This research paper aims to analyse how consumer emotions have evolved during the pandemic period in comparison with the pre-pandemic period in relation to restaurant demand in the Romanian fine-dining industry and uses valuable information based on social-media sentiment analysis and content analysis. Focusing on theories of consumer behaviour, the study aims to emphasize how, under the influence of an epidemic crisis caused by an infectious disease, individual behaviour adapts to the “new normal”, embracing a series of changes in the preferences, attitudes, and cognitive choice-making processes. The article takes into account a comparative analysis of the consumer emotions between the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (2010–2019) and the pandemic period (2020–present), based on the online reviews provided by customers for five fine-dining restaurants from Bucharest, the capital city of Romania: The Artist, Relais & Chateaux Le Bistrot Francais, Casa di David, Kaiamo, and L’Atelier. The research was based on two mining analyses—content analysis and sentiment analysis—and explored the emotional intent of words, with the data being collected from TripAdvisor through web-scrapping. The empirical results defined the fine-dining experience during the pandemic as being associated with the quality of the dishes and also with the quality of the service. The overall consumer sentiment in the direction of the restaurants analyzed is positive. The sentiment research found that throughout the epidemic, the consumers’ attitudes about restaurants deteriorated. In this sense, consumers seem to be less satisfied with the restaurants’ services than before the pandemic. This is another thing that the restaurants had difficulties in when adapting their operations for the pandemic.

Consumer behavior is shifting radically with the rise of e-commerce and new technologies. As a result, luxury retailers are forced to embrace a variety of technologies to keep their customers engaged. How do brands captivate shoppers and provide the customer experience that will satisfy their desires? Through dissemination of literature and case studies on examples from the industry, this paper presents a detailed discussion on the new approaches to customer experience in the luxury fashion industry, in the context of a modern economy that is highly shaped by disruptive technological innovations. The discussion includes two detailed case studies, focusing on two key themes that define contemporary customer expectations: the story – discussing customer’s desire to be immersed in the narratives behind catwalk collections, and the experience – discussing the use of technology to create a unique retail space through the use of online and mobile specific technologies. The first case study focuses on how new technologies provide brands with new opportunities to present their products through narratives. Using famous luxury retailers Dior, Givenchy and Prada as examples, the case study provides a detailed discussion on the use of virtual reality and augmented reality as tools that enable customers to project themselves into the story behind a catwalk show and become active characters in the narrative, through the use of technological devices. The second case study focuses on the importance of merging the online and the traditional brick-and-mortar store. “The Store of the Future”, by luxury retailer Farfetch is used as an example of how retailers make use of high-tech equipment, virtual reality and augmented reality not only to create a tech-powered interactive experience that will intrigue customers, but also to improve retail productivity by capturing customer data. The study adopts a qualitative research method to evaluate the validity of the concepts discussed in the Literature Review, using a sample of three in-depth interviews with industry experts, focusing on the use of technology to improve customer experience in physical retail spaces. Based on previously published research, it is estimated that the primary research will indicate that it is not the use of technology that drives the customer experience, but customer expectations that determine the adoption and adaptation of disruptive technologies to satisfy the shoppers’ requirements.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused major damage to the tourism industry globally, many tour operators and agencies being forced to close down their businesses. It is no secret that the restrictions and fear of getting ill have been a deterrent when it comes to traveling abroad. However, in spite of all the damage it has caused, the COVID-19 crisis has also pushed the industry to digitalize more than ever been before. In this sense, one must regard technological advancements with a keen eye and observe the factors that can ease the access of travelers, as well as how these advancements facilitate the further development of the tourism industry. The digital transformation of tourism will not only help those that want to travel during a pandemic and are afraid to do so, but also those that are less mobile; this is an area that has not been explored up to this point. The digitalization of tourism can create a revolution when it comes to the mobility of the less mobile, offering travel opportunities for individuals with certain disabilities, or people that are unable to physically travel, because of a variety of reasons. In the given context, the present paper aims to observe the technological advancements and create a comparison between them in order to explore the best alternatives that will further develop the tourism industry in the following years, making travel, under different shapes or forms, accessible to all people, regardless of their degree of mobility.