Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally transforming the marketing landscape, enabling significant progress in customer engagement, personalization, and operational efficiency. The retail sector has been at the forefront of the AI revolution, adopting AI technologies extensively to transform consumer interactions, supply chain management, and business performance. Given its early adoption of AI, the retail industry serves as an essential case context for investigating the broader implications of AI for consumer behavior. Drawing on 404 articles published between 2000 and 2023, this study presents a comprehensive bibliometric and content analysis of AI applications in retail marketing. The analysis used VOSviewer (1.6.20.0 version) and Bibliometrix (version 4.3.1) to identify important contributors, top institutions, and key publication sources. Co-occurrence keyword and co-citation analyses were used to map intellectual networks and highlight emerging themes. Additionally, a focused content analysis of 50 recent articles was selected based on their relevance, timeliness, and citation influence. It revealed six primary research streams: (1) consumer behavior, (2) AI in retail marketing, (3) business performance, (4) sustainability, (5) supply chain management, and (6) trust. These streams were categorized through thematic relevance and theoretical significance, emphasizing AI’s impact on the retail sector. The contributions of this study are twofold. Theoretically, it integrates existing research on AI in retail marketing and outlines future research in areas such as AI’s role in the domain of consumer behavior. From an empirical standpoint, the study highlights how AI can be applied to enhance customer experiences and improve business operations.

This paper looks at the role of government as a novel dimension in the adoption of sustainable technology by small and medium enterprises (SME) in Malaysia. This determinant stems from the fact that, in many transitional economies, private sector organizations encounter resource constraints as a barrier to innovation adoption. This is especially the case with sustainable technology incorporated into business operations. Therefore, third party intervention into the adoption process becomes inevitable and it is considered to make the adoption process more effective. A government has both the power and resources to play a pivotal role in the adoption of sustainable technology. Given this state of affairs, this study examines the government’s role as a critical factor in achieving smooth and efficient adoption. The theory of reasoned action (TRA) serves as the theoretical underpinning of this study. The data were collected from a sample of 263 SMEs in Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. It was found that government policies and subsidies are critical in encouraging the adoption of sustainable technology in Malaysia. This paper discusses the implications for government-driven adoption of sustainable technology, identifies the limitations of the analysis, and avenues of future research in this very relevant and expanding field.

This research identifies the underlying drivers impacting on healthcare professionals’ social media usage behaviours using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical lens. A self-administered survey questionnaire was developed and administered to 219 healthcare professionals. Data are analysed applying the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique. The SEM model demonstrated an acceptable model fit (χ² = 534.241; df, 239, χ²/df = 2.235, RMSEA = 0.06, IFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.93, and CFI = 0.92) and indicates content quality, perceived risk, perceived credibility, peer influence, confirmation of expectations, supporting conditions, and perceived cost significantly influence the notion of perceived social media usefulness. Furthermore, perceived social media usefulness positively affects social media usage behaviour of healthcare professionals. This research generates important insights into what drives the adoption of social media by healthcare professionals. These insights could help develop social media guidelines and strategies to improve the state of professional interactions between health professionals and their clients.

This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan, a key player in the growing Middle Eastern economy. Rooted in the Technology–Organization–Environment framework, we specifically focus on the role of technological capabilities and organizational dynamics in shaping AI adoption within Jordanian SMEs. A comprehensive survey involving 364 SME owner-managers in Jordan serves as the empirical foundation. Findings reveal the significant impact of employee IT knowledge, IT infrastructure, managerial commitment, training initiatives and well-designed reward systems in shaping SME owners’ or managers’ attitudes to AI. These findings provide valuable insights for SME leaders and stakeholders, guiding them in developing strategies to smoothly integrate AI technologies in line with Jordan’s societal needs. The article concludes by emphasizing the study’s contributions, implications and limitations while suggesting potential directions for future research in this field.

Purpose: While prior research has examined customer acceptance of humanized chatbots, the mechanisms through which they influence customer value creation remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the emerging concept of Perceived Humanization (PH), examining how hedonic motivation, social influence and anthropomorphism influence value creation through the serial mediation of PH and trust. The moderating roles of rapport and social presence are also explored.Design/methodology/approach: Based on data from an online survey involving 257 respondents, this study employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling utilizing SmartPLS3 software.Findings: Hedonic motivation leads to value creation via two routes: PH and affective trust; and PH and cognitive trust. Social influence and anthropomorphism also positively impact value creation through similar pathways. Rapport moderates the impact of social influence on PH, while social presence moderates the relationship between PH and both affective and cognitive trust. A cross-cultural analysis of China, India and New Zealand highlights varying cultural dimensions influencing PH and its effects on value creation.Practical implications: For practitioners in the tourism industry, the findings highlight the strategic importance of enhancing PH in chatbot interactions. By understanding and optimizing these elements, businesses can significantly improve their customer value-creation process.Originality/value: This study contributes to the service marketing literature by generating a comprehensive framework for the comprehension and application of PH. Its cross-cultural perspective provides rich insights, offering valuable information for service marketers aiming to thrive in the dynamic and competitive tourism industry.