Purpose: This research clarifies the connotations and dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI) technology stimulation and establishes a stimulus scale to explain the relationship between AI technology stimuli and smart customer experience.Design/methodology/approach: This is an empirical study that uses SPSS 24.0 software to perform hypothesis testing on the path relationships between model elements.Findings: Two dimensions of AI technology stimuli (i.e. passion and usability) have a significant, positive impact on smart customer experience; the moderating effects of contrasting dimensions of technology readiness (i.e. optimism and discomfort) are significantly different; smart customer experience has a significant, positive impact on the word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions of consumers.Research limitations/implications: There are several limitations. Most importantly, the data collected in this study are only from consumers who use intelligent customer service robots in the catering industry. Future research can consider exploring relevant AI technologies in other sectors.Practical implications: This study has several implications that guide catering companies to develop various positioning and strategies for remaining competitive effectively.Originality/value: Based on arousal theory, customer experience theory and WOM marketing theory, this is the first novel research project that empirically discusses the dimensions of AI technology stimuli, smart customer experience and WOM intentions with regard to the moderating effect of the technology readiness of consumers toward AI technology.

The effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on product and technological innovation have been thoroughly examined. However, the relationship between CSR and service innovation remains largely unexplored. We examined the relationship between community and environmental CSR and service innovation performance, with further exploration of the mediating mechanism between them. Based on social capital and dynamic capability theory, we developed a model revealing that CSR improves the performance of service innovation through an advanced dynamic capability to address rapidly changing environments. Through the use of structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analyses, we tested the conceptual model with a data set of 298 small- and medium-sized enterprises in China. The results demonstrate that the positive influence of community CSR on service innovation performance is partially mediated by dynamic capability, whereas this effect of environmental CSR is fully mediated by dynamic capability. These findings have important implications for both CSR and service innovation practice and theory.

Purpose: This study investigates the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) stimuli on customer stickiness (CS), the mediation effects of social presence (SP) and the moderating impacts of customer traits in this influencing process.Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the arousal theory and social response theory, a conceptual model was established and tested by a data set of 268 customers in the catering industry.Findings: The results indicate that AI stimuli, such as perceived personalization and perceived interactivity, positively affect CS. SP partially mediates the influence of AI stimuli on CS. Customer traits such as customers' need for interaction (NFI) and novelty seeking (NS) actively moderate the mediating effects of SP.Originality/value: This study advances the interactive marketing literature from three aspects. Firstly, instead of focusing on the functional aspects of AI stimuli, it extends our understanding of AI-enabled interactive marketing by examining the effects of social and emotional aspects of AI stimuli on customer response. Secondly, it extends our understanding of social response by illuminating the mediating effects of SP between AI stimuli and CS. Finally, it provides new insights and empirical evidence for the research focus on customer traits in AI-enabled interactive marketing.

Repurchasing intention of agricultural materials is a key to a sustainable food business system. The novel contribution of this study is that we go beyond technical aspect and look into human capital dynamics in a general context, by examining how different dimensions of ‘guanxi’ (i.e., personal relations and instrumentality) between farmers and agricultural retailers affect trust between the two and, in turn, repeated purchase intention of agricultural materials by farmers in China. To further generate implications for food system as a whole, we also examined how dynamic environment moderates the effects mentioned above. Adopting survey method and multivariate analyses, this study tests the hypotheses with a collected data set of 578 farmers from representative rural areas of China. The results show that guanxi between farmers and agricultural retailers has a positive effect on trust between them and on repeated purchase intentions of farmers. While instrumentality has a negative effect on trust between them and on repeated purchase intentions of farmers. The trust between farmers and agricultural retailers promotes farmers’ repeated purchase intentions. The intensity of competition negatively moderates the positive relation between trust and repeated purchases. Demand uncertainty does not moderate the positive effect of trust on repeated purchases. The results and discussion shed light on agricultural food system sustainability from a dynamic environment embedded business relationship perspective.

How does service-based education influence societal sustainability? Beyond product innovation, service innovation has been emerging as a paradigmatic issue for research. Human resource quality is one vital factor for service innovation. Service human capital development (i.e., education), however, has been relatively neglected in research on sustainability. This conceptual article discusses the chain of relationships between service learning and service climate, service innovation, and societal sustainability. In contrary to the widely spread concept of gaining competitive advantages through individual (organizational) service innovation, we emphasize the collaborative advantage that all individuals can construct together by service innovation to achieve sustainability. To achieve such a goal, the education for service human resources by service learning becomes a foundation. With these propositions, this paper contributes by offering possible future research issues, and by stimulating practice and policy discussions.