This article explores the impact of crises, such as the coronavirus pandemic, on service industries, service customers, and the service research community. It contextualizes pandemics in the realm of disasters and crises, and how they influence actors' well-being across the different levels of the service ecosystem. The paper introduces a resources–challenges equilibrium (RCE) framework across system levels to facilitate service ecosystem well-being and outlines a research agenda for service scholars.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature on disasters, crises, service and well-being is synthesized to embed the COVID-19 pandemic in these bodies of work. The material is then distilled to introduce the novel RCE framework for service ecosystems, and points of departure for researchers are developed.

Findings

A service ecosystems view of well-being co-creation entails a dynamic interplay of actors' challenges faced and resource pools available at the different system levels.

Research limitations/implications

Service scholars are called to action to conduct timely and relevant research on pandemics and other crises, that affect service industry, service customers, and society at large. This conceptual paper focuses on service industries and service research and therefore excludes other industries and research domains.

Practical implications

Managers of service businesses as well as heads of governmental agencies and policy makers require an understanding of the interdependence of the different system levels and the challenges faced versus the resources available to each individual actor as well as to communities and organizations.

Social implications

Disasters can change the social as well as the service-related fabric of society and industry. New behaviors have to be learned and new processes put in place for society to maintain well-being and for service industry's survival.

Originality/value

This paper fuses the coronavirus pandemic with service and well-being research, introduces a resources-challenges equilibrium framework for service ecosystem well-being and outlines a research agenda.

Mitigating loneliness with companion robots in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: an integrative framework and research agenda

Purpose

Loneliness and isolation are on the rise, globally threatening the well-being across age groups; global social distancing measures during the COVID-19 crisis have intensified this so-called “loneliness virus”. The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrative framework and research agenda on the role of companion robots in mitigating feelings of loneliness.

Design/methodology/approach

A netnographic analysis of 595 online visual and textual descriptions offer empirical insights about the role of the companion robot Vector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The contributions of this study are twofold. First, it postulates that companion robots have the potential of mitigating feelings of loneliness (i.e. indicator of well-being). Second, this study contributes to transformative service by developing an integrative framework introducing the roles (personal assistant, relational peer and intimate buddy) that companion robots can fulfill to mitigate feelings of loneliness through building different types of supportive relationships.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed research agenda encourages future service scholars to investigate 1) the role of robots in addressing loneliness, 2) design features that drive adoption of robots, 3) social support for different groups, 4) the operationalization and the measurement of loneliness and 5) an impact analysis of companion robots.

Practical implications

Service providers and policy makers can leverage the insights about how companion robots can help reduce a sense of loneliness.

Originality/value

The integrative framework on loneliness reduction, based on 595 unprompted online contributions issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, offers initial evidence for the impact of companion robots in reducing people's feelings of loneliness.