Antecedents of Purchase Intention at Starbucks in the Context of Covid-19 Pandemic

Café Food Safety and Its Impacts on Intention to Reuse and Switch Cafés during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Starbucks

We explored the definition of food safety in the coffee service business during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic because consumer values and decision-making may have been affected by the pandemic. The food safety dimensions are freshness, quarantine, hygiene, and healthiness. We evaluated the effects of café food safety on both the consumer intention to revisit a café and their intention to switch to other cafés. We used the Amazon Mechanical Turk system for data collection. In total, 474 individuals responded to the survey questions. We used the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) ver. 20.0 and the analysis of moment structure (AMOS) ver. 21.0. We subjected the definition of café food safety to confirmatory factor analysis and then used structural equations to test the research hypotheses. The four dimensions adequately defined food safety. The results indicated that food safety positively influenced the intention to revisit, although it had no significant impact on the intention to switch cafés. Our findings will assist managers because we identify the implications of food safety for the coffee service business.

The impact of family business brand trust and crisis management practices on customer purchase intention during Covid-19

Purpose

The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of consumers' brand trust in family businesses and the impact of crisis management practices on customer purchase intention during the period of Covid-19.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a primary quantitative research on a sample of 817 consumers who bought products from 20 food and beverage family companies. Simple random sampling was used to collect the primary data. Data collection was made with the use of questionnaires. The questionnaires were developed based on previous studies and were tested in terms of reliability and validity.

Findings

The research findings indicate, among others, that there is a positive significant relationship between brand trust and purchase intention. As a result, the higher the trust of the consumers in a family business brand name, the higher their intention to make purchases. Additionally, it was found that the higher the performance of family businesses on crisis management practices, the more the consumers intent to make purchases.

Research limitations/implications

Nonetheless, there are some limitations in the current research. First, the research sample consists of companies and consumers from a specific location, which can create issues regarding the generalization of the findings. Thus, to ensure improved research implications, a future research should include sample units from different locations and countries in order to reinforce the research findings and enable comparisons and more easily generalized outcomes. Moreover, a future research could assess additional factors that potentially affect purchase intention within a family business environment. Factors such as human resources and the relationship between customers and companies as well as communication and promotional efforts will allow the creation of a more stable and holistic framework and the prediction of consumer behavior. This potential follow-up research will further contribute to the theoretical argumentation of the findings and highlight the connection among purchase intention, trust and crisis managements practices within the family business environment.

Practical implications

Regarding the managerial and practical implications, the research outcomes can lead to specific strategies related to brand trust and crisis management practices. Specifically, family companies should invest on their brand name and their relationship with the consumers by reinforcing any action which can potentially affect the trust of the consumers. This could be realized by providing a safe purchase environment according to health and safety standards and through their response strategy and adaptability to the current pandemic conditions through the use of crisis management practices. Finally, a practical response to social and physical distancing measures would increase brand trust, and the performance on crisis management practices could also lead to sufficient financial outcomes since all these factors positively affect consumers' purchase intention.

Originality/value

The outbreak of the pandemic directly affected the profitability but also the viability of companies, regardless of industry. In particular, the impact that the pandemic had on family businesses, financially, organizationally and operationally, was massive and in many cases, catastrophic. Several studies have focused on family businesses, analyzing their structure, advantages and disadvantages. However, in these studies, there is little focus on the brand's influence on consumer behavior and market intention, especially compared to nonfamily businesses and under unique circumstances such as those of a pandemic.

Consumers' purchase intention of wild freshwater fish during the COVID-19 pandemic

The association between the COVID-19 pandemic and the wildlife trade in the seafood market in Wuhan has raised public concern regarding wildlife consumption and public health safety. Considering several coronavirus transmission incidents related to aquatic products and the location of wild freshwater fish in aquatic consumption in China, the effects of COVID-19 on the purchase intention of wild freshwater fish was investigated. Based on 1163 online questionnaires from eight provinces (including two province-level municipalities) in the Yangtze River Basin, ordered logistic regression was carried out to analyze the influencing factors of purchase intention of wild freshwater fish during the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical results indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic had changed consumers' perceived risk and purchase frequency of wild freshwater fish. External stimulus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had little influence on perceived risk and purchase intention. Consumer preference had a significant impact on perceived risk and purchase intention. Therefore, efforts should be put to strengthen the popularization of aquatic product knowledge, guide the public to develop scientific and civic eating habits, and improve the traceability system of aquatic products. [EconLit Citations: D12-Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis, Q22-Fishery; Aquaculture].

The onlinezation influence on knowledge sharing for corporate innovation during the CoViD crisis

The article describes the study of the influence of shock onlinezation caused by the CoViD‐19 quarantine on the knowledge management performance and effectiveness in organizations. The methodology of the study is based on a set of multiple linear regression equations linking together the onlinezation, knowledge management parameters, problem‐solving and financial performance. The results of the study allow developing a set of practical recommendations regarding the development of knowledge management systems in organizations under the onlinezation context, with a special accent to solving technical and/or marketing uncertainty‐related problems with architectural or modular innovations.

How Does Experiential Value toward Robot Barista Service Affect Emotions, Storytelling, and Behavioral Intention in the Context of COVID-19?

This study aims to examine the antecedents of storytelling and intention to a behavioral robot barista coffee shop (RBCS) by exploring experiential values and emotions. For the analysis, a set of hypotheses was developed and tested based on data collected from 300 customers who had visited a RBCS in South Korea. In the verification, the atmosphere showed the greatest influence on positive emotion, followed by consumer return on investment (CROI). These results mean that atmosphere, CROI, and escapism are important to induce positive emotion and behavioral intention for robot barista coffee shop. This is the first study to examine consumers’ experiential value regarding non-face-to-face robot service in the food service industry. This design is different from previous experiential value studies on human services in the hospitality industry. By integrating artificial intelligence and digital innovation into food service, this study broadens the scope of research in consumer behavior, making a significant theoretical contribution to the literature. Furthermore, this study proposes practical implications for sustainable coffee shop management in a COVID-19 environment.

Experiential Value, Satisfaction, Brand Love, and Brand Loyalty toward Robot Barista Coffee Shop: The Moderating Effect of Generation

This study applies experiential value, satisfaction, brand love, brand loyalty, and generation to identify consumer behavior toward robot baristas providing new non-face-to-face services during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the analysis, a set of hypotheses was developed and tested based on the data collected from 404 customers who had visited a robot barista coffee shop (RBCS) in South Korea. The results show that playfulness had the most positive effect on satisfaction, followed by service excellence and consumer return on investment (CROI). Satisfaction had a positive effect on brand love and loyalty. This result indicates that playfulness, service excellence, and CROI are important for inducing brand love and brand loyalty of customers toward RBCS. Moreover, generation plays a moderating role between satisfaction and brand love, and between brand and brand loyalty. This research design and the results differ from those of previous studies on experiential value that have focused on human services in the hospitality industry. Consequently, this study contributes to the hospitality literature by applying the experience value theory, which has been mainly applied to research on human services, to non-face-to-face service research, and to identifying its role. Additionally, it makes an important contribution by presenting practical implications for the sustainable management of the food service industry in the COVID-19 era.

Examining Image Congruence and Its Consequences in the Context of Robotic Coffee Shops

This study aimed to find the role of image congruence in the context of robotic coffee shops. More specifically, this study proposed that three types of image congruence including actual self-image congruence, ideal self-image congruence, and social self-image congruence aid to increase brand attitude. In addition, it was proposed that brand attitude positively affects brand attachment and brand loyalty. For this, this study collected data from 325 customers who used robotic coffee shops. The data analysis results indicated that the three types of image congruence have a positive influence on brand attitude. In addition, brand attitude was found to be an important factor affecting brand attachment and brand loyalty.