Hongjoo Woo

Theory of awe suggests that awe elicited by disasters can affect both consumers' belief systems, such as new ecological paradigm (NEP), and their behavioral patterns. In this vein, this research examined how a disaster experience was associated with consumers' NEP endorsement and shopping motivations. It also profiled consumers based on expenditure changes across product categories, comparing pandemic experiences, NEP, shopping motivations, and demographic characteristics. Analysis of responses from 259 U.S. consumers confirmed the NEP as a central mechanism linked to consumption changes and identified four consumer typologies with unique profiles, offering insights for retailers to predict consumer behaviors during future disasters.

Purpose: Sustainable fashion has gained global attention due to the environmental and social problems posed by the fashion industry. Yet, its conceptual boundaries remain broad and ambiguous. Drawing on cue utilization theory, this study aims to investigate how consumers’ consumption motivations shape their preferences for different types of sustainable cues (extrinsic versus intrinsic) and explores variations in their perceptions, attitudes and willingness to pay a premium. Design/methodology/approach: Upon Institutional Review Board approval, an online experiment was conducted among 253 general consumers recruited by a nationwide survey firm in South Korea. K-means cluster analysis, chi-square analyses and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were performed to test hypotheses. Findings: The results revealed that hedonic consumers chose an extrinsic cue (sustainable brand) more, while utilitarian consumers chose an intrinsic cue (sustainable material) more. Perceived quality, emotional and social values, along with willingness to pay a premium, were higher for an extrinsic cue, while perceived stakeholder-driven and value-driven CSR motives were higher for an intrinsic cue. All three perceived values, formed by the different types of sustainable fashion cues, significantly affected attitude and attitude eventually led to higher willingness to pay a premium. Originality/value: This study provides novel insights by showing how different types of sustainable fashion cues are interpreted and accepted by consumers based on their motivational segments, which is critical to understand consumer needs and develop targeting strategies to commercialize sustainable fashion in the market.

As the fashion industry shifts toward more sustainable production, brands are adopting both natural materials and innovative fiber‐processing techniques. However, consumer perceptions of sustainable materials may differ, influencing clothing purchasing decisions. This study explores how message framing (positive vs. negative valence) influences consumer intentions for clothing made from natural vs. innovative sustainable materials, considering cross‐cultural value differences. Applying framing theory and information processing, a mixed‐method approach of expert interviews and a 2 × 2 cross‐cultural experiment ( N _Belgian = 275, N _Korean = 250) reveals that for innovative materials, negative framing enhances intentions, whereas for natural materials, both positive and negative framing can be effective, depending on the national‐cultural context. Cultural value orientations specific to Belgium and South Korea can shape framing preferences, which can be further explained by differences in information processing as a latent mechanism. This study provides original empirical evidence that valence framing influences consumer evaluations of sustainable fashion materials differently across cultures through distinct information‐processing mechanisms. By integrating framing theory and dual‐processing theory in a cross‐cultural context, it extends understanding of sustainability communication in online fashion. As the findings are based on two national contexts and specific experimental conditions, future research should examine these relationships across a broader range of cultural settings.

Purpose: When retail businesses, especially small businesses with greater vulnerability, could not meet consumers in person during the recent pandemic crisis, how did they adapt to the situation? This study examined how small business practitioners (SBPs’) perceptions, trust and adoption intention levels for social media, as well as the relationships among these variables, changed before and during the crisis based on the integration of the contingency theory and the diffusion of innovation theory (DIT).Design/methodology/approach: Online surveys were conducted with USA SBPs before (n = 175) and during (n = 225) the recent pandemic. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multiple-group SEM analysis.Findings: The results confirmed significant sequential positive relationships between SBPs’ perceived external pressure and perceived benefits of adopting social media, which in turn led to their trust in and then adoption intentions for social media. Further, the comparisons between the pre- and in-pandemic samples revealed that SBPs’ perceptions and adoption intentions all became significantly higher during (vs before) the pandemic, but the structural relationships among these variables weakened during the pandemic.Originality/value: This study uses a novel approach to integrate the contingency theory with the DIT to propose small businesses' perceptions, trust and adoption intentions for social media during the innovation decision process under rapid contingency changes. Our findings also offer practical implications including recommendations for small businesses’ innovation management as well as training programs.