Explore the vast range of titles available.

The proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) globally is remarkable progress in strides toward a low carbon society. However, the volume of end-of-life EV batteries will hit a critical mass in the future. Widespread adoption of EV battery remanufacturing is essential in achieving higher resource efficiency. The current study investigated Chinese EV owners’ perceptions of remanufactured EV batteries: 420 respondents in China who own and drive EVs participated in the survey. This study modeled respondents’ acceptance, purchase intention, and willingness-to-pay for remanufactured EV batteries by adapting the structural equation model (SEM). The results showed that consumers’ price consciousness and perceived benefits both directly influence their purchase intention of remanufactured batteries. Unlike previous studies, this study found that consumers’ perceived risks on remanufactured batteries do not directly influence their purchase intention. Instead, the influence of perceived risks on purchasing behavior is mediated by perceived benefits. The study also found that purchase intention affects willingness to pay and acceptance of remanufactured batteries. Drawing on our study results, this research suggests measures to promote markets for remanufactured EV batteries and provides corporate marketing options to accelerate proliferation of remanufactured batteries.

Purpose Social media and sustainability are changing Chinese consumers’ consumption behavior in notable ways. Few apparel industry sustainability efforts are enforced or well known in China. As China operates its own social media sites, it is necessary to study Chinese social media, rather than Western types, in order to understand its influence on Chinese consumer behavior with regard to sustainability. By extending the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the prototype willingness model, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how Chinese consumers were taught their environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA) consumption behavior through social media, and also how the influence of peers affected their purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach A total of 238 survey responses were collected and analyzed from a Chinese research firm in 2016. In accord with the study objectives, an exploratory factor analysis was first conducted, and then a two-step analysis of a structural equation model was employed for hypothesis testing. To test the significance of hypothesized mediated effects, a bootstrap procedure with 2,000 bootstrap samples from the original data was used to compute bias-corrected 95% CI for indirect effects. Moreover, hierarchical regressions were demonstrated to verify the unique contribution of social media influence. Findings The study findings support the previous literature that indicated positive attitudes toward environmentally sustainable purchasing behavior increased as Chinese consumers learned about social and environmental issues. Also, results of the analysis revealed that Chinese consumers’ engagement with social media and their peers were important social influences that were directly tied to increasing sustainable apparel purchase intentions. Originality/value By extending two grand theories of the prototype willingness model theory and the TRA, this study underlines a novel link between the influence of social media and ESA purchase intentions among Chinese consumers. Results are valuable in a global context as it is one of only a few studies to explore Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions of ESA through an exclusive social media platform – WeChat – in China.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and examine the factors contributing to consumers’ mobile shopping continuance intention (CI) of food and non-food items via smartphones and other mobile terminals. Design/methodology/approach An integrated model was proposed on the basis of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and expectation confirmation model (ECM), focussing on perceived value (PV). The survey responses of 203 Chinese mobile shoppers (m-shoppers) were analysed using structural equation modelling with the partial least squares approach. Findings The results indicated that perceived usefulness does not motivate all user groups. Furthermore, satisfaction and perceived ease of use significantly impacted different user groups. For online food m-shoppers, value for money (VM) was the most important factor influencing satisfaction and CI. However, perceived usefulness only affected CI for non-food m-shoppers. Practical implications Marketers can improve users’ CI by enhancing VM and maximising effectiveness and enjoyment while minimising prices. Moreover, in determining strategies for different users, marketers should identify the behavioural differences among all groups and those between the two classified groups. Originality/value This is one of the studies attempting to explain Chinese mobile shopping consumers’ CI, but especially through an integrated model based on TAM and ECM with PV on food and non-food m-commerce perspective. It offers several implications for researchers and practitioners and contributes to the literature of technology acceptance and post-adoption behaviour in m-commerce.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effects of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on the importance of country-of-origin in food product evaluation. It also tested the moderating effect of purchase frequency.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from dairy consumers residing in China. The research model was tested using structural equation modelling with AMOS.FindingsThe results indicated that the importance of country-of-origin in product evaluation is not necessarily driven by consumer ethnocentrism or animosity. Only among frequent purchasers, a higher level of consumer ethnocentrism or animosity can be associated with more importance of country-of-origin in product evaluation.Originality/valueDespite the significant role of purchase frequency, this factor has been less considered in the existing literature on consumer ethnocentrism and animosity. This study represented an initial attempt to the role of purchase frequency in the effects of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on food product evaluation. It revealed that purchase frequency should be adopted as a moderating factor in future studies in this field.

This paper presents a study of middle-aged online consumers’ specific shopping behaviour on live streaming platforms and analyses the distinct marketing strategy provided by online experts. Influenced by unique social and cultural backgrounds, middle-aged online consumers lack related shopping experience and keep counterfeiting concerns to live streaming shopping, making them prefer to interact with online experts before making final decisions. Based on the COM-B Behaviour Changing theory and the Emotional attachment theory, the research model has been established in this study, and it divides influencing factors into the Emotion unit, Opportunity unit and Capability unit. To test the relationships between influencing factors and middle-aged online consumers’ interactive motivation, the partial least-squares path modelling and variance-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) have been applied on the SmartPLS. By analysing 450 samples, the study shows that the counterfeiting concern and ease of use factors positively impact online consumers’ motivation to interact with online experts, and self-efficacy plays a negative role.

The findings of this article increase our understanding of corporate social responsibility from the consumers' perspective in a Chinese setting. Based on primary data collected via a self-administered survey in Shanghai and Hong Kong and results of similar studies conducted in Europe and the United States, we provide evidence to show that Chinese consumers are more supportive of CSR. We also show that Carroll's pyramid of responsibilities can be applied in China. We evaluated the importance placed by Chinese consumers on the four responsibilities of firms - economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic - and find that economic responsibilities are most important while philanthropic responsibilities are of least importance. The nature of these differences is important for firms intending to use corporate social responsibility for strategic purposes.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has strongly influenced consumers’ habits and behaviours, creating a more sustainable and healthier era of consumption. Hence, there is a potential for further expanding the green food sector in China. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) is one widely used framework to explain consumers’ food choices. Considering consumers’ internal norms, their perceptions of green food attributes, and the shifting consumer behaviour, our study has extended the TPB framework (E-TPB) by adding constructs of moral attitude, health consciousness, and the impact of COVID-19 (IOC). The results of structural equation modelling among 360 functional samples revealed that the E-TPB model has a superior explanatory and predictive power, compared with the original TPB model regarding Chinese consumers’ green food buying intentions in the current and post-pandemic periods. The path analysis demonstrated that attitude, perceived behavioural control, moral attitude, health consciousness, and IOC have significant positive effects on green food purchase intentions. However, the association between subjective norm and purchase intention varies within the TPB and E-TPB models, which showed a non-significant impact in E-TPB. These findings can generate more suitable managerial implications to promote green food consumption in China during the current and post-pandemic periods.

Purpose This study aims to explore why Chinese consumers pay for digital content products by investigating the experiences of Chinese consumers living in first-tier and second-tier cities regarding paid digital knowledge products. Design/methodology/approach A total of 19 in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data, and the phenomenological reduction was adopted to analyze data. Findings This study reveals that Chinese consumers use paid digital knowledge products to alleviate stress and anxiety stemming from real-life competition and the fear of falling behind. While consumers acknowledge the limited assistance that paid knowledge products can offer, their acceptance and expectations of paid digital knowledge products remain positive. Originality/value Paid digital knowledge represents an innovative phenomenon, with few scholars outside China having studied it. This study contributes a conceptual framework to understand the motivations of Chinese consumers with high purchasing power residing in first-tier and second-tier cities to invest in digital content.

Brand naming challenges are more complex in logographic languages (e.g., Chinese), compared with phonographic languages (e.g., English) because the former languages feature looser correspondence between sound and meaning. With these two dimensions of sound and meaning, the authors propose a four-way categorization of brand name types for logographic languages: alphanumeric, phonetic, phonosemantic, or semantic. Using automobile sales data from China and a discrete choice model for differentiated products, the authors relate brand name types to demand, with evidence showing that Chinese consumers preferred vehicle models with semantic brand names (7.64% more sales than alphanumeric) but exhibited the least preference for phonosemantic names (4.92% lower sales than alphanumeric). Domestic Chinese firms benefited from semantic brand names, whereas foreign firms gained from using foreign-sounding brand names. Entry-level products performed better with semantic brand names, and high-end products excelled when they had foreign-sounding brand names. Thus, the four-way categorization of brand name types should help multinational firms and domestic Chinese firms understand and leverage the association between brand name types and consumer demand.

The present study examines the logotypes of successful Chinese domestic luxury brands (CDLBs), Shanghai Tang and Shang Xia, in order to reveal the underlying resonance between Chinese values and aesthetics. Based on signaling theory, the research underscores the importance of incorporating Chinese cultural elements into the branding strategies of CDLBs to attract Chinese consumers and distinguish themselves within the luxury fashion industry. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, comprising literature review, case analysis, and in-depth interviews, to analyze data from three distinct perspectives: contemporary trends, Chinese name selection, and the incorporation of local cultural elements in design. The findings suggest that CDLBs must strike a balance between conforming to current trends, particu-larly simplicity, and preserving authenticity, when selecting a Chinese name that holds cultural significance, and integrating traditional design elements in the details. This research provides practical guidance for professionals in the field and paves the way for future studies to explore related topics.