Special Issue Psychology & Marketing. “New horizons in customer experience: Exploring human embrace of Technologies 4.0 from a marketing perspective”

 

The fast and inexorable advancement of technology is affecting almost every aspect of the economy and the social relationships. Technologies 4.0 such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data or cloud computing are participating actively in the management of business, the labor market and the daily activity of ordinary people. For instance, analytical AI and sophisticated algorithms based on Big Data are deciding Amazon’s product assortment on customers’ screens but also the best route for shipments, the rider that is contracted to deliver food, or the newsfeeds that a user of social media watch early in the morning.

Although the impact of Technologies 4.0 is commonly thought of in sectors such as logistics, banking or tourism, their potential for marketing operations is particularly remarkable across industries. The increasing digitalization and the multiple touchpoints of the data-driven customer journey lead marketing managers rely on these technologies to better shape their customer relations. There is a need to better understand why people are more or less willing to adopt, interact with and integrate such technologies in their daily routines. Additionally, ethical issues regarding the replacement of persons by technology or the combination of both together clearly deserve further research attention. A highly intense reliance on technology may lead to a ubiquitous surveillance and even to practices of social engineering in which individuals are continuously rated at any task in their lives as citizens or customers.

This Special Issue offers a platform to scientifically explore and discuss the growing relevance of Technologies 4.0 in business and society by better understanding the psychological factors contributing to a safe and successful embrace of these technologies by consumers. Both conceptual and empirical work concerned with a technological enhancement of customers’ experience are welcomed. Articles considered for the Special Issue may focus on topics including, but not limited to, the following research questions:

  • Which features of Technologies 4.0 represent an opportunity for implementing marketing actions by managers?
  • How do customers’ and employees’ perceptions and reactions toward these features differ?
  • Which psychological theories are better able to explain customer embrace or rejection of Technologies 4.0?
  • How do users integrate these technologies in their lives and what are the differences from previous non-smart technologies?
  • How can Technologies 4.0 advancements improve brand positioning and marketing performance along the customer journey?
  • How should these technologies be implemented in companies to enhance customer experience?
  • What are the main challenges and opportunities of employing Technologies 4.0 in specific sectors such as retailing, frontline services or social media management?
  • What influences consumers’ perception and engagement with the metaverse?
  • How is technology innovation affecting the customer-provider relationship in the short and long term?
  • How should companies manage Technologies 4.0 and respond to customer data privacy protection behavior?
  • What are the main ethical and moral issues related to Technologies 4.0?
  • What is the role of this technological transformation in promoting or demoting social equality?

Guest Editors:

  • Russell Belk (York University; Canada) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Carlos Flavián (University of Zaragoza; Spain) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Daniel Belanche (University of Zaragoza; Spain) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Park Thaichon (Griffith University; Australia) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Submission deadline:         

1 December 2022 (early submission will be appreciated)

To submit a manuscript, follow the manuscript submission guidelines outlined in the "Instructions for Authors" of Psychology & Marketing, be sure to select the correct Special Issue and also mention it in the letter to the editor.

Prospective authors are encouraged to participate in the preparatory conference AIRSI2022 by presenting the preliminary versions of their papers and contact the guest editors for any specific comment or question (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Link to the full version of the call for papers:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15206793

 

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