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This study offers an understanding of vulnerable populations' experiences of actual use of mobile banking and their expectations of mobile banking (MB).

Data were generated from MB customers and bankers using online reviews, focus groups and semi-structured interviews, as a mix of methods and sources can provide rich and in-depth understanding.

The affordance of MB for vulnerable populations is explained in four concepts: meaning, material, competency and usability. Recommendations that could further engage and improve the service quality of MB apps for vulnerable populations include customization and personalization of services, access to the digital health data of members of vulnerable populations, audio-based option selection and touchscreen options, and enhancement of service and performance standards.

It is suggested that retail bankers should improve the service quality and performance of their MB apps by considering the recommendations drawn from vulnerable people's experiences. This study discusses implications for retailers.

This study applied social practice theory and affordance of technology theory to understand how those in vulnerable populations experienced MB apps; the results could be used to improve the accessibility, performance and service quality of MB apps.

This study explores the psychological determinants of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) use in the UK and reviews the efficacy of existing payment constructs.

A total of 533 BNPL users engaged in story stem completion. Template analysis was used, supported by the identification of four BNPL sentiment groups to enable comparison.

Whilst positive attitudes towards BNPL dominate, other psychological determinants are apparent to a varied extent. Psychological distance and ownership of borrowed money are redolent, while transparency and transaction convenience are less appreciable. BNPL users understand temporality beyond its current conceptualizations. Some users construe BNPL as a “savings” product, and hence payment format conceptualizations may be erroneous. Those with a positive sentiment foreground BNPL’s consumption and budget management benefits. However, the potential for unintended consequences is manifest across all users.

The potentially unwanted consequences, or dark side, of BNPL use in the UK are highlighted. The specified constructs, whilst helpful, do not particularize the complex interconnected nature of the psychological determinants of BNPL use. Improved conceptualization offering richness and clarity is needed – temporality specifically requires consideration.

Users’ sophistication and misunderstanding are both evident, necessitating fuller conversations among various stakeholders, including, providers, policymakers, consumers and advocacy groups.

This research advances the scarce literature exploring consumers’ BNPL use determinants and challenges current conceptualizations surrounding payment format perceptions.

This research presents the results of an initial investigation on “visual merchandising” and its effects on purchase behaviour and brand recognition. The context is concessionary branded female fashion offerings within a department store. The research utilises semi‐structured interviews with a small sample of female undergraduate students. The interviews incorporated the use of stimulus material – photographs taken of concessions in a department store some 150 miles away from the research location. The results suggest that the themes that linked most strongly to purchase intention were: merchandise colours, presentation style, awareness of fixtures, path finding, sensory qualities of materials and lighting. Initial findings suggest that liking of display does not totally determine purchase, but does make it four times more likely.

TThe purpose of this paper is to review the literature on facet theory and present an approach to map the relationship between retail branding (particularly brand recognition) and visual merchandising.

Fact theory has been used in other areas of investigation, particularly for the examination of the built environment within psychology. However, it has received little attention in either the marketing or retailing literature. This is surprising as facet theory also provides a conceptually stable and fully formed approach to: the definition of an area of interest; the statement of the proposed relationships between areas of interest; the development of a research instrument that is fully cognisant of the possible relationships; and also utilizes a form of analysis that explores the actual presence of the hypothesized relationships (smallest space analysis – SSA).

The application of facet theory and SSA were found to be particularly appropriate for an investigation of the relationship between retail branding and visual merchandising. This stems from the clear and consistent approach that is derived by using this method to structure the research.

This paper demonstrates facet theory provides a validated and robust approach to investigate a complex but managerially significant area in retailing.

Focuses on customer‐to‐customer interaction between strangers. It begins by reviewing the literature in the field and establishing a number of roles that customers may play while participating in this type of interaction. The study then goes on to measure the frequency of interaction and the propensity of 467 garden centre customers to adopt the roles identified by the literature (namely helpseeker and help providers). From analysis of their responses the authors are able to produce typical role scripts associated with each of the roles identified. These will help those interested in managing and facilitating these potentially valuable interactions and give some structure for future research in the area.

Space allocation is usually explained through the use of optimization models. This study examines the perceptions of experienced managers in major UK grocery retailers relating to effective space utilization. From the literature, initial telephone survey and interviews, 48 variables relating to the same issue were identified. These then formed the basis of a questionnaire, which was postally administered to managers within the space planning function in six of the UK’s largest grocery retailers. Thirty completed questionnaires were returned. Principal components analysis was used to explore interrelationships among the variables. Of the 48 variables 18 were identified as most important. The 18 variables accounted for over 80 per cent of the total variance. These variables were associated with six underlying components. These six components (and the associated variable scores) were then examined using structural equation modelling. An SEM model was developed with a combined goodness of fit index of 0.85. The developed model is very different from the relations posited in existing space planning systems.

The purpose of this paper is to identify risk factors that discourage Chinese consumers from adopting internet banking services (IBS). This market is experiencing fast growth; however, an in‐depth understanding of Chinese consumers within this is lacking. Perceived risk is a key construct in Western consumer decision making, whereas whether this is true in China's IBS market is rarely researched. An exploration of this dynamic market is therefore critical to develop theoretical and practical implications.

To maximise the comparability with existing Western findings, the current research adopts a quantitative approach to measure Chinese consumers' risk perception. However, as the existing literature provides limited guidelines associated with the current context, exploratory research was conducted to establish a general understanding and to identify additional elements of this particular market. A detailed instrument was developed and examined Chinese consumers' risk perception in depth. Primary data were collected by self‐administered questionnaires containing 504 respondents from southern China. Exploratory factor analysis is employed to identify critical risk factors.

Results indicate that the concept of perceived risk has merit in explaining Chinese consumers' decisions on whether to use IBS. Results clearly reveal that the significant risk barriers identified are influenced by culture and do not simply follow predominant Western patterns. Suggestions for banks are developed in an attempt to overcome these risk barriers.

The current research adds value to the existing literature in that findings reinforce the need to (re)examine Western theories from a more critical perspective. This also leads to a discussion addressing further areas for open debate and research.

Numerous empirical studies on internet banking services (IBS) adoption have focused either on perceived risk or trust; but rarely have they combined these concepts and used empirical evidence to investigate the relationship. This study aims to contribute to this field by looking simultaneously at the roles of trust and perceived risk on consumers' IBS usage intention.

An integrated model explaining the interrelationships between trust, perceived risk and usage intention is developed. The research was conducted on a sample of 432 young Chinese consumers who can be classified as IBS early adopters. The quantitative findings are enhanced by the analysis of extensive qualitative data providing unique insights into this market.

Results indicate that there is a significant relationship between trust and perceived risk and that both are crucial in explaining the internet banking usage intention. Furthermore, trust in the bank is fundamental not only to reducing risk perceptions of IBS in general but also to building trust in the banks' competence in terms of IBS activity.

This research adds value to existing studies of online banking, which largely focus on trust and risk separately. In addition, it enables us to contribute to the current literature on the emerging Chinese IBS market, which is largely under‐researched.

This paper provides an exploratory examination of the purchasing patterns, selection procedures and risk‐reducing mechanisms employed by female consumers making joint purchase decisions with their male partners within the furniture and carpet sectors of the home improvement market. It focuses on two main areas: female consumer purchase selection processes and the impact of female consumer risk reduction strategies (RRSs) on this process. These issues are explored by considering female consumer buyer behaviour in relation to joint purchase decisions regarding “high‐involvement and high‐risk” household products at three stages of the selection and purchase process: pre‐purchase, consumption and post‐purchase ‐ as defined in the services consumer behaviour model.