The expansion of financial markets has enabled individuals to invest in a variety of securities and financial instruments. Consequently, behavioral finance has shed light on the characteristics and psychological processes that influence the investment intentions and decisions of investors. We performed a systematic review of the recent literature on the key elements that influence the behavioral intentions and investment decisions of individual investors. In combination with bibliometric and weight analysis, this review aims to propose a comprehensive approach to present quantitative and qualitative analyses of the rising elements influencing investors’ intentions and behaviors in financial investment products. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, this work comprises a review of 28 articles published in Web of Science and Scopus databases between 2016 and 2021. The findings identify six underlying themes of investor behavior determined using content: (1) personal factors, (2) social factors, (3) market information, (4) firm-specific factors, (5) product-related factors, and (6) demography. The future research agenda is highlighted based on the Theories, Constructs, Contexts, and Methods framework. The findings provide insights for both theoretical and practical application for corporations, financial institutions, and policy makers in understanding investors’ behavior so as to strengthen the financial industry and economy.

This study investigates the perception-to-purchase journey by examining how consumer artificial intelligence (AI) literacy influences the effectiveness of AI-generated sponsored vlogs (AISVs), an emerging digital marketing format. Using survey data from 413 consumers and structural equation modeling, we develop and test the AI Literacy Perception–Decision Model (AILPDM). Results show that AI literacy affects information adoption through three pathways: emotional value, information usefulness, and source credibility. Separate SEM analyses further suggest that the direct effect of AI literacy on purchase intention was observed in experiential service AISVs, whereas in tangible product AISVs the effect operated mainly through information adoption. The AILPDM framework advances marketing theory by tracing a decision pathway from AI literacy, through perceived value and information adoption, to purchase intention, thereby demonstrating how technological competence evolves from a cost barrier into a cognitive resource that shifts source credibility evaluation from peripheral to central processing. For practitioners, the findings suggest differentiated strategies: Marketers of experiential services should emphasize anthropomorphic elements, whereas marketers of tangible products should prioritize technological transparency to foster consumer trust.

Purpose: The usage of social media (SM) by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) received relatively less attention and the findings in the literature are mixed in terms of the effect of SM on SME performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of SM utilization on SME business performance (SMEBP) in Saudi Arabia. Theoretical Framework: Based on the resource-based view, this study proposed that SM internal utilization (SMIU) affects positively the SMEBP and marketing innovation (MI). MI is expected to affect the SMEBP and mediate the effect of SMIU on SME performance (profitability (PR) and business growth (BG). Design/Methodology/Approach: The population of this study is the SMEs in Al-Riyadh city in Saudi Arabia. A simple random sampling is deployed. The data was collected using a questionnaire. A total of 451 respondents representing SMEs participated in this study. Findings: The finding was derived using Smart PLS version 4. The findings showed that SMIU affected positively PR and BG of SME and MI. MI affected positively the PR and BG of SME and mediated partially the effect of SMIU on PR and BG of SME. Research practical Implication: Decision makers are advised to deploy SM more effectively and to create a rewarding culture for innovative ideas to improve performance. Originality/Value: This study helps to enhance the understanding regarding the role of marketing innovation and social media internal usage in improving the performance of SMEs in emerging economies.

There is an increasing number of academic and regulatory investigations into the behavioral and psychological implications of using Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services due to their rapid growth. There have been extensive investigations into impulse purchases using BNPL services; however, there has been relatively little focus placed upon examining post-purchase regret associated with BNPL service use. The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of the extant literature investigating how BNPL service use relates to both impulsive purchasing behavior and post-purchase regret. A total of ten empirical studies were identified through a comprehensive search of the Scopus database according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, which were all published between 2018 and 2025. The results indicated that BNPL features, including deferred payments, perceived affordability, and urgency cues, are consistent predictors of both greater impulsive purchasing and lower levels of payment salience. The results of this review, however, reveal that many existing studies have failed to directly measure post-purchase regret and instead rely on proxy indicators, including financial distress, emotional discomfort, and decreased well-being. These findings, therefore, highlight a major theoretical and methodological void in the existing literature. In addition, by providing a synthesis of the current evidence base, this review aims to provide a clearer understanding of how BNPL features influence both consumer decision-making processes and post-purchase emotional responses; additionally, this review highlights the necessity for future research to utilize valid measures of regret, longitudinal designs and ethically informed analytical frameworks when investigating the psychological impacts of adopting BNPL services.

Social media influencers have made materialism more accessible and desirable, shaping how followers view success, self-worth, and consumption. This study investigates the influence of materialistic messages promoted by lifestyle influencers on their followers’ emotions, self-concept, and consumer behavior, using Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical framework. The research addresses three key questions: motivations for follower engagement, emotional effects of materialistic content, and how such messages appear to influence purchasing decisions. Using a qualitative approach, the study focuses on 15 Malaysian young adults who actively engage with lifestyle influencers. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework. Six key themes emerged: (1) admiration and aspiration; (2) feelings of inadequacy and envy; (3) rationalization of impulsive purchases; (4) symbolic consumption and self-identity; (5) emotional ambivalence; and (6) distancing and self-regulation. The findings suggest that influencers serve not only as marketing agents but as symbolic figures whose lifestyles become templates for success and self-worth. Participants engaged with this content in emotionally complex ways, simultaneously admiring and resisting the ideals presented. Their consumption behaviors appeared to be shaped by perceived social meanings attached to material goods. The study provides implications for media literacy programs, influencer marketing practices, and platform-level interventions that consider the emotional and identity-based dimensions of materialistic consumption.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.