Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a state-of-the-art review of research on consumers experiencing vulnerability to describe the current situation of the consumers experiencing vulnerability literature and develop an up-to-date synthesised definition of consumers experiencing vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach This systematic review, guided by the PRISMA framework, takes a multi-disciplinary approach to identify 310 articles published between 2010 and 2019 examining consumers experiencing vulnerability. Descriptive analysis of the data is undertaken in combination with a thematic and text mining approach using Leximancer software. Findings A definition of consumers experiencing vulnerability is developed- “unique and subjective experiences where characteristics such as states, conditions and/or external factors lead to a consumer experiencing a sense of powerlessness in consumption settings”. The findings reveal consumers experiencing vulnerability have often been classified using a uni-dimensional approach (opposed to a multi-dimensional), focussing on one factor of vulnerability, the most prevalent of these being economic and age factors. A lack of research has examined consumers experiencing vulnerability based upon geographical remoteness, gender and sexual exploitation. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to examine consumers experiencing vulnerability using a systematic approach and text mining analysis to synthesise a large set of articles, which subsequently reduces the potential for researchers’ interpretative bias. Further, it is the first to generate a data-driven definition of consumers experiencing vulnerability. It provides targeted recommendations to allow further scholarly, policy and practical contributions to this area.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of social support on young adults with disabilities (YAWDs) independent mobility behavior with the aim of understanding how better to support this vulnerable consumer segment in their transition into the workforce. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted which examined how social support (high and low) influenced YAWD’s path to independent mobility behavior. The data were analyzed using partial least squares-SEM. Findings It was identified that different factors were more effective at influencing independent mobility behavior for high and low socially supported YAWDs. For high social support individuals, anticipated positive emotions and perceived behavioral control were found to drive attitudes to independent mobility with perceived behavioral control significantly stronger for this group than the low socially supported group. For the low socially supported group, all factors were found to drive attitudes which then drove individual behavior. One entire path (risk aversion to anticipated negative emotions to attitude to behavior) was found to be stronger for low supported individuals compared to high. Originality/value This study is unique in that it is the first to identify the theoretical constructs that drive vulnerable consumer’s independence behavior and understand how these factors can be influenced to increase independence. It is also the first to identify that different factors influence independent behavior for vulnerable consumers with high and low social support with anticipated negative emotions important for consumers with low social support and perceived behavioral control important for those with high social support.

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PurposeThis paper aims, first, to examine artificial intelligence (AI) vs human delivery of financial advice; second, to examine the serial mediating roles of emotion and trust between AI use in the financial service industry and their impact upon marketing outcomes including word of mouth (WOM) and brand attitude; and third, to examine how political ideology moderates' consumers' reactions to AI financial service delivery.Design/methodology/approachA review of the extant literature is conducted, yielding seven hypotheses underpinned by affect-as-information theory. The hypotheses are tested via three online scenario-based experiments (n = 801) using Process Macro.FindingsThe results of the three experiments reveal consumers experience lower levels of positive emotions, specifically, affection, when financial advice is provided by AI in comparison to human employees. Secondly, across the three experiments, conservative consumers are shown to perceive somewhat similar levels of affection in financial advice provided by AI and human employees. Whereas liberal consumers perceive significantly lower levels of affection when serviced by AI in comparison to conservatives and human employee financial advice. Thirdly, results reveal affection and trust to be serial mediators which explain consumers' WOM and brand attitudes when financial services are provided by AI. Fourthly, the investment type plays an important role in consumers’ reactions to the use of AI.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of the first to study political ideology as a potential moderator of consumers’ responses to AI in financial services, providing novel contributions to the literature. It further contributes unique insights by examining emotional responses to AI and human financial advice for different amounts and types of investments using a comprehensive approach of examining both valence and discrete emotions to identify affection as a key explanatory emotion. The study further sheds insights relating to how emotions (affection) and trust mediate the relationship between AI and WOM, and brand attitudes, demonstrating an affect-attitude psychological sequence that explains consumers’ reactions to AI in financial services.

Purpose This paper aims to report on the first comprehensive, social marketing systematic review of interventions targeting illicit drug use by young adults. Design/methodology/approach A total of 3,169 papers were screened, with 20 relevant empirical studies meeting the eligibility criteria for the systematic review. These were analysed according to Andreasen’s (2002) and NSMC’s (2006) social marketing benchmarks. Findings The findings provide evidence regarding the efficacy of behavioural and clinical interventions targeting individuals and groups, including motivational, life skills training, cognitive behavioural therapy, comprehensive health and social risk assessments and buprenorphine treatment interventions. Further, results evidence that there is yet to be an intervention which has implemented the full marketing mix, and limited studies have used the social marketing benchmarks of exchange and competition. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to conduct a comprehensive systematic review and provide key recommendations outlining the potential for social marketing to support the improved uptake and efficacy of interventions. A research agenda is also put forward to direct future social marketing scholarship in the area of young adult drug interventions.