To Be or Not to Be: W<scp>ill</scp> V<scp>irtual</scp> W<scp>orlds and the</scp> M<scp>etaverse</scp> G<scp>ain</scp> L<scp>asting</scp> T<scp>raction</scp>?

Since their beginnings, virtual worlds have experienced two major media hypes in their short lifetime—the first in 2003 after the launch of Second Life and the second in 2021, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing his strategy for the Metaverse. Most academic research on virtual worlds emerged between these two peaks of interest. This article delves into the enduring relevance of such research, contrasting the two hype cycles. It analyzes the reasons behind current caution expressed by companies and offers insights into the future trajectory of the Metaverse and which crucial developments are needed for sustained traction in virtual worlds. </jats:p

Satiation and cross promotion: Selling and swapping users in mobile games

One of the main challenges facing the mobile game industry is an alarming level of satiation, that is, a decline in user engagement and consequently in ad viewing, spending, and retention. Satiation lowers users’ CLV to an extent that renders acquisition from the likes of Facebook and Google untenable, driving game publishers to cross-promote, that is, sell and swap users among themselves. We model this cross-promotion as first, a screening mechanism, in that the fact of playing a game indicates specific preferences that might be suitable to an exchange with similar games; and second, as a resetting mechanism that enables the swapped users to reset their engagement in the new game, thus rendering the swap or sell beneficial to both buyer and seller. We show that there exists an optimal level of satiation with a game, and with this level, we show the conditions under which the game publisher cross promotes, and when it does, what the conditions are for selling rather than swapping. We extend the analysis to the case in which advertising costs and conversion rates are related; explain why they might be negatively correlated, and show that our main results still hold

Investigation of Differences in Diffusion Between Positive and Negative Word-Of-Mouth

Our study investigates how WoM valence (a) influences WoM diffusion frequency and speed and (b) moderates the type of social ties activated during WoM transmission. Additionally we analyze whether WoM reflecting hearsay shows different diffusion patterns than WoM originating from a personal and direct experience made by the WoM sender

The merchants of meta: A research agenda to understand the future of retailing in the metaverse

Due to rapid technological developments, the metaverse is quickly garnering attention from all areas of retailing. With a projected market of $800 billion by 2024, the metaverse is expected to radically reshape retailing in the digital world. However, very little is known about the metaverse from a customer, retailer, or brand perspective. This article summarizes how the metaverse has been conceptualized thus far in the literature and the popular press. The authors offer a new conceptualization of the metaverse that contains four distinct dimensions: online collaboration, high consumer immersion, unique digital assets, and digital personas. Considering that the technologies currently used to provide high consumer immersion (e.g., augmented reality, virtual reality) and unique digital assets (e.g., blockchain technology) are not fully developed or commercialized, the authors also propose the concept of a transitory metaverse to understand the current stage of metaverse development better. The authors conclude by providing 27 directions for future research based on a full factorial of how the metaverse dimensions amplify three customer touchpoints in the digital experience (digital economic exchange, complex social relationships, direct environment interaction) for the three main stakeholders of any retailing exchange (consumers, retailers, brands) along the entire customer journey (pre-purchase, purchase, post-purchase)

Seeding as Part of the Marketing Mix:Word-of-Mouth Program Interactions for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

Seeded marketing campaigns (SMCs) have become part of the marketing mix for many fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. In addition to making large investments in advertising and sales promotions, these firms now encourage seed agents or microinfluencers to discuss brands with friends and acquaintances to create further value. It is thus critical to understand how an FMCG seeding program interacts with traditional marketing tools when estimating the effectiveness of such efforts. However, the issue is still underexplored. The authors present the first empirical analysis of this question using a rich data set collected on four brands from various European FMCG markets. They combine advertising and sales promotion data from FMCG brand managers with sales and retail variables from market research companies as well as firm-created word-of-mouth variables from SMC agencies. The authors analyze the data using several approaches, confronting challenges of endogeneity and multicollinearity. They consistently find that firm-created word of mouth through SMC programs interacts negatively with all tested forms of advertising but positively with promotional activities. This phenomenon has significant implications for understanding the utility of SMCs and how they should be managed. The analysis implies that SMCs may increase total sales by approximately 3%-18% throughout the campaigns

When the road is rocky: Investigating the role of vulnerability in consumer journeys

AbstractJourney research has primarily analyzed agentic, solo travelers making rational single-purchase decisions. In contrast, we examine a journey where consumers and their traveling companions are vulnerable and must navigate an unfamiliar service system. We explore how vulnerability shapes consumer journeys, how service and system factors impact vulnerability, and how traveling companions influence agency and vulnerability. Using data from an extensive study into end-of-life care, our results reveal novel insights into the role of consumer vulnerability throughout a journey. We show how the ebb and flow of consumer vulnerability shapes the journey, and how the journey shapes vulnerability. Traveling companions, themselves vulnerable, play a major role in influencing vulnerability and the journey itself. We offer managerial implications for organizations whose consumers are in vulnerable situations.</jats:p

Leveling up retail: How retailers and brands thrive in the video game ecosystem

The global video game industry, valued at over $180 billion, has become a powerful platform for consumer engagement, allowing retailers to connect with over 3.2 billion global players. Despite recent research into the video game ecosystem, there is a noticeable gap in understanding how retailers and brands engage consumers, and how their sometimes overlapping roles reflect distinct strategies and capabilities. Drawing on 30 qualitative interviews with video gamers as well as prior research, we identify eight distinct roles retailers and brands can adopt within gameplay (i.e., experience regulators, background immersion facilitators, goal reinforcers, and experience expanders) and beyond gameplay (i.e., content enablers, experience tools, community experience providers, and emotional redirects). Our findings highlight the potential of the video game ecosystem for retailers and brands to support immersive consumer experiences, support divergence from reality, prepare brands for next-generation consumers, and integrate value creation. To facilitate these decisions, we propose a framework for retailers and brands to engage effectively within this space, emphasizing seamless integration, co-creation of value, and transparency. We conclude with the ‘PLAY’ framework to highlight future research directions across a variety of retailing domains. By aligning retail strategies with the unique characteristics of the ecosystem, this research provides actionable insights for retailers, brands, and scholars, advancing retail innovation and encouraging exploration of this dynamic, evolving landscape