Coming to your senses: exploring the role of touch in physical and digitally immersive consumption experiences

This dissertation consists of two empirical papers in which I examine the Need for Touch (NFT)in two settings where the ability to touch is disrupted, exploring the role of touch and other senses in physical and metaverse consumption experiences. In the first paper, I investigate the pandemic\u27s influence on consumer shopping behaviors, focusing on the coping mechanisms for reduced tactile interactions. The research uses an exploratory, inductive sequential design to chronicle shopping experiences through longitudinal interviews and autodriving. The findings reveal two primary themes: Shopping as a Reprieve and Fear of Shopping. This research underscores the intricate connection between grieving and the sensory deprivation of touch in traumatic events like COVID-19. In the second paper, I adopt a mixed-method approach that combines short-form interviews and a 2x2 between-subjects design experiment to test whether the physical touch of a featured product before a virtual encounter affects brand attitudes, examining the moderating role of the NFT. A multiple linear regression analysis shows a significant interaction between the physical touch condition and the NFT on brand attitudes. Individuals with high-NFT reported lower brand attitudes, while low-NFT participants express enhanced positivity towards the brand. This paper contributes insights into the interplay between tactile experiences and the NFT on the formation of attitudes toward brands encountered in digitally immersive environments

Online Grocery Shopping: Consumer Motives, Concerns, and Business Models

Online Grocery Shopping: Consumer Motives, Concerns, and Business Models by Mike Kempiak and Mark A. Fox Dot.com entrepreneurs failed spectacularly in their attempts to create e-grocery companies. This paper examines consumer motives and concerns with regard to online grocery shopping. The reasons for the success experienced by traditional bricks-and-mortar companies that have expanded into this market are also examined

GROCERIES ONLINE ORDERING AND DELIVERY (GOOD) MOBILE APPLICATION

The evolution of the Internet and the dynamic of the economy nowadays have created businesses to enter online market. This has given birth to E-commerce activity where buying and selling of products and services are done via the net. Research proved that e-commerce enables simpler, faster and efficient business transactions. In Malaysia, many giant and famous grocery chains like Tesco have joined this effort in implementing e-commerce in their business. However, the implementation of it in SMEs especially the local grocery shop is still downcast. Thus, the objective of this project is aimed to develop a mobile application call Groceries Online Ordering and Services (GOODS) for local grocery shops in Malaysia. A prototype was developed using the Rapid Application Development. GOODS was designed in such a way that can help customers to do their groceries shopping online at anytime and anywhere using smartphone with internet connection

Exploring the significance of digital disruption on the Finnish grocery industry: A case study on the current attitudes of Finnish grocery suppliers, retailers and consumers towards online grocery retail.

Since its inception, digitalization has been disrupting numerous industries around the world. This also includes the grocery trade: Online channels have given consumers more flexibility in regard to how and when they purchase the products that fuel their every-day lives. This transformation has challenged grocery suppliers and retailers to adapt their internal tools and processes, while reevaluating their strategic interpretation of the future of their industry. Although online commerce is often referred to as the superior retail channel of today, the share of online grocery – also referred to as e-grocery – has grown relatively slowly in Finland. The reasons for this are still fairly unknown: some suggest it may be due to the local oligopolistic parties not wanting to deter consumer cashflow from their brick-and-mortars, while others believe it may be due to a wary approach from Finnish consumers. Nevertheless, in the recent years the growth rate of Finnish e-grocery has increased notably. This sparks an interesting question: Has the era of e-grocery shopping finally arrived? Through a qualitative intense single-case analysis, this study complements existing research by exploring the significance of digital disruption on the unique setting of Finnish grocery through 20 interviews with suppliers, retailers and consumers. The aim of this study is to explore the current e-grocery related attitudes of key players in the grocery supply chain to better understand the factors behind digital grocery’s slow progression, as well as how large a role online channels may have in Finland’s traditionally concentrated grocery market in the future. The study’s findings agree as well as add to existing research in regard to the plethora of digitalization related benefits and potential challenges felt by grocery suppliers, retailers and their consumers. The gathered insights suggest that the progress of Finnish e-grocery has been limited by both supply and demand related factors. However, through the offered practical implications centered around corporate agility, shopper data -led collaboration as well the improving of service design in digital channels, this study implies that Finnish suppliers and retailers have the opportunity to maximize the potential of their digital channels, thus being able to better serve the modern as well as impending demands of Finnish grocery shoppers

How do Customers Alter Their Basket Composition When They Perceive the Retail Store to Be Crowded? An Empirical Study

Using data from a large-scale field study, we show that (perceptions of) crowding change(s) the composition of a consumer's shopping basket. Specifically, as shoppers experience more crowding, their shopping basket contains (a) relatively more affect-rich (“hedonic”) products, and (b) relatively more national brands. We offer a plausible dual-process explanation for this phenomenon: Crowding induced distraction limits cognitive capacity, increasing the relative impact of affective responses in purchase decisions. As we are the first to show that level of crowding relates to what shoppers buy (at both product and brand level), the implications of these effects for retailers are discussed

How Do Food Shopping Behaviors Differ Between High-income and Low-income Shoppers in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area?

Background: The social determinants of health and health equity are influenced by access, environment, and socioeconomic status (SES). Health inequities are preventable and can be avoided with systemic policy change surrounding the distribution of wealth and resources. Few studies have researched the differences in different income levels and the influence income has on food shopping behaviors. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in food shopping behaviors between high-income and low-income shoppers living in the same zip code. Subjects Sixty-eight individuals who live in the 49341 zip code which represents a small city in Kent County, Michigan. Methods: Participants were recruited in collaboration with North Kent Connect and the Rockford Farmer’s Market. The participant survey contained demographic and food security questions. The survey allowed for participants to voluntarily enter their email address if they wished to attend a virtual interview for an in-depth discussion on food shopping behaviors. The surveys were analyzed using SPSS 25, two personal interviews, one for each income group were conducted via Zoom, transcribed, and hand-coded using thematic analysis. Results: The main themes from this qualitative study of a low and high-income participant in the 49341 zip code were that high-income food shopping behaviors were influenced by (1) types of foods needed, (2) household determinants of food value, (3) location and time of shopping, and (4) food safety habits. The low income shopper’s food behaviors were influenced by (1) type of store, (2) household determinants of food quality, (3) location and time of shopping, and (4) influence of children on shopping. Conclusion: There were differences and commonalities found in both the high and low-income participants surrounding their food shopping behaviors. The shoppers differed on dietary needs, meal planning, type of store shopped at, nutritional quality of foods but were fairly similar on COVID-19 impact, child influence, perception of health, and impulse purchases. More research is needed to expand on these findings including increasing sample size and racial and socioeconomic diversity

Sustainable interaction with digital technologies : fostering pro-environmental behavior and maintaining mental health

One of the most essential challenges of the twenty-first century is to realize sustainability in everyday behavior. Daily, partly unconscious decisions influence environmental sustainability. Such everyday choices are increasingly shifted toward digital environments, as digital technologies are ubiquitous in a wide variety of everyday contexts. This yields the great potential to positively influence the users behavior toward more environmental sustainability when interacting with digital technologies, for example, through the use of digital nudging. But besides these benefits, research indicates that interacting with digital technologies can lead to a specific form of stress, also known as technostress, that can cause adverse health outcomes. Individuals increasingly suffer from or are at risk of mental health issues like depression or burnout. This demonstrates that it is essential to ensure a sustainable interaction with digital technologies that is both environmentally friendly and healthy, especially for the mind. Addressing individuals interaction with digital technologies requires a broad understanding from all perspectives. The Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) framework represents a guiding structure for studying the interaction of humans with digital technologies. Along with the guiding structure of the HCI framework, the seven research articles included in this dissertation aim to contribute to sustainable interaction with digital technologies. The focus is on two outcomes resulting from the interaction: First, fostering pro-environmental behavior and, second, maintaining mental health. After an introductory first chapter, Chapter 2 focuses on the outcome of fostering pro-environmental behavior when interacting with digital technologies using digital nudging. Chapter 2.1 contributes to a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of DNEs in different behavioral contexts (HCI perspective context) that influence the individuals pro-environmental behavior (e.g., e-commerce shopping behavior). Chapters 2.2 and 2.3 zoom in on two of the behavioral contexts described in Chapter 2.1 to investigate and test the design and effectiveness of specific DNEs in an e-commerce shop and a smart home app (HCI perspective technology) through online experiments. While prior research concentrated on the effectiveness of different feedback nudge features (FNFs) (e.g., different update frequencies), Chapter 2.4 investigates the influence of 25 identified FNFs on user satisfaction in a smart home app through a card sorting approach followed by an online survey based on the Kano model (HCI perspective human). Chapter 3 puts focuses on the outcome of maintaining mental health when interacting with digital technologies, thus avoiding technostress. Chapter 3.1 concentrates on the role of the organization in preventing technostress among their employees (HCI perspective context). It introduces and characterizes 24 primary and secondary technostress prevention measures and determines the relevance of primary prevention measures in reducing different sources of technostress (technostress creators). Out of the 24 technostress prevention measures, two specific measures (adopt a stress-sensitive digital workplace design and use gamification) are addressed in Chapters 3.2 and 3.3. Through a large-scale online survey, Chapter 3.2 derives an understanding of the characteristic profiles of technologies used at the digital workplace, their interplay, and how they influence technostress (HCI perspective technology). Chapter 3.3 focuses on the individuals appraisal (HCI perspective human) of a demanding situation when interacting with digital technologies. After conducting an online experiment, Chapter 3.3 finds that the integration of gamification elements (e.g., points or levels) in digital technologies can reduce the individuals threat appraisal. Lastly, Chapter 4 discusses the results of the seven included research articles and provides an outlook for future research. In summary, this dissertation aims to provide research and practice with new insights into creating a sustainable interaction with digital technologies to foster pro-environmental behavior and maintain mental health.Die nachhaltige Gestaltung des Lebens eine der zentralen Herausforderung des einundzwanzigsten Jahrhunderts. Alltägliche, teils unterbewusste Entscheidungen haben Einfluss auf die ökologische Nachhaltigkeit. Diese Entscheidungen werden durch die Allgegenwärtigkeit digitaler Technologien zunehmend in digitalen Umgebungen getroffen. Dies birgt das Potenzial, die Entscheidungen und somit das Verhalten der Nutzer:innen bei der Interaktion mit digitalen Technologien, beispielsweise durch Digital Nudging, positiv in Richtung ökologischer Nachhaltigkeit zu beeinflussen. Doch neben diesen Vorteilen zeigt die Forschung, dass die Interaktion mit digitalen Technologien eine spezifische Form von Stress, bekannt unter dem Begriff Technostress, auslösen kann, die zu negativen gesundheitlichen Folgen führen kann. Immer mehr Menschen leiden unter psychischen Krankheiten wie Depressionen oder Burnout oder sind akut gefährdet, diese zu entwickeln. Das zeigt, dass eine nachhaltige Interaktion mit digitalen Technologien sowohl umweltfreundlich als auch gesund, insbesondere für die Psyche, sein sollte. Das erfordert zunächst ein umfassendes Verständnis für die Problematik und muss deshalb aus allen relevanten Perspektiven betrachtet werden. Das Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) Framework stellt eine Struktur für die Untersuchung der Interaktion von Menschen mit digitalen Technologien bereit. Das Framework stellt einen ganzheitlichen Ansatz zur Strukturierung und Klassifizierung der Forschung entlang der drei verschiedenen Perspektiven dar. Orientiert an dieser Struktur zielen die sieben Forschungsartikel dieser Dissertation darauf ab, einen Beitrag zur nachhaltigen Interaktion mit digitalen Technologien zu leisten. Dabei liegt der Fokus auf den beiden Ergebnissen der Förderung des umweltfreundlichen Verhaltens und der Aufrechterhaltung der psychischen Gesundheit. Nach dem einleitenden ersten Kapitel fokussiert Kapitel 2 die Förderung eines umweltfreundlichen Verhaltens bei der Interaktion mit digitalen Technologien durch die Verwendung von Digital Nudging. Durch eine strukturierte Literaturanalyse und der anschließenden Entwicklung eines Frameworks trägt Kapitel 2.1 zu einem tieferen Verständnis und einem Überblick der Effektivität von DNEs in verschiedenen Verhaltenskontexten (HCI Perspektive Kontext), die umweltfreundliches Verhalten bestimmen (z.B. Einkaufsverhalten), bei. In den Kapiteln 2.2 und 2.3 werden zwei der in Kapitel 2.1 betrachteten Kontexte vertieft und sowohl das Design als auch die Effektivität spezifischer DNEs in einem E-Commerce-Shop (Kapitel 2.2) und einer Smart Home App (Kapitel 2.3) in Online-Experimenten untersucht (HCI Perspektive Technologie). Kapitel 2.4 konzentriert sich das gut erforschte und wirksame DNE Feedback zur Förderung von energiesparendem Verhalten. Während sich bisherige Forschung auf die Effektivität verschiedener Feedback Nudge Features (FNFs) konzentriert (z.B. unterschiedliche Aktualisierungsfrequenzen), wird in Kapitel 2.4 der Einfluss von 25 identifizierten FNFs auf die Nutzerzufriedenheit mit Hilfe eines Card Sortings und einer Online-Befragung basierend auf dem Kano Modell untersucht (HCI Perspektive Mensch). In Kapitel 3 liegt der Schwerpunkt auf dem Ziel der Aufrechterhaltung der psychischen Gesundheit und somit der Vermeidung von Technostress. Kapitel 3.1 konzentriert sich auf die Rolle der Organisation bei der Prävention von Technostress bei Mitarbeiter:innen (HCI Perspektive Kontext). Basierend auf einer Delphi-Studie werden 24 primäre und sekundäre Technostress-Präventionsmaßnahmen vorgestellt und charakterisiert, sowie deren Relevanz zur Vermeidung von Technostress eingeschätzt. Von den 24 Maßnahmen werden zwei spezifische Maßnahmen (Gestaltung eines stresssensiblen digitalen Arbeitsplatzes" und Einsatz von Gamification) in Kapitel 3.2 und 3.3 behandelt. Kapitel 3.2 trägt durch eine groß angelegte Umfrage zu einem Verständnis für die Charakteristika der am digitalen Arbeitsplatz eingesetzten Technologien und deren Einfluss auf Technostress bei (HCI Perspektive Technologie). Kapitel 3.3 konzentriert sich auf das Individuum und dessen Wahrnehmung einer potenziellen Technostress-Situation bei der Interaktion mit digitalen Technologien (HCI Perspektive Mensch). Durch ein Online-Experiment zeigt sich, dass die Integration von Gamification-Elementen in digitalen Technologien die bedrohende Wahrnehmung der gegebenen Situation des Einzelnen reduzieren kann. Zusammenfassend zielt diese Dissertation darauf ab, Forschung und Praxis mit neuen Erkenntnissen zu einer nachhaltigen Interaktion von Menschen mit digitalen Technologien zu bereichern, die sowohl umweltfreundliches Verhalten fördert als auch die psychische Gesundheit aufrechterhält und somit zu den aktuellen Nachhaltigkeitsbemühungen beiträgt