A Look at How Levels of Vividness and Social Presence Affect Trust in a Decision Aid

Building on past research on trust and social presence, this study explores how multimedia vividness and social presence affect trusting beliefs and subsequently trusting intentions of a computer-based decision aid. An experiment involving 550 subjects examines the effect that decision aid personality and increased levels of vividness (text, voice, and animation) have on social presence, and downstream trust-related constructs including trusting beliefs and trusting intentions. The effect of a user’s computer playfulness on social presence is also investigated. Past research on trust and social presence provide the theoretical foundation for the study and suggest that increased vividness may moderate the effect of decision aid personality on perceptions of social presence, with social presence consequently affecting trusting beliefs

Designing Interfaces with Social Presence: Using Vividness and Extraversion to Create Social Recommendation Agents

Interfaces now employ a variety of media-rich, social, and advanced decision-making components, including recommendation agents (RA) designed to assist users with their tasks. Social presence has been identified as a key consideration in website design to overcome the lack of warmth, social cues, and face-to-face interaction, but few studies have investigated the interface features that may increase social presence. Recent research on RAs has similarly acknowledged social presence as a key factor in the design of online RAs and in building trust in this technology, but there has been limited empirical work on the topic. In this study an experiment was conducted to explore how social technology cues, media capabilities, and individual differences influence social presence and trust in an RA. RA personality (extraversion), vividness (text, voice, and animation), and computer playfulness were found to influence social presence, with social presence serving in a mediating role and increasing user trust in the RA. Vividness also had a moderating effect on the relationship between RA extraversion and social presence such that increased levels of vividness strengthen this relationship

Modelling 3D product visualisation for online retail atmospherics

Purpose: The Stimulus (S) Organism (O) Responses (R) paradigm has been extensively studied in conventional retailing but has received little attention in the online context. This study aims to investigate the effects of an online retailer atmospheric using three dimensional (3D) product visualisation. Design/methods/approach: We operationalise 3D antecedents, the main online atmospheric cues, as the “stimulus” (S) that attracts consumers’ attention towards the online retailer, authenticity of the 3D, hedonic and utilitarian value as the “organism” (O) part, and consumers’ behavioural intention as the “responses” (R) part. A hypothetical retailer Web site presents a variety of laptops using 3D product visualisations. Findings: The control and animated colours represent the main stimuli (S). Furthermore, 3D authenticity, hedonic and utilitarian values are the main determinants of behavioural intentions. The proposed conceptual model achieves acceptable fit and the hypothesised paths are all valid. Practical implications: Retail website designers can contribute to enhancing consumers’ virtual experience by focusing more on utilitarian and hedonic value. Any 3D flash should include the essential information that consumers seek and consumers should be able to click to any part of the 3D flash to access further information. Originality/values: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first in the U.K. that uses a U.K. sample to investigate the effects of using 3D product visualisation on consumers’ perceptions and responses. Our research makes an important contribution to the online atmospheric literature by providing a rich explanation of how authenticity of the 3D virtual models adds more information, fun and enhances consumers’ responses towards the online retailer

“Do you trust me?” – A Structured Evaluation of Trust and Social Recommendation Agents

Recommender systems are considered as useful software that helps users in screening and evaluating products. The fact that users do not know how these systems make decisions leads to an information asymmetry. Thus, users need to trust if they want to take over systems’ recommendations. Applying social interfaces has been suggested as helpful extensions of recommender systems to increase trust. These are called (Social) Recommendation Agents. While many articles and implementations can be found in the field of e-commerce, we believe that Recommendation Agents can be applied to other contexts, too. However, a structured evaluation of contexts and design dimensions for Recommendation Agents is lacking. In this study, first, we give an overview of design dimensions for Recommendation Agents. Second, we explore previous research on trust and Recommendation Agents by means of a structured literature review. Finally, based on the resulting overview, we highlight three major areas for future research

Online Recommendation Systems in a B2C E-Commerce Context: A Review and Future Directions

An online recommendation system (RS) involves using information technology and customer information to tailor electronic commerce interactions between a business and individual customers. Extant information systems (IS) studies on RS have approached the phenomenon from many different perspectives, and our understanding of the nature and impacts of RS is fragmented. The current study reviews and synthesizes extant empirical IS studies to provide a coherent view of research on RS and identify gaps and future directions. Specifically, we review 40 empirical studies of RS published in 31 IS journals and five IS conference proceedings between 1990 and 2013. Using a recommendation process theoretical framework, we categorize these studies in three major areas addressed by RS research: understanding consumers, delivering recommendations, and the impacts of RS. We review and synthesize the extant literature in each area and across areas. Based on the review and synthesis, we surface research gaps and provide suggestions and potential directions for future research on recommendation systems

3D product authenticity model for online retail: An invariance analysis

This study investigates the effects of different levels of invariance analysis on three dimensional (3D) product authenticity model (3DPAM) constructs in the e- retailing context. A hypothetical retailer Web site presents a variety of laptops using 3D product visualisations. The proposed conceptual model achieves acceptable fit and the hypothesised paths are all valid. We empirically investigate the invariance across the subgroups to validate the results of our 3DPAM. We concluded that the 3D product authenticity model construct was invariant for our sample across different gender, level of education and study backgrounds. These findings suggested that all our subgroups conceptualised the 3DPAM similarly. Also the results show some non-invariance results for the structural and latent mean models. The gender group posits a non-invariance latent mean model. Study backgrounds group reveals a non-invariance result for the structural model. These findings allowed us to understand the 3DPAMs validity in the e-retail context. Managerial implications are explained

Multiformat Communication Strategies: A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Investigation of Video Formats

Essay One was conducted to build a more complete view of bilateral, multiformat customer–firm communication. A review of communication theory builds a foundation for effective multiformat strategies across different exchange contexts (e.g., message complexity) and timing factors (e.g., relationship duration), while accounting for both positive and negative aspects of communication richness. Four perspectives on multiformat communication during exchange events suggest pertinent propositions and produce three parsimonious tenets. First, the authors propose a communication theory foundation for relationship marketing; second, they compile and synthesize extant research. Third, they identify six fundamental communication characteristics associated with different formats. Finally, they integrate insights from the previous perspectives into a single conceptual model to provide a more comprehensive view of multiformat communication. This conceptual framework can serve as a platform that academics and managers can use to develop effective communication strategies and thereby optimize customer experiences while simultaneously reducing firm costs and enhancing customer profitability and relationships. Essays Two and Three apply the characteristic-level insights derived in Essay One to a unilateral communication context, investigating whether, when and how the video format impacts performance, with four experimental studies. Consumers are increasingly watching online product videos without sound (no audio narration). Yet, managers have few insights into developing effective video marketing strategies, in the presence of this trend. In Essay Two, the authors first identify two distinct advantages of a video watched with sound, richness (greater message understanding) and vividness (greater message visualization), both of which have a positive impact on performance (Study 1). Next, the authors uncover that the vividness effect is important for consumers with hedonic shopping goals but not for those with utilitarian shopping goals (Studies 2a and 2b). In Essay Three, the authors find the richness effect is important for consumers with utilitarian shopping goals when they are visually distracted (Study 3). Finally, the authors find that adding text captions to the video, a frequently employed strategy, can backfire (Study 4). Adding text captions to a product video lowers message understanding and purchase intentions, when the video is still watched with sound. These findings have important theoretical and managerial implications

Playing with music while shopping online : the effects of interactive music on consumer engagement and behavioral intention

The current study investigates the potential of applying interactive music to the design of e-commerce website in order to create more engaging consumer experience. Through a single-factor experiment with three conditions (the control condition without background music, the static background music condition, the interactive background music condition), behavioral and attitudinal data were collected via Google Analytics and a self-report questionnaire (N = 251). We found that consumers in the interactive music condition were more affectively engaged in the shopping task, regarding the website more novel due to its perceived vividness. This enhanced engagement led to more positive brand attitudes and perceptions and increased users’ behavioral intention to purchase. Additionally, three moderators were found crucial to predict the target audience profile for application of interactive music – existing attitudes of users toward online shopping, price and web features as purchase decision-making factors.Advertisin

BRIDGING THE GAP: INSTILLING MORAL COURAGE AND IMPELLING MORAL ACTION IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY SPHERE

The credibility and legitimacy of law enforcement agencies are largely contingent on the moral behavior of their workforces. Recent and historical instances of moral failure have reduced public trust in law enforcement organizations and undermined their missions. A better understanding of the determinants of moral behavior and drivers of moral failure in policing is needed to craft meaningful strategies that enhance the moral competence of individual officers. Using a relational developmental systems (RDS) approach, this thesis investigates the individual, team, organizational, and situational dimensions of law enforcement to identify conditions that influence moral behavior. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart CRASH scandal, Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force scandal, and death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police are used as case studies to test theoretical assertions and provide consistency. This research affirms the linkage between the individual and context, as posited by RDS. Findings of this work include the importance of value congruence, a multidimensional preference for disengagement, and the power exercised by salience, socialization, and self-efficacy in manifesting moral action. From these conclusions, this thesis recommends integrating ethical considerations throughout law enforcement training, reimaging the field training program as a moral apprenticeship, and adopting a just-culture approach to ethical accountability.Civilian, City of Yuma Fire DepartmentApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

How augmented reality increases engagement through its impact on risk and the decision process

Augmented reality (AR) overcomes one of the main limitations of e-commerce, such as the prepurchase trial. The consumer can virtually see how a product is integrated into the real world through this technology. Therefore, AR may reduce the perceived risk of buying a product online. Despite existing research, the impact of AR on the consumer decision process needs to be further explored. Consequently, this research aims to understand the impact of AR on the perception of risk and the purchase decision process, considering decision comfort and decision confidence. Through a between-subjects experiment, the results show that AR reduces the risk of online shopping. However, it has no direct effect on the decision process. Reducing risk and the comfort it brings generates decision confidence and satisfaction with the shopping experience. This satisfaction will generate engagement toward the online shop platform. The research highlights the process through which AR impacts the decision-making process. The implications for AR marketing theory and managerial implications in the age of the metaverse are discussed