Myung Ja Kim

Factors Affecting Online Tourism Group Buying and the Moderating Role of Loyalty

Online group buying has become increasingly prevalent, and people frequently shop on group buying (GB) sites. This study examines the relationships among transaction cost advantage, preview, trust, satisfaction, and repurchase intention within online tourism GB environments. To investigate differences in the constructs between the high and low emotional loyalty (EL) groups, this study draws on the moderating role of EL. The results reveal that transaction cost advantage, preview, and trust significantly and positively affect satisfaction, which, in turn, influences repurchase intention. The high-EL group shows stronger relationships between preview and satisfaction and between satisfaction and repurchase intention than the low-EL group. The low-EL group shows stronger relationships between transaction cost advantage and satisfaction and between trust and satisfaction than the high-EL group. The findings have implications for tourism academics and the tourism industry.

Dual-route of persuasive communications in mobile tourism shopping

Elaboration likelihood model is employed to understand mobile tourism shoppers.Argument quality significantly influences perceived usefulness (central route).Source credibility has a significant impact on attachment (peripheral route).Site attachment has mediating effects between antecedents and continued usage.Social network involvement has a moderating effect on central and peripheral route. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a communication model for persuasive processes for mobile tourism shopping (MTS). Applying the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), we adopted a confirmatory approach using partial least squares as the analytical method. Respondents (n=357) who had recently purchased a tourism product using mobile devices (smartphones or tablets) were analyzed. Argument quality significantly influences perceived usefulness (central route); source credibility has positive effects on perceived usefulness and site attachment (peripheral route); perceived usefulness significantly influences site attachment and continued usage; and site attachment has a positive effect on continued usage. Social network involvement has a moderating effect on central and peripheral routes. This study reflects increased awareness and interest in understanding persuasive processes at work in MTS. Empirical results demonstrate the value of using the ELM to understand dual-route communication processes at work among mobile shoppers for tourism products. As markets become increasingly competitive, it becomes ever more important for tourism managers to better understand the persuasive processes at work among different segments of MTS. As this study demonstrates, applying the ELM holds promise in achieving such understanding.

Why Seniors use Mobile Devices: Applying an Extended Model of Goal-Directed Behavior

ABSTRACT Seniors’ use of mobile devices for tourism-related purposes is an emerging social trend, but there is little theoretically based research on the topic. This study examines seniors’ usage of mobile devices for tourism-related purposes, applying the extended model of goal-directed behavior. Usefulness and enjoyment are shown to have significant effects on seniors’ use of mobile devices for tourism purposes and prior knowledge of information technology has a significant impact on seniors’ desire and behavioral intention to use mobile devices for tourism-related purposes. This study offers theoretical and practical contributions to tourism academics and practitioners.

Seniors' loyalty to social network sites

Bonding social capital affects interpersonal and group attachment to SNSs.Bridging social capital highly influences interpersonal and group attachment.Group attachment is significantly influenced by interpersonal attachment to SNSs.Group attachment has a strong effect on site attachment to SNSs for tourism.Seniors loyalty to SNSs is highly influenced by site attachment to the SNSs. The populations of seniors in developed countries around the world are increasing rapidly, resulting in changes in social dynamics and purchasing behaviors, specifically in information technology and tourism. This study analyzes relationships among bonding and bridging social capital (SC), interpersonal, group, and site attachments, and loyalty to identify what makes seniors loyal to social network sites (SNSs) for tourism. Results show that bonding SC affects interpersonal and group attachment and that bridging SC highly influences interpersonal and group attachment. Also, interpersonal attachment has a positive effect on group attachment, which, in turn, is highly influential on site attachment. In particular, group attachment has a strong effect on site attachment, but interpersonal attachment is not shown to affect site attachment. It is also notable that loyalty to SNSs is greatly influenced by site attachment. The findings contribute to the academic literature and provide useful information for practitioners maintaining SNSs.

Why do smartphone shoppers help others on websites? The effects of attachments on reciprocal altruism

Why do people help others on mobile shopping sites, even when members have never met? To answer the research question, this study applies attachment theory to investigate the relationships between formation variables (trust, enjoyment, and timesaving), transfer variables (site, group, and interpersonal attachments), and an outcome variable (reciprocal altruism). An online survey was conducted of shoppers who had purchased tourism products with smartphones. The results show that trust, enjoyment, and timesaving have significant effects on site attachment, which, in turn, have a significant effect on both group and interpersonal attachments. Interpersonal attachment also has a highly significant effect on group attachment. Reciprocal altruism is influenced by both site and interpersonal attachments. The findings not only provide theoretical contributions to the tourism literature but also practical contributions to the tourism industry.

Online Group-Buying of Tourism Products: Effects of Value and Trust on Site Attachment, Altruism, and Loyalty

ABSTRACT Although online group-buying is increasing rapidly, little theoretically based research has been conducted on behaviors of online group-buyers of tourism products. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop and test a theoretical model examining the relationships among value, trust, site attachment, altruism, and loyalty in the context of online group-buying of tourism products. The results indicate that the six hypothesized relationships among value, trust, site attachment, altruism, and loyalty are significant and thus validate the theoretical model. The findings of this study provide theoretical and practical implications for academics and managers of online group-buying sites.

Obtaining a better understanding about travel-related purchase intentions among senior users of mobile social network sites

Abstract Although a majority of seniors continue to express interest in using mobile social network sites (MSNSs), research has yet to provide sufficient understanding of this very large market’s motivations related to MSNS usage. As a viable consumer business segment, seniors are attractive enough to warrant potential MSNSs to invest necessary capital for developing tourism related MSNS designed to assist with this market’s decision making and ultimately with their purchasing behavior. To address this gap, a research model was developed for this study using seniors having used MSNSs for purposes directly related to tourism and travel. Findings revealed intrinsic motivations had stronger effects on flow experience than did extrinsic motivations. Flow experience was found to have the greatest effect on subjective well-being, which in turn highly influenced purchase intention. Results documented that senior MSNS users differed significantly according to levels of anxiety attachment. Findings provide theoretical and practical contributions for tourism research, products, and services regarding senior MSNS consumers.

Seniors’ dual route of persuasive communications in mobile social media and the moderating role of discretionary time

ABSTRACT More than two-thirds of seniors use smartphones and in South Korea, over half of all senior smartphone owners are mobile social media (MSM) users. This study tested two basic routes to persuasion in the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), applying the new concepts of benefits and authentic experience among senior MSM users for travel- and tourism-related purposes, along with the moderating role of discretionary time spent on MSM. To this end, an online survey was conducted for senior MSM users for tourism activities, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to analyze data obtained from 500 study participants. Results reveal that argument quality had a stronger effect on benefit than source credibility. Benefits and authentic experience played important mediating roles in the ELM. Discretionary time on MSM played a significant moderating role in the central and peripheral routes. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed in the conclusions section.

Slow-food-seeking behaviour, authentic experience, and perceived slow value of a slow-life festival

This study examines the antecedents and consequences of perceived “slow” value in a structural model – specifically, the role authenticity plays for visitors who seek slow food and participate in slow-life-related programme activities. Data were collected from participants in a slow-life festival in South Korea. Results show that slow-food-seeking behaviour has a significant effect on the authentic experience, and both concepts affect the perception of “slow” value of the event. Attitude and the intention to revisit were significant consequences of “slow” value. This study extends the knowledge about tourist behaviour in slow-life-related activities, particularly in a non-Western context, and suggests that a slow-life-related event should consider visitors’ preference for slow food and a programme that stages authentic experiences.

Effects of personality traits on visitors attending an exposition: the moderating role of anxiety attachment

ABSTRACT Expositions or “expos” are large consumer trade shows representing a catalyst for on-site direct spending by visitors attracted to these events that are promoted by destination marketing organizations, governments, communities, and businesses. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a new research model involving the analysis of five specific personality traits representing pleasure visitors attending an annual expo to provide more meaningful information for destination marketing professionals. This study then examined the effects of how visitor personality traits play upon expo attachment, satisfaction, and revisit intention using anxiety attachment as a moderator. Results revealed the relationships between expo attachment and satisfaction, attachment and revisit intention, and satisfaction and revisit intention were significant. Also, anxiety attachment was shown to moderate the relationships between all visitor personality traits and expo attachment. Accordingly, this study provides theoretical insights for future tourism research and offers new promotional implications for expo practitioners.