Abstract
Establishing the relationship between online communication channels and the stages of the consumer decision-making process was the aim of this research. A review of online communication channels and consumer behavior models was conducted for this purpose. Subsequently, three experiments (car glass repair, retail of clothing and sports equipment, and retail of books and technological products) were carried out that consisted of questionnaires that were applied in companies belonging to different industries. The questionnaires were used to measure the expectations and preferences of consumers at each stage for each channel. The results showed that there is no relationship between online communication channels and the stages of the decision-making process. They also revealed a gap between expectations and preferences for each channel in each phase. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.

Abstract
This paper explores the main challenges and barriers to VR/AR adoption and categorizes common activities performed with these technologies, explaining each specific factor affecting them. After reviewing literature on metaverse retailing, channel strategies, VR/AR technologies, and user experiences, a conceptual framework was developed. Data from the Voice of the Consumer: Digital Survey (20202024) in over 20 countries was analyzed, using Pearson's correlation, factor analysis, and multiple linear regressions. The results point that key challenges for VR/AR adoption include security, privacy, content, price, headset-free experiences, digital fatigue, and poor experiences. Gaming is the most common VR/AR activity, while metaverse retailing activities like shopping and virtual try-ons have fewer users. Practical considerations drive metaverse retailing, unlike gaming, which is mainly hedonic. Privacy concerns, safety risks, poor experiences, and lack of knowledge surprisingly increase VR/AR usage for metaverse retailing, indicating informed consumers or threshold characterization of these variables. Additional insights were found for tourism, hospitality, and gaming activities. Theoretical implications, insights, and potential actions for retailers and tech companies are discussed, along with limitations and suggestions for further research.

Abstract
The classic literature about innovation conveys innovation strategy the leading and starting role to generate business growth due to technology development and more effective managerial practices. The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) however reverts this paradigm in the context of Industry 5.0. The focus is moving from how innovation fosters AI to how AI fosters innovation. Therefore, our research question can be stated as follows: What factors influence the effect of AI on Innovation Capacity in the context of Industry 5.0? To address this question we conduct a scoping review of a vast body of literature spanning engineering, human sciences, and management science. We conduct a keyword-based literature search completed by bibliographic analysis, then classify the resulting 333 works into 3 classes and 15 clusters which we critically analyze. We extract 3 hypotheses setting associations between 4 factors: company age, AI maturity, manufacturing strategy, and innovation capacity. The review uncovers several debates and research gaps left unsolved by the existing literature. In particular, it raises the debate whether the Industry5.0 promise can be achieved while Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) remains out of reach. It explores diverging possible futures driven toward social manufacturing or mass customization. Finally, it discusses alternative AI policies and their incidence on open and internal innovation. We conclude that the effect of AI on innovation capacity can be synergic, deceptive, or substitutive depending on the alignment of the uncovered factors. Moreover, we identify a set of 12 indicators enabling us to measure these factors to predict AI's effect on innovation capacity. These findings provide researchers with a new understanding of the interplay between artificial intelligence and human intelligence. They provide practitioners with decision metrics for a successful transition to Industry 5.0.

Abstract

Abstract
Vicarious experiences in tourism possess significant marketing implications. While numerous studies have explored how various forms of vicarious experiences can impact an individual, the role of different time spans as a key factor determining the extent of said impact has been neglected in prior research. To address this gap, the present study thus bridges environmental psychology with the context of tourism and applies the theory of mental representations. An experiment (n = 359) was designed to examine differences in select mental representation dimensions (cognitive, affective, conative, and sensorial) among male and female Chinese college students who have zero/medium/maximum durations of constant vicarious experiences related to European destinations in their home environment. The results indicate that the medium duration of constant vicarious experiences leads to the most positive changes in cognitive and conative dimensions, while the longest constant vicarious experiences produce desirable affective dimension outcomes. Moreover, male college students seem to be more susceptible to the influences of such constant vicarious experiences.