Background: The long-term profitability, marketability and viability of a retailer’s mobile applications (apps) depends more on its continuance use than initial adoption by customers. However, mobile shoppers do not continue to use mobile shopping apps, though investigators recognise that the experiential needs of mobile app users are essential in mobile app use. Hence, research investigating the role of experiential value (EV) in post-adoption, continuance use behaviour is lacking. Aim: This study investigates the dimensions of EV as mediators of the confirmation-satisfaction relationship in the expectation-confirmation model. Setting: Online-administered surveys were conducted among mobile shopping app users in South Africa. Method: Online self-administered questionnaires were distributed by a commercial marketing research firm among a sample of 410 retail m-shopping app users. Smart-PLS version 4.0 was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Results: The indirect effects via customer return on investment and service excellence were statistically significant. However, playfulness and aesthetic dimensions of EV did not mediate the confirmation-satisfaction relationship. Moreover, the direct effects of EV dimensions on satisfaction were not conditional effects based on the age and gender of the respondent. Conclusion: In the post-adoption use of mobile grocery shopping apps, the utilitarian aspects of EV explain the confirmation-satisfaction relationship. Contribution: The study’s theoretical significance is that it presents much-needed insights into the role of EV in the post-adoption stage of mobile app shopping. The study’s results practically lead to managerial recommendations to enhance the post-adoption use of mobile shopping apps.

The effect of TikTok globally has resulted in an increase in literature pertaining to the platform. Despite wide acknowledgment in social media, TikTok metrics and how they formulate fashion sub-cultures remains underexplored. This study explored TikTok metrics that resultantly formulate fashion subculture amongst Generation Z (Gen Z) TikTok users. The proposed conceptual framework was developed to assist marketing managers explore fashion subculture interest via various TikTok metrics. This research followed a qualitative approach. Data was collected through structured interviews, using convenience sampling among five Gen Z participants. Thematic analysis procedure was adopted and findings revealed that engagement metrics indicate strong potential in enabling fashion subculture among TikTok users. Furthermore, metrics enabled Gen Z users to discover fashion subculture content through hashtags, engagement in social exchanges through likes and comments, store digital fashion inspiration through saves and spread information through shares. These findings also allow for future studies to explore the limitation(s) phenomenon highlighted in this study. Recommendations were provided for fashion brands and practitioners. As this research suggests, can result in more refined trend analysis procedures as well as applicable direct marketing strategies through TikTok.

This study investigates the intricate relationship between omni-channel retailing, high-end sustainable footwear, and customer satisfaction within an emerging market context. With a focus on Generation Z consumers, the research delves into the correlation between customisation, pricing, customer service, personalisation, and supply chain transparency as precursors of customer satisfaction in the high-end sustainable footwear fashion sector. The study is grounded in the recognition of the growing importance of sustainability in the fashion industry, whereby eco-conscious consumption is on the rise. The research addresses the gap in fragmented studies on omni-channel retail strategies in the high-end sustainable market. Utilising a positivist quantitative research approach, the researcher employs a convenience sampling technique by collecting data from a total sample of 268 Generation Z consumers who have purchased high-end sustainable footwear from South African omni-channel retailers. A structured online survey questionnaire, featuring five Likert-scale questions is used for data collection. The researcher proposes hypotheses that are tested primarily by utilising the latest SPSS version. The results of the study demonstrate that customisation, price, customer service, personalisation and supply chain transparency all positively influence customer satisfaction with regard to high-end sustainable footwear. The significance of the study lies in its potential to contribute valuable insights for high-end sustainable footwear omni-channel retailers in an emerging market, enabling them to enhance customer satisfaction levels and align with the growing demand for environmentally friendly and ethically sourced sustainable fashion. Additionally, the research aims to fill existing knowledge gaps in the South African market and contribute to the global discourse on sustainable fashion and consumer behaviour.

The continued usage of mobile applications (apps) is imperative beyond initial adoption for operators to attain sustainability and profitability. Yet, female grocery shoppers seem to be frequently downloading grocery apps, then discontinue usage. Not much attention has focused on the decomposed hedonic values behind the continuance use intention of grocery shopping apps among female users. To close the identified research gap, this study examined mediating (decomposed hedonic values) and moderating (user experience) roles by integrating the Experiential Value Theory and the Expectation-Confirmation Model. 314 online self-administered surveys were obtained among female grocery shopping app users. PLS-SEM was used to test the proposed mediation and moderation relationships using the latest version of SmartPLS. Findings show that (a) all direct relationships were supported, (b) the decomposed hedonic value experiences did not mediate the confirmation-satisfaction relationship, and (c) the grocery app user experience moderated the satisfaction and hedonic value relationships. The theoretical significance is the empirical extension of the ECM by incorporating the mediating role of hedonic value experiences in post-adoption behaviour, as well as confirming the moderating effect of user experience on the decomposed hedonic value and satisfaction relationship. The implications for grocery app businesses and academicians are provided.

Sustainable energy products are pivotal for the well-being of consumers, especially in emerging economies like South Africa. The country has experienced unprece­dented load-shedding due to insufficient electricity supply from the national grid. As a result, consumers have resorted to alternative, sustainable, renewable energy sources, partic­ularly solar energy. However, the factors influencing the adoption of solar energy products, especially among young consumers, remain under-researched, with limited empirical studies exploring their motivations for solar energy usage. This study investigated the influence of utilitarian value on Gen Z consumers’ household solar energy usage. Using a conceptual model that integrated the Experiential Value The­ory (EV) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the study examined the role of customer return on investment and service excellence in shaping green attitudes towards so­lar product use. The model was tested using survey data from 521 young consumers aged 21 to 27. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the proposed hypotheses using SmartPLS Version 4. The findings confirm that the variables under study have signifi­cant direct and mediated effects. It was revealed that cus­tomer return on investment and service excellence both predict green attitudes, which, along with subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, influence intention. Conversely, the moderation results indicate that gender does not moderate the proposed relationships. The study recommends that campaigns aimed at increasing Gen Z’s usage of solar products should emphasise experiential value, particularly service excellence and customer return on investment benefits, to develop positive green attitudes.

Background: Renewable energy transition has become one of the world’s top priorities in the global effort to curb energy poverty. Yet scant studies on actual residential energy usage among Generation Z (Gen Z) exist. Purpose: This study investigated South African Gen Z consumers’ renewable energy usage through assessing the prevalence of perceived values (hedonic and utilitarian) in household solar energy products. Method: Drawing on the Value-Attitude-Behaviour (VAB) framework, a research model was proposed and tested using survey data from a descriptive research design. A convenience sampling method was used to identify suitable respondents, resulting in a sample of 521 young consumers aged 21 to 28. Quantitative data were collected using an online survey. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was applied in testing the hypotheses using SmartPLS version 4. Findings: The results confirmed that all direct relationships in the conceptual model were supported. Both perceived utilitarian value and hedonic value have a significant positive influence on environmental involvement and green attitude. A green attitude also positively affects solar usage. However, environmental involvement was not found to mediate the relationship between perceived value and green attitude. This study is among the first to explore the relationships among perceived utilitarian and perceived hedonic value, green attitude, and environmental involvement in the context of solar energy use, testing for mediation by environmental involvement. Conclusions: For practitioners, this study recommends, among other recommendations, enhancing perceived value in marketing strategies for solar energy products and targeted consumer engagement based on their environmental involvement. Research implication: Marketers, policymakers, and solar energy providers should design value-driven communication strategies that resonate with Gen Z's desire for both functional benefits and emotionally rewarding experiences.