Papers by Sebastian Molinillo

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 2018
The existing literature mainly analyses user intention to practice social commerce on social netw... more The existing literature mainly analyses user intention to practice social commerce on social networking sites, but few studies have focused on traditional e-commerce sites with their own integrated social tools (e.g. forums, reviews). This research aims to identify the antecedents to social commerce intention for traditional e-commerce sites where social tools are integrated. Data were obtained from a survey of 201 consumers and were analysed using Partial Least Squares. The results indicate that web quality, flow and emotional social support have a positive and direct influence on social commerce intention, while social presence and informational social support are not significant. This study contributes to consumer behaviour theory by applying predictors of intention to social commerce for traditional e-commerce sites. The results also help e-commerce practitioners to improve their use of social tools. For instance, to increase the use of social commerce, web quality must be improved to promote dissemination and consultation of the information generated by users in an easy, quick and friendly way. Social commerce intention will also increase if the company designs efficient interactive processes which the user enjoys effortlessly, so that the website creates a flow experience.

Dos Algarves: A Multidisciplinary e-Journal, 2015
El smartphone se ha convertido en uno de los dispositivos más populares del mundo. Su uso en el p... more El smartphone se ha convertido en uno de los dispositivos más populares del mundo. Su uso en el proceso de compra en el comercio minorista ha aumentado notablemente en la última década, en particular en las actividades propias de la búsqueda e intercambio de información online. Sin embargo, pocos trabajos han analizado holísticamente la influencia de este dispositivo en el proceso de compra. A partir de la revisión de la literatura, en este artículo se analiza cómo puede influir el uso
del smartphone en las etapas del proceso de compra cuando éste culmina offline, y las acciones que puede llevar a cabo el minorista para mejorar la experiencia del consumidor. Se propone un marco
teórico a partir de cada una de las etapas del proceso de compra, con el objetivo de definir el contexto de la experiencia en términos de comportamiento del consumidor. Finalmente, se discuten algunas
implicaciones para la gestión del comercio minorista y para la investigación en el ámbito del marketing móvil.

Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2023
This study aims to examine how values (i.e., individual and social values) influence customer eng... more This study aims to examine how values (i.e., individual and social values) influence customer engagement after managing a service failure in the thermal spa hotel context, and the mediating roles of perceived justice and brand experience. The data was collected from a survey of guests of luxury thermal spa hotels in Portugal, and the research model was assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that individual values affect perceived justice and brand experience, which in turn contribute to a higher level of customer engagement. Brand experience is a better mediator of the relationship between individual values and customer engagement than perceived justice. The novelty of this study is highlighted by the mediating effects of perceived justice and brand experience on the relationship between individual values and customer engagement.

Tourism & Management Studies, 2024
This pioneering study explores the intersection between Neurotourism, defined as the integration ... more This pioneering study explores the intersection between Neurotourism, defined as the integration of neurosciences in tourism, and the perception of tourism Brand Personality (BP) through the advanced use of psychophysiology techniques, specifically Eye-Tracking (ET) and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR). It analyses how tourism destination brand logos/combination marks and images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) influence consumer attention and emotional response. Focusing on the five dimensions of BP proposed by Aaker (1997)sincerity, excitement, sophistication, competence, and ruggednessthis study highlights significant differences in how men and women process and react to brand values associated with specific cities. Employing a rigorous methodological approach and the application of non-parametric statistical analyses, the findings reveal distinct patterns of visual attention and emotional responses across genders, emphasising the importance of considering BP in the marketing and design of tourism destination brand logos/combination marks. This work not only advances theoretical understanding of tourist consumer behaviour but also offers relevant practical implications for tourism marketing and destination management.
Service Business, 2023
This study examines the willingness of customers to accept, and their intention to recommend, the... more This study examines the willingness of customers to accept, and their intention to recommend, the services provided by service robots in restaurants. A mixed-methods research approach was taken to evaluate a theoretical model based on behavioural reasoning theory (BRT). The results demonstrated the important influence of positive attitudes and objections to the use of service robots on consumers' willingness to use service robots, as well as their intention to recommend restaurants that use them. Among the main aspects that affect attitudes and objections, we found hedonic perceptions, perceived safety, interaction quality perception and anthropomorphism.

Journal of Business Research, 2023
The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of the scientific contributions made by bra... more The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of the scientific contributions made by brand personality (BP) research, to identify its predominant themes and to propose a relevant research agenda. An analysis was undertaken of the 1051 brand personality-related articles published over the period 1987-2022 that are indexed in the Scopus scientific database. A bibliometric approach was adopted to systematically analyse the publications, and a performance analysis and science mapping were undertaken. The results showed that the motor themes of BP research related to its conceptualisation, dimensions and measurement, its impact on consumerbrand relationships and application in tourism destination-focused studies. Emerging BP-focused themes are its applications in virtual reality, artificial intelligence, service robots, storytelling and tourism segments, such as luxury. This study contributes by providing a better understanding of the state-of-the-art research on BP, and by identifying future research directions.

Psychology & Marketing, 2023
Voice assistants (VAs), such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, are instruments increasingly u... more Voice assistants (VAs), such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, are instruments increasingly used by consumers to perform daily tasks. The objectives of the present study are to examine the antecedents of consumers' continuance intention to use VAs and the moderating effects of personal innovativeness and experience. Based on behavioral reasoning theory, a research model is proposed to provide insights into the drivers of continuance intention to use. Two empirical studies, based on data collected via online surveys, were conducted. The model was analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings of the studies showed that emotional value and performance expectancy were key antecedents of continuance intention to use, which in turn positively influenced actual use and word-of-mouth intention. In contrast, the quality value was a significant antecedent of continuance intention to use in only one of the two studies, and the influence of price value, social value, effort expectancy, and privacy risk was not found to be significant. However, the second study showed that several of these relationships are moderated by the consumer's experience and personal innovativeness; specifically, less innovative users are sensitive to quality value, and experienced users are sensitive to social value.
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2024
The aim of this research is to analyse the factors that influence users' willingness to travel on... more The aim of this research is to analyse the factors that influence users' willingness to travel on an autonomous bus (AB). This analysis adopted a mixed-methods approach. The findings indicated that the main antecedents of willingness to travel on an AB are perceived behavioural control, attitude and subjective norms, while the effect of personal innovativeness was seen to be lower. Trust in the AB, and perceived safety, impacted on perceived benefits, and perceived benefits impacted on satisfaction. Seven of the eight relationships proposed in the model were moderated by participants' experience in the AB pilot test.

Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 2024
This research formalises a new methodology to measure and analyse Destination Brand Experience, i... more This research formalises a new methodology to measure and analyse Destination Brand Experience, improving upon traditional approaches by offering greater objectivity and rigour. Adopting a case study approach, five distinct and complementary types of analysis have been conducted: comprehensive sentiment analysis and topic modelling, an analysis using multiple thesauri, statistical analyses for hypothesis testing, and machine learning for classification. The methodological innovation, through the construction of thesauri, has enabled the measurement of sensory, affective, intellectual, and behavioural dimensions in unique and emblematic attractions, experiences, and transportation within a tourist destination, based on visitor reviews. This new approach allows tourism professionals and destination managers to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance tourist satisfaction. The findings suggest that there are significant differences in the relationships between specific dimensions and that gender and culture moderate or impact these relationships.

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2024
Purpose-The aims of this study are to explore how the experience of "visiting" a destination in a... more Purpose-The aims of this study are to explore how the experience of "visiting" a destination in a virtual reality (VR) technology environment influences destination image and visit intentions and to evaluate the moderating effects of the immersion level of the technology, destination familiarity and VR sickness. Design/methodology/approach-An empirical study was conducted in a laboratory, using two types of immersive VR technologies. The data, collected through a personal survey of 144 participants, were analysed using PLS-SEM. Findings-The results indicated that sense of presence is a crucial determinant of the user's experience, which in turn contributed positively to destination image and visit intentions. VR sickness was observed to moderate the relationship between sense of presence and user experience, especially at low immersion levels. Destination familiarity did not influence the model's relationships.
Consumer Behaviour and Mobile Payments in the Point of Sale: Exploring the Determinants of Intention to Adopt It
International Journal of Human-computer Interaction, Aug 2, 2023
eTourism Challenges for Urban Tourism Destinations
Routledge eBooks, Aug 27, 2020

Springer eBooks, 2015
In recent years a number of Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) models and measurement scales have... more In recent years a number of Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) models and measurement scales have been introduced in the branding literature. However, examinations of brand equity in Private Labels (PL) are rather limited. This study aims to compare the validity of the two prominent CBBE models those introduced by Yoo and Donthu (2001) and Nam et al. (2011). In order to test the models and make this comparison, the study collected data from 236 respondents who rated private labels in Spain. A list of 30 different fashion and sportswear PL was introduced to respondents. These brands do not make any reference to the retail store in which they are sold. Research findings suggest that the extended CBBE model introduced by Nam et al. (2011) and Ciftci et al. (2014) is more reliable and valid than Yoo and Donthu's model for assessing PL. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.

Computers & education, Aug 1, 2018
This study examines the influence of social presence, interactions (student-student and teacher-s... more This study examines the influence of social presence, interactions (student-student and teacher-student) and emotional engagement on active learning within the context of social web-based collaborative learning (SWBCL). In order to accomplish this objective, an empirical study was conducted with 416 students from two universities, organized into groups of 4 or 5 students, who were instructed to complete a collaborative project over the course of one semester. At the end of the project, the students filled out a questionnaire and the resulting data was analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. The results suggest that social presence and teacher-student interaction have a positive influence on students' active learning, both directly and indirectly, through emotional engagement. This variable also mediates the influence of student-student interactions, which have a less significant impact on active learning than the other analyzed variables. Consequently, this study offers important contributions to the study and practice of active learning in a SWBCL environment. 1. INTRODUCTION Active learning involves speaking, listening, writing, reading, and thinking (Yoder & Hochevar, 2005). As active learning has been demonstrated to improve learning outcomes (Baepler, Walker & Driessen, 2014), its implementation is consequently promoted in higher education (Hardy III, Day, Hughes, Wang & Schuelke, 2014; Ogawa & Shimizu, 2015). One of the most beneficial methods of active learning is collaborative learning (CL) (Prince, 2004). CL increases students' active roles in participation by requiring them to interact in a group environment, as well as to manage their relationships and the content they develop (Keyser, 2000; Lee, 2014). CL has benefitted from the expansion of information and communications technologies (López-Yáñez, Yáñez-Márquez, Camacho-Nieto, Aldape-Pérez & Argüelles-Cruz, 2015). Specifically, in recent years, social web applications have become an important learning communication tool for students (Liao, Huang, Chen & Huang, 2015). The use of social webs is positive, making learning fun, meaningful and interactive, and can get students more involved in activities, in addition to increasing their motivation, learning among peers,
Exploring the effect of relative advantage and challenge on customer engagement behavior with mobile commerce applications
Telematics and Informatics, Aug 1, 2022

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2022
The aim of this study is to propose a conceptual framework for building destination brand credibi... more The aim of this study is to propose a conceptual framework for building destination brand credibility. This research proposes a novel framework to explore the antecedents of destination brand credibility based on four constructs: enduring culture involvement, destination brand identification, destination brand reputation and
destination brand attachment. The data used to assess the proposed research model was collected through in-person-administered surveys conducted in Indonesia and Spain. The study shows that destination brand credibility is influenced by enduring cultural involvement, destination brand identification and destination brand reputation. In addition, destination brand attachment partially mediates the relationship between destination credibility and the three antecedents. The findings contribute to the relevant literature by improving the knowledge of the antecedents of destination brand attachment and destination brand credibility.

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Mar 1, 2022
Retailer mobile applications are one of the principal retail purchase and information search chan... more Retailer mobile applications are one of the principal retail purchase and information search channels. Customer experience is key to retail app success. However, its dimensions and impact on retailer performance have been the subject of only a limited number of studies. This research builds on existing customer retail app experience
literature by considering four dimensions as precursors of satisfaction with the retailers’ app and customer loyalty (cognitive, affective, relational and sensorial). Data were collected from a sample of 545 retailer app users and analysed using PLS-SEM. The results demonstrate that the affective dimension has the most influence and
they highlight the importance of the sensory experience, which even surpasses the cognitive experience. The effect of the relational dimension on customer satisfaction, meanwhile, could not be positively confirmed. Analysis of the moderating effect of gender, age and device type used identifies effects that have not, until now,
been demonstrated in current literature.

Tourism Review, Sep 25, 2019
Purpose-This paper aims to focus on understanding how restaurant review sites generate trust amon... more Purpose-This paper aims to focus on understanding how restaurant review sites generate trust among travellers and the effect of trust on the intention to visit and recommend restaurants while travelling. Design/methodology/approach-The research model was assessed with data from a sample of 439 Spanish tourists using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings-Information quality and source credibility are key for generating website trust. Website quality does not influence trust. Website trust is a key variable for explaining both intention to visit and recommend a restaurant, offline and online. Age is a significant moderator. Research limitations/implications-This study expands the literature by assessing the antecedents and consequences of travellers' trust in restaurant review sites during their trips. Practical implications-Strategies are suggested for review sites, restaurants and destination managers. Originality/value-This research enhances the knowledge of how consumers perceive restaurant review sites, and their behavioural intention while travelling.
Tourism marketing in a metaverse context: the new reality of European museums on meta
Museum Management and Curatorship, May 10, 2023
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Papers by Sebastian Molinillo
del smartphone en las etapas del proceso de compra cuando éste culmina offline, y las acciones que puede llevar a cabo el minorista para mejorar la experiencia del consumidor. Se propone un marco
teórico a partir de cada una de las etapas del proceso de compra, con el objetivo de definir el contexto de la experiencia en términos de comportamiento del consumidor. Finalmente, se discuten algunas
implicaciones para la gestión del comercio minorista y para la investigación en el ámbito del marketing móvil.
destination brand attachment. The data used to assess the proposed research model was collected through in-person-administered surveys conducted in Indonesia and Spain. The study shows that destination brand credibility is influenced by enduring cultural involvement, destination brand identification and destination brand reputation. In addition, destination brand attachment partially mediates the relationship between destination credibility and the three antecedents. The findings contribute to the relevant literature by improving the knowledge of the antecedents of destination brand attachment and destination brand credibility.
literature by considering four dimensions as precursors of satisfaction with the retailers’ app and customer loyalty (cognitive, affective, relational and sensorial). Data were collected from a sample of 545 retailer app users and analysed using PLS-SEM. The results demonstrate that the affective dimension has the most influence and
they highlight the importance of the sensory experience, which even surpasses the cognitive experience. The effect of the relational dimension on customer satisfaction, meanwhile, could not be positively confirmed. Analysis of the moderating effect of gender, age and device type used identifies effects that have not, until now,
been demonstrated in current literature.