Using emoji in response to customer reservation requests and service reviews

The use of paralinguistic cues—including emoji—in computer-mediated communication has become prevalent in recent years. Brands and service providers have also been using these cues in their communication strategies. And yet, research examining how such emoji use influences customers’ perception and behavior is still scarce. In two experiments (combined ), we tested if using emoji to reply to a customer request (restaurant reservation, Study 1) or online review (hotel experience, Study 2) influenced perceptions of the brands. The emoji used by the brand was always congruent with the valence of the situation. Results from both studies revealed that the presence (vs. absence) of emoji influenced consumers’ perception of the brand/service at several levels. Specifically, the restaurant/hotel was perceived to have a more informal communication style, have a warmer service, and be more modern. In Study 1, we also observed that emoji use had a positive impact on competence perception and reservation intentions. Importantly, these effects of emoji use were not moderated by the valence of the situation. Taken together, our results showed that emoji can influence different perceptions about brands and services and determine how customers relate to brands.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Influence of Type of Implicit EWOM on Purchase Intention

Electronic Word-of-mouth (eWOM) helps shape consumers’ purchasing decisions and companies’ marketing choices. Researchers and practitioners have extensively studied textual or word-based eWOM in online reviews, blogs, e-mails, and product sites. The effect of implicit eWOM, eWOM using paralinguistic cues, on consumer behavior has been infrequently studied even though marketers often seek to use implicit eWOM to influence consumers. On Facebook, the most popular social networking platform in the world, three of the most frequently used forms of implicit eWOM are the emoticon, the emoji, and the GIF. A comparison of the effect of types of implicit eWOM on the purchase intention of eWOM receivers was made in two studies. Four theories, specifically, (Social Presence Theory, Short et al., 1976), Affect as Information Theory, (Clore & Storbeck, 2006), the Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1984) and the Foote, Cone, and Belding Grid Model (Vaughn, 1980, 1986), were used to frame the studies. In Study 1, four independent groups were shown product reviews that were text only, text plus emoticon, text plus emoji, or text plus GIF. Half of each group were shown a product review of candy and half were shown a product review of a computer. The products represent different levels of engagement and cognitive/affective processing. Study 2 included four independent groups shown product reviews that were text only or text followed by either an emoticon, an emoji, or a GIF. Each participant was shown reviews of three products (candy, a chair, or a computer), chosen to represent different levels of engagement and cognitive/affective processing. All pairs of groups were compared using an independent groups t-test. No significant increase in purchase intention due to implicit eWOM was found in either study. In two comparisons between text only and 1) text plus emoticon and 2) text plus emoji, purchase intention was higher for the text only review than for the review that included a paralinguistic cue

With or without emoji?: impact of the use of emojis on online service booking on consumer perception

With the evolution of technology, we are currently experiencing a period in which communication is often mediated by computers (CMC). In addition to using this mode of communication between friends and colleagues, there are many pages and more and more services and brands to evolve into social networks. For example, there is even and the possibility of booking services through these methods (Facebook chat). With these new forms of communication existed, the language also changes. There was thus a need to adapt this new way of communicating the need to include non-verbal cues that are common in face-to-face communication (F2F). This is how emoticons and emoji came about. We carried out an experimental study to investigate how the use of emoji can influence consumers' perception of online services (Facebook chat) and restaurant. Participants (N = 200, 74% female) were exposed to a fictitious scenario that represented a negative or positive message (e.g., reservation request refused vs. accepted) and which included or not emoji was distinct in the presence or absence of emoji and in the valence of the message congruent with this message. The results indicate that the emoji exert influence in the perception of the consumers about the service and the restaurant, at several levels such as: the perception of modernity, the language used and the warmth. These evidences denote importance for the psychology of the consumer, because they indicate how much emoji can influence the consumer to have different perceptions about services used and brands.Com o evoluir da tecnologia, vivemos atualmente um período em que a comunicação é frequentemente mediada por computadores (CMC). Para além de usarmos este modo de comunicação entre amigos e colegas, há cada vez mais serviços e marcas a evoluir para as redes sociais. Por exemplo, existe inclusivamente a possibilidade de marcação de serviços através destes métodos (chat do Facebook). Com estas novas formas de comunicar existiu a necessidade de incluir pistas não verbais que são comuns na comunicação face-a-face (F2F). Assim surgiram os emoticons e os emojis. Realizamos um estudo experimental para investigar como a utilização de emojis pode influenciar a perceção que o consumidor tem da marcação de serviços online (chat do Facebook) e do restaurante. Os participantes (N = 200 ,74% sexo feminino) foram expostos a um cenário fictício que representava uma mensagem negativa ou positiva (i.e., pedido de reserva recusado vs. aceite) e que incluía ou não emoji congruente com essa mensagem. Os resultados indicam que os emojis exercem influência na perceção dos consumidores sobre o serviço e sobre o restaurante, a vários níveis como: na perceção da modernidade, na linguagem utilizada e na hospitalidade. Estas evidências denotam importância para a psicologia do consumidor, porque indicam o quanto os emojis podem influenciar o consumidor a ter perceções diferente sobre os serviços utilizados e as marcas

Let’s put a smile… on that brand!

Nos dias de hoje, a comunicação mediada por computador (CMC) é uma forma de comunicação adotada por grande parte das pessoas e pode variar entre contextos (comunicamos com parceiros românticos, amigos, colegas). Isto ocorre não só entre indivíduos, mas também entre indivíduos e marcas. Contudo, ao contrário da comunicação face-a-face (F2F), na CMC temos falta de pistas não verbais, dificultando a compreensão da mensagem e podendo redundar em ambiguidade. Uma forma de contornar esta limitação, é através da utilização de emoticons ou emojis, que permitem expressar emoções, e reforçar o tom de uma mensagem, sendo relevante perceber como é que a inclusão de emojis, em CMC, é percebida por potenciais consumidores de uma marca fictícia, relevante pela crescente presença das marcas em contextos digitais (i.e., redes sociais). Realizamos um estudo experimental para investigar como é que a inclusão de emojis (vs. Controlo) numa comunicação emitida por uma marca fictícia em crise (i.e., recolha de produto defeituoso) influencia a perceção global da marca e suaa personalidade. Os participantes (N = 201, 62.4% sexo feminino) foram expostos a um cenário fictício que variava em termos da inclusão ou não de um emoji e do nível de gravidade do defeito. Os resultados sugerem que fazer a recolha de produtos defeituosos pode ser visto como socialmente responsável. Os emojis não exerceram influência direta na perceção de marca. A utilização de emojis não se adequa a todos os contextos. Estas evidências são de especial relevância para a área da psicologia do consumidor e da comunicação.Nowadays, computer mediated communication (CMC) is part of most people’s way of communicating, varying across contexts (e.g., we communicate with romantic partners, friends, or in professional settings). This occurs not only among individuals, but also between individuals and brands. However, in contrast to face-to-face (F2F) communication, CMC lacks non-verbal cues, making it harder to perceive a message. One way to overcome this limitation is the inclusion of emoticons and emojis, used to express emotion and to reinforce and clarify a message. Our goal is to understand how the inclusion of emojis in CMC is understood and apprehended by customers of a fictional brand, relevant due to the increasing presence of most brands in digital contexts (i.e., social media platforms). We conducted an experimental study to investigate how including emoji (vs. control) in a product recall message influences general brand perception and brand personality. Participants were presented with a fictional scenario of a fictional brand dealing with a product-harm crisis. Participants (N = 201, 62.4% females) were assigned to a fictional scenario that varied in terms of the presence or absence of an emoji and the level of perceived severity of the defect. Results suggest that making callbacks of defective products can be seen as socially responsible. No direct effects of emojis in brand perception were found. The usage of emojis is not appropriate in all contexts. These findings are of relevance especially for the field of consumer psychology and communication studies

Evaluating the adequacy of emoji use in positive and negative messages from close and distant senders

Computer-mediated communication allows people to communicate across several contexts (e.g., friends, professional settings) by using video-based or text-based channels. In the latter case, communication lacks nonverbal cues (e.g., tone of voice) that are critical to message interpretation. Including emoji can help express emotion and reinforce or clarify the meaning of a message. However, the benefits of using emoji are likely to depend on the context (e.g., the relationship between interlocutors) and the messages' features (e.g., the valence of the message). To date, studies have not systematically and empirically examined how the use of emoji is perceived across different communication scenarios. In the current study, we asked 175 participants (49.5 percent women; Mage = 36.32, SD = 12.22) to imagine receiving either a negative or a positive message from 22 senders (e.g., friend; bank manager) and to indicate, for each case, how much they would like to receive an emoji and how useful and appropriate they considered the use of emoji. These ratings were combined into a single index of emoji use adequacy. Based on factor analysis, the 22 scenarios were aggregated in distant and close scenarios. Overall, results showed that participants considered emoji use more inadequate in distant (vs. close) scenarios and for negative (vs. positive) messages. These findings suggest that the perceived benefits of emoji use for text-based communication may not be generalized to all text-based communication contexts, such that relationship proximity and message valence should not be overlooked. Implications for the fields of consumer psychology and communication are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

ChatGPT and Persuasive Technologies for the Management and Delivery of Personalized Recommendations in Hotel Hospitality

Recommender systems have become indispensable tools in the hotel hospitality industry, enabling personalized and tailored experiences for guests. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, and persuasive technologies, have opened new avenues for enhancing the effectiveness of those systems. This paper explores the potential of integrating ChatGPT and persuasive technologies for automating and improving hotel hospitality recommender systems. First, we delve into the capabilities of ChatGPT, which can understand and generate human-like text, enabling more accurate and context-aware recommendations. We discuss the integration of ChatGPT into recommender systems, highlighting the ability to analyze user preferences, extract valuable insights from online reviews, and generate personalized recommendations based on guest profiles. Second, we investigate the role of persuasive technology in influencing user behavior and enhancing the persuasive impact of hotel recommendations. By incorporating persuasive techniques, such as social proof, scarcity and personalization, recommender systems can effectively influence user decision-making and encourage desired actions, such as booking a specific hotel or upgrading their room. To investigate the efficacy of ChatGPT and persuasive technologies, we present a pilot experi-ment with a case study involving a hotel recommender system. We aim to study the impact of integrating ChatGPT and persua-sive techniques on user engagement, satisfaction, and conversion rates. The preliminary results demonstrate the potential of these technologies in enhancing the overall guest experience and business performance. Overall, this paper contributes to the field of hotel hospitality by exploring the synergistic relationship between LLMs and persuasive technology in recommender systems, ultimately influencing guest satisfaction and hotel revenue.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure

How tourists perceive two island destinations with identical culture, but different demographic characteristics, through social networking sites?: the case of Madeira and Bermuda

This thesis is focused and aimed at exploring how tourists perceive two island destinations with identical culture, but different demographic characteristics, through Social Networking Sites. The islands of Madeira and Bermuda were chosen as the ones to be studied. In order to provide a trustful answer, it was conducted two different methodologies that complete each other: Netnography and Text Mining. Eight codings were used when creating the database, based on the literature studied: Rating, Categories, Membership Level of reviewers, Language type, Tourism Experience Model, Content, Symbology and Positive/Negative information. In the first methodology, all of these codings were studied, while in the Text Mining one, only three were considered: TEM, ML and categories. The database was created after an extensive extraction process, which included in the end 1783 reviews – 1148 from Madeira and 635 from Bermuda, extracted from the TripAdvisor platform regarding August of 2017. The results indicate an overall positive customer satisfaction regarding both islands, but slightly superior in the Madeira’s case. The reviewers were, globally, low ranked reviewers and their favorite type of language was literal (vs figurative). The negative content was similar in both cases and the positive one as well. Based on the literature it was perceived that the reviews extracted are capable of persuading readers, and increase their booking intention. Also, both islands were perceived as destinations where tourists are able, through Recreational Activities, to get closer with their existential being. Lifestyle and Leisure and Tourism, Travel and Commuting were the main themes found to being mentioned by the reviewers. It was perceived that reviewers from Madeira can highly influence potential tourists into becoming real ones, in comparison with Bermuda. In both cases, reviewers were found to be engaged with the destinations, and the “re-purchase” scenario is highly probableO objectivo desta tese é explorar de que forma o turista percebe dois destinos insulares com cultura idêntica, mas características demográficas distintas, através das Redes Sociais. Para o efeito, as ilhas da Madeira e da Bermuda foram escolhidas para ser objecto de estudo. Para obter uma resposta fidedigna foram estabelecidas duas metodologias diferentes, com vista a complementarem-se: Netnografia e Mineração de Dados. Com base na literatura estudada, foram utilizados oito critérios aquando a criação da base de dados: Classificação, Categorias, Nível dos utilizadores, Tipo de linguagem, Tourism Experience Model, Conteúdo, Simbologia e Informações Positivas/Negativas. Na primeira metodologia, todas os critérios foram utilizados, enquanto na segunda foram considerados apenas três: TEM, Nível dos utilizadores e Categorias. A base de dados foi criada após um longo processo de extracção, que culminou no final com 1783 avaliações – 1148 referentes à Madeira e 635 relativos à Bermuda, retiradas da plataforma TripAdvisor, referentes a Agosto de 2017. Os resultados indicam uma satisfação geral positiva dos utilizadores em relação a ambas as ilhas, mas ligeiramente superior no caso da Madeira. Estes eram, globalmente, caracterizados com baixo nível de membership, e predomina a linguagem literal (vs figurativa). A quantidade de conteúdo negativo é similar em ambos os casos, bem como a informação positiva. Com base na literatura, foi concluído que as avaliações extraídas são capazes de persuadir os leitores e aumentar as suas intenções de reserva para com os destinos estudados. Além disso, ambas as ilhas foram percebidas como destinos onde os turistas podem, por meio de Atividades Recreacionais, aproximar-se do seu ser existencial. "Lifestyle and Leisure" e "Tourism, Travel and Commuting" foram os principais temas de conversa mencionados pelos utlizadores. Foi concluído também que as avaliações extraídas da Madeira têm maior capacidade para tornar potenciais turistas, em turistas reais do destino (comparativamente à Bermuda). Em ambos os casos, verificou-se engagement positivo, e o cenário de "recompra" é altamente possível

Motives, frequency and attitudes toward emoji and emoticon use

Electronic Mediated Communication (EMC) has become highly prevalent in our daily lives. Many of the communication formats used in EMC are text-based (e.g., instant messaging), and users often include visual paralinguistic cues in their messages. In the current study, we examined the usage of two of such cues - emoji and emoticons. Specifically, we compared self-reported frequency of use, as well as attitudes (6 bipolar items, e.g., “fun” vs. “boring”) and motives for their usage (9 motives, e.g., “express how I feel to others”). We also examined these indicators according to age and gender. Overall, participants (N = 474, 72.6% women; Mage = 30.71, SD = 12.58) reported using emoji (vs. emoticons) more often, revealed more positive attitudes toward emoji usage, and identified more with motives to use them. Moreover, all the ratings were higher among younger (vs. older) participants. Results also showed that women reported to use emoji (but not emoticons) more often and expressed more positive attitudes toward their usage than men. However, these gender differences were particularly evident for younger participants. No gender differences were found for emoticons usage. These findings add to the emerging body of literature by showing the relevance of considering age and gender, and their interplay, when examining patterns of emoji and emoticons use.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Entrepreneurship innovation using social robots in tourism: a social listening study

The tourism sector has been one of the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to restrictions on mobility and fear of social contact. In this context, business innovation through digital transformation is presented as a great opportunity for the tourism industry and the inclusion of social robots in service tasks is an example. This transformation requires new methodologies, skills and talent that must be promoted to improve the innovative tourism ecosystem. With this research, we try to determine how the inclusion of social or service robots in hotels can improve the image and perception held by clients or guests. For that, we frst analyse the degree of knowledge and sentiment generated by social robots through a social listening study in social networks. In addition, we determine whether these perceptions on the subject are in tune with other more formal felds, such as scientifc research, or with the strategies followed at a national or international level by companies, agencies and organisations related to the technology and innovation of social robotics. For both objectives, we use the Simbiu social listening tool, a software-based program on Talkwalker, and we obtain interesting results. Basically, people on Twitter have a neutral or positive feeling about the use of social robots, and people who write in English have a more positive attitude towards social robots than Spanish speakers. After COVID-19, are necessary changes in strategic decisions of the hospitality and it is essential to continue investigating the role of social robots in this new context.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

Metadiscourse analysis of digital interpersonal interactions in academic settings in Turkey

Rapid technological advances, efficiency and easy access have firmly established emailing as a vital medium of communication in the last decades. Nowadays, all around the world, particularly in educational settings, the medium is one of the most widely used modes of interaction between students and university lecturers. Despite their important role in academic life, very little is known about the metadiscursive characteristics of these e-messages and as far as the author is aware there is no study that has examined metadiscourse in request emails in Turkish. This study aims to contribute to filling in this gap by focusing on the following two research questions: (i) How many and what type of interpersonal metadiscourse markers are used in request emails sent by students to their lecturers? (ii) Where are they placed and how are they combined with other elements in the text? In order to answer these questions a corpus of unsolicited request e-mails in Turkish was compiled. The data collection started in January 2010 and continued until March 2018. A total of 353 request emails sent from university students to their lecturers were collected. The data were first transcribed in CLAN CHILDES format and analysed using the interpersonal model. The metadiscourse categories that aimed to involve readers in the email were identified and classified. Next, their places in the text were determined and described in detail. Findings of the study show that request emails include a wide array of multifunctional interpersonal metadiscourse markers which are intricately combined and employed by the writers to reach their aims. The results also showed that there is a close relation between the “weight of the request” and number of the interpersonal metadiscourse markers in request mails