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Thespatiotemporal organization of proteins and lipids on the cell surface has direct functional consequences for signaling, sorting, and endocytosis. Earlier studies have shown that multiple types of membrane proteins, including transmembrane proteins that have cytoplasmic actin binding capacity and lipid-tethered glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs), form nanoscale clusters driven by active contractile flows generated by the actin cortex. To gain insight into the role of lipids in organizing membrane domains in living cells, we study the molecular interactions that promote the actively generated nanoclusters of GPI-APs and transmembrane proteins. This motivates a theoretical description, wherein a combination of active contractile stresses and transbilayer coupling drives the creation of active emulsions, mesoscale liquid order (lo) domains of the GPI-APs and lipids, at temperatures greater than equilibrium lipid phase segregation. To test these ideas, we use spatial imaging of molecular clustering combined with local membrane order, and we demonstrate that mesoscopic domains enriched in nanoclusters of GPI-APs are maintained by cortical actin activity and transbilayer interactions and exhibit significant lipid order, consistent with predictions of the active composite model.

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the present status of customer support services (CSS) and advocate the re-positioning of support services from an administrative cost center to a strategic profit center. Authors demonstrate how customer support or after sales services can be a source of competitive advantage and revenue generation for firms. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a conceptual approach grounded in theoretical foundations of service dominant logic, customer loyalty and customer centricity along with practical illustrations from the industry. Findings Following the tenets of theory, review of existing research and analysis of the industry practices, the authors propose a new framework to enable the repositioning of customer service function. The key propositions include establishing customer support as separate business unit and insights center, introducing a new role of a C-level chief customer support officer to lead the customer support unit, adopting a customer-centric culture and process, enabling frontline IT support and investing in frontline employee skills development. Research limitations/implications Academics should examine the potential of customer support, where the strategic importance is low at present, leading to customer dissatisfaction. The new approach and positioning of customer support calls for a new direction for research in this area focusing on enablers, challenges and further implications. To succeed in this competitive era, firms should be conscious of the value of customer service and undertake concrete actions to generate value for all stakeholders. Practical implications Industry can use the new framework and re-position CSS of the organizations. The CSS unit can be different from other business units in the organizations. The CSS would evolve and emerge from the live customer insights. CSS unit can be managed by the C level chief CSS officer. Customer-centric culture would be developed and front line processes can be made customer-oriented by the officer. Thus, this paper and framework would provide new customer-centric directions to the organizations for effective functioning. Originality/value This is the original piece that has emerged from the experience and expertise of the authors.

Purpose This study aims to develop an empathetic and user-centric customer support service design model. Though service design has been a critical research focus for several decades, few studies focus on customer support services. As customer support gains importance as a source of competitive advantage in the present era, this paper aims to contribute to industry and academia by exploring the service design model. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a theories-in-use approach to elucidate mental models based on the industry’s best practices. In-depth interviews with 62 professionals led to critical insights into customer service design development, supported by service-dominant logic and theory of mind principles. Findings The ensuing insights led to a model that connects the antecedents and outcomes of empathetic and user-centric customer service design. The precursors include people, processes and technology, while the results are user experience, service trust and service advocacy. The model also emphasises the significance of the user’s journey and the user service review in the overall service design. Research limitations/implications The model developed through this study addresses the critical gap concerning the lack of service design research in customer support services. The key insights from this study contribute to the ongoing research endeavours towards transitioning customer support services from an operational unit to a strategic value-creating function. Future scholars may investigate the applicability of the empathetic user service design across cultures and industries. The new model must be customised using real-time data and analytics across user journey stages. Practical implications The empathetic and user-centric design can elevate the customer service function as a significant contributor to the overall customer experience, loyalty and positive word of mouth. Practitioners can adopt the new model to provide superior customer service experiences. This original research was developed through crucial insights from interviews with senior industry professionals. Originality/value This research is the original work developed through the key insights from the interview with senior industry professionals.

Purpose This study aims to understand holistic consumer perceptions of quality and their effect on re-purchase intentions by measuring the latent characteristics of online Amazon reviews. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from entries in the Amazon customer review data set, which explicitly mentions quality, economic evaluation and future purchase intention. The analyses included natural language processing, structural topic modeling and econometric analysis. The study used real-time customer reviews to determine the overall perceived quality, the impact of perceived quality on re-purchase intention and the mediating roles of price consciousness and customer satisfaction. Findings Consumers’ perception of overall quality includes product- and service-related dimensions. Perceived quality influences re-purchase intentions through the mediating role of customer satisfaction. While price consciousness impacts the link between perceived quality and customer satisfaction, it does not affect re-purchase intention. Practical implications The managerial implications emphasize multiple dimensions of quality in the online environment and the role of customer satisfaction in consumers’ online re-purchase intentions. The results also illustrate that price effects are insignificant in influencing re-purchase intentions. Thus, while price cuts may encourage initial purchases, quality and customer satisfaction are vital to stimulate re-purchase. Originality/value The e-commerce literature lacks a comprehensive and rigorous understanding of the components of consumers’ perceived quality. This research develops a thorough understanding of what impacts overall e-commerce quality based on real-time customer reviews, avoiding the biases arising from traditional methods, including surveys.

PurposeThis paper examines what the use of an augmented reality (AR) makeup mirror means to consumers, focusing on experiential consumption and the extended self.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed a multimethod approach involving netnography and semi-structured interviews with participants in India and the UK (n = 30).FindingsTwo main themes emerged from the data: (1) the importance of imagination and fantasy and (2) the (in)authenticity of the self and the surrounding “reality.”Research limitations/implicationsThis research focuses on AR magic makeup mirror. The authors call for further research on different AR contexts.Practical implicationsThe authors provide service managers with insights on addressing gaps between the perceived service (i.e. AR contexts and the makeup consumption journey) and the conceived service (i.e. fantasies and the extended self).Originality/valueThe authors examine the lived fantasy experiences of AR experiential consumption. In addition, the authors reveal a novel understanding of the extended self as temporarily re-envisioned through the AR mirror.

The digital world is rapidly transforming through immersive technologies such as augmented reality, which blends the offline and online realms (Porter and Heppelman, 2017). Marketers are incorporating AR tools across consumer touchpoints, enabling them to experience the products and services virtually like never before. The ability to facilitate such unique experiences has catapulted the AR growth projections to $28 billion in the next four years (Statista, 2021). Though AR experiences have garnered considerable attention from the academic community and industry practitioners, some vital gaps exist in our understanding of the various facades of AR experiences (Chylinski et al., 2020). Industry analysts have criticized marketers for failing to effectively leverage AR's experiential benefits (Fluckinger, 2021). As the world is at the doorstep of the Metaverse revolution driven by immersive technologies, including AR, a vital requirement exists to develop a 360-degree view of AR experiences. Research endeavors to comprehend the different aspects of AR experiences can fuel academic interests and assist the industry in achieving a larger return on AR investments. Hence, this study focuses on self-augmentation experiences, an underexplored area in the AR experiential domain. Self-augmentation is when consumers use AR tools to create their augmented self-images by adding virtual content to their live images and the associated feelings and emotions. Adopting the context of AR-based virtual try-on systems, this study focuses on understanding self-augmentation experiences and the corresponding influence on the consumer.Self-augmentation is a form of digital consumption (Denegri-Knott and Molesworth, 2010), where consumers experiment with varied known and unknown aspects of their self-concept. Hence, the theoretical framework for this research is founded on the concept of experiential consumption, the Thought-Emotion-Activity-Value concept of consumption experience (Hirschman and Holbrook,1986), extended self (Belk, 1988), possible selves (Markus and Nurius, 1987), storied selves (McAdams, 1996), and the twin metaphors of self-discovery and creation (Waterman, 1984). In addition, because self-augmentation experience is an unexplored study topic, an exploratory-sequential-mixed-methods approach involving qualitative and quantitative methodologies has been chosen. The research methods, including archival research, netnography, in-depth interviews, and survey, have been embraced for data collection. The qualitative data was analyzed abductively, while the quantitative analysis adopted the structural equation modeling approach.The first study develops a novel concept, self-augmentation experience, and elaborates on the processes involved, including self-expression, self-exploration, formation of augmented selves, and self-discovery/self-construction. The second study empirically establishes self-augmentation experience as a second-level construct composed of cognitive experience, affective experience, co-creation experience, and self-augmentation experience, which can influence purchase intention and attitude. The findings contribute to theory across four main areas.Theoretically, this study contributes across four main areas. First, the concept of selfaugmentation experience extends the ongoing research on AR experiences, AR augmentation, and human-technology interaction studies in the context of immersive technologies. Second, the key findings empirically demonstrate that technology can lead to consumers' self-discovery. Third, this research brings together various theoretical tenets of self-concept (possible selves, storied selves, extended self) and elaborates on the role of the extended self in self-discovery. Fourth, this study identifies the role of self-augmentation experience on purchase intention and attitude towards new products, along with the key antecedents and moderators.

The spatiotemporal organisation of proteins and lipids on the cell surface has direct functional consequences for signaling, sorting and endocytosis. Earlier studies have shown that multiple types of membrane proteins including transmembrane proteins that have cytoplasmic actin binding capacity and lipid-tethered GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) form nanoscale clusters driven by active contractile flows generated by the actin cortex. To gain insight into the role of lipids in organizing membrane domains in living cells, we study the molecular interactions that promote the actively generated nanoclusters of GPI-APs and transmembrane proteins. This motivates a theoretical description, wherein a combination of active contractile stresses and transbilayer coupling drive the creation of active emulsions, mesoscale liquid ordered (lo) domains of the GPI-APs and lipids, at temperatures greater than equilibrium lipid-phase segregation. To test these ideas we use spatial imaging of homo-FRET combined with local membrane order and demonstrate that mesoscopic domains enriched in nanoclusters of GPI-APs are maintained by cortical actin activity and transbilayer interactions, and exhibit significant lipid order, consistent with predictions of the active composite model.

The spatiotemporal organisation of proteins and lipids on the cell surface has direct functional consequences for signaling, sorting and endocytosis. Earlier studies have shown that multiple types of membrane proteins including transmembrane proteins that have cytoplasmic actin binding capacity and lipid-tethered GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) form nanoscale clusters driven by active contractile flows generated by the actin cortex. To gain insight into the role of lipids in organizing membrane domains in living cells, we study the molecular interactions that promote the actively generated nan-oclusters of GPI-APs and transmembrane proteins. This motivates a theoretical description, wherein a combination of active contractile stresses and transbilayer coupling drive the creation of 'active emulsions', mesoscale liquid ordered (lo) domains of the GPI-APs and lipids, at temperatures greater than equilibrium lipid-phase segregation. To test these ideas we use spatial imaging of homo-FRET combined with local membrane order and demonstrate that mesoscopic domains enriched in nanoclusters of GPI-APs are maintained by cortical actin activity and transbilayer interactions, and exhibit significant lipid order, consistent with predictions of the active composite model. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

GPI-anchored protein (GPI-AP) nanoclusters are generated by cortical acto-myosin activity. While our understanding of the physical principles behind this process is emerging, the molecular machinery required for the generation of these nanoclusters is unknown. Here, we show that ligand mediated membrane receptor signaling triggers nanocluster formation. Both soluble and surface-tethered RGD ligands bind the 1-integrin receptor and activate focal adhesion and src- kinases, resulting in RhoA signaling. This cascade ultimately triggers actin-nucleation via specific formins, driving nanoclustering of both GPI-APs and a model transmembrane protein with an actin-binding domain. Integrin signaling concurrently results in talin mediated activation of vinculin. This is necessary for the coupling of the dynamic actin machinery to the inner leaflet driving GPI-AP nanoclustering. Disruption of GPI-AP nanoclustering in either GPI-anchor remodeling mutants or in cells that express vinculin mutants, provide evidence that these nanoclusters are necessary for activating cell spreading, a hallmark of integrin function.

Conventional type 1 dendritic cells (DC1) contribute to the development of pathogenic T helper type 1 (Th1) cells in part via the production of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-12. Thus, depletion of DC1 has the potential to dampen autoimmune responses. Here, we developed X-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (XCR1)-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells and CAR-Tregs that specifically targeted DC1. XCR1 CAR-T cells were successfully generated as CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, expressed XCR1 CAR efficiently, and induced XCR1-dependent activation, cytokine production and proliferation. XCR1 CAR-T cells selectively depleted DC1 when transferred into RAG2 −/− mice with a compensatory increase in conventional type 2 DC (DC2) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC). XCR1 CAR-T cell-mediated depletion of DC1 modestly suppressed the onset of Th1-driven experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. Diphtheria toxin-mediated DC1 depletion in XCR1-diphtheria toxin receptor mice also suppressed EAE, suggesting that DC1 depletion was responsible for EAE suppression. XCR1 CAR-Tregs were successfully generated and suppressed effector T cells in the presence of XCR1 + cells. Therapeutic treatment with XCR1 CAR-Tregs suppressed Th1-driven EAE. Therefore, we conclude that depletion of DC1 with XCR1 CAR-T cells or immune suppression with XCR1 CAR-Tregs can modestly suppress Th1-driven EAE.