Does it matter to have rapport and social interaction on a group tour?

With rapport building growing in significance, this investigation of its role in attitude and behavioural intention in the group tour context used a multi-methods approach (a video experiment, a photo experiment and a survey). Group attentiveness was also examined as a moderator in the attitude–behavioural intention relationship. Three studies were conducted on the Australian tourism industry in which group tours are common. The first study (a video experiment) and the second study (a photo experiment) were conducted with participants living in Canberra, Australia, while the third survey-based study was conducted on domestic tourists visiting anywhere in Australia on a group tour for the purpose of generalisation. Results from the partial least squares method confirmed the crucial role of rapport in developing a positive attitude and behavioural intention, with the combined effect of rapport and social interaction higher than their individual impacts. Group attentiveness was also found to be a significant moderator.</p

Exploring the key marketing elements that shape brand awareness in service-oriented sector

Marketers employ various factors to create brand awareness. Small businesses in service industry encounter challenges in attracting consumers and adapting to market competition, contributing to the factors leading to their struggles. The purpose of the paper is to elaborate on the relationship between social media marketing, advertising, price, and product towards brand awareness. A quantitative method was used and research data was obtained via questionnaires. Purposive sampling method was applied and a total of 125 sample sizes of restaurant consumers in Perak were collected. The study findings indicated a significant and positive influence of all the variables predicting brand awareness

Rapport with a chatbot? The underlying role of anthropomorphism in socio-cognitive perceptions of rapport and e-word of mouth

This study examines the impact of rapport with chatbots on electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), in the first phase, by considering several antecedents including anthropomorphism. In the second phase, deeper insights are provided into the moderated mediation role of rapport and the moderated moderation effect of value creation and hedonic motivation on e-WOM engagement. With tourism services as the research context, a survey was conducted among 257 visitors from three countries (China, India and New Zealand), selected due to their diverse cultural backgrounds and higher number of inbound visitors to Australia. The partial least squares method was used for data analysis along with multi-group analysis. Findings report the positive role of anthropomorphism in developing rapport with chatbots in digital interactions. Interestingly, rapport had the highest moderated mediation impact in the data from China followed by the data from India. The moderated moderation impact of hedonic motivation was only significant in the data from China, whereas value creation was a significant moderator in the data from both China and New Zealand. The study extends social exchange theory in a human–chatbot or artificial intelligence (AI) interaction context with cultural implications. The findings are useful for organizations relying on customer rapport with AI-based chatbots to ensure long-term customer service through digital interactions

Understanding Customer:Employee Relationship and Customer Satisfaction: A Proposed Study of Private Commercial Banks in Bangladesh

In recent times, there has been a rapid increase in the number of private sector commercial banks in Bangladesh. But despite general economic growth and increased amount of saving, there was no concomitant growth in the number of depositors. Banks have taken steps to attract customers and satisfy them by adopting a service orientation with a focus on developing customer-employee relationship. This paper proposes a framework to study and understand the association between customer-employee relationship and customer satisfactionand develops a number of hypotheses

Influence of perceived value on omnichannel usage:Mediating and moderating roles of the omnichannel shopping habit

Today, most retail profits are driven by customers' habitual buying behaviour. However, there is a lack of comprehensive theoretical understanding regarding how omnichannel habit affects customers’ perceived value and usage. This study uses customer value theory to investigate the various roles of shopping habit (as antecedent, mediator and moderator) in omnichannel retail. To achieve this goal, survey data from 512 omnichannel shoppers in Australia was analysed using the partial least squares method with SmartPLS software version 3. The findings confirm that omnichannel shopping habit plays significant roles as antecedent, mediator, and moderator in the relationship between perceived value and usage. Additionally, the study reveals the positive impact of factors such as security and privacy, seamless experience, personalisation, and social communications. This research expands upon customer value theory by examining the complex relationships between various aspects of omnichannel shopping habit, perceived value and omnichannel usage. For marketers looking to strengthen habitual buying, the study suggests prioritising security and privacy, promoting social communications, and offering personalised services. Recognising the integral influence of habitual buying on value perception and usage, marketers should adopt a cohesive strategy for communicating their value propositions to target customers across multiple channels. This approach can ultimately boost omnichannel usage

A proposed model of customer-employee interactions leading to overall customer satisfaction in the banking sector of Bangladesh

The purpose of this study is to reveal the antecedent role of key relational constructs such as service quality, commitment, customer involvement and trust on customers-employee relationship and also to find out the co-relationship of the later one with overall satisfaction of the customers of private commercial banks in Bangladesh. A theoretical framework has been developed to prove empirically with an application of Regression analysis. The expected contribution of this study for academician is that they will be able to gain knowledge about customer-employee interactions in a specific developing country’s context. Bank managers also hope to receive a clear indication of the motivations of customers’ interactions with bank and the level of their overall satisfaction corresponding to it