Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Service Science.
Navigating the Use of Technology in Service Marketing
Guest editors: Cui H, Xu AJ & Zhu T
Deadline: 1 September 2023
New technologies have been transforming business models in many service industries. With the assistance of new technologies, firms are able to provide improved services or expand their services into new domains. For example, in retail, AI has been used to make product recommendations. In the health-care industry, AI algorithms help doctors detect conditions earlier and diagnose conditions more accurately; medical robots are programmed to perform procedures. In the education industry, cloud-based online meeting platforms remove the barrier of physical distance and provide consumers with access to educators all over the world. Consumers, on the other hand, are propelled to interact with technology-based service providers at different stages of their decision journey (such as recognizing their needs, searching for information, evaluating and comparing options, making decisions, and providing feedback). The goal of this special issue is to document the contributions of new technologies in transforming how consumers interact with service providers in the marketplace. The role of new technologies can be studied from different perspectives, including (but not exclusive to) consumers, service providers, competition, policy makers, and societal influences. We welcome papers using a variety of methodological approaches, including empirical modeling, theoretical analytics, and the experimental method.
We encourage submissions on the following topics (non-exhaustive):
How does the use of technology influence consumer behavior?
– The influence of new technology adoption and innovation (e.g., chatbot, robot, virtual reality, and augmented reality) on consumer behavior (such as consumer decision-making in service contexts, service satisfaction, consumer engagement, etc.)
– The influence of the use of technology in health-care services (e.g., virtual doctor visits; use of robots in medical services) on patients’ behavior
– The factors that influence data-sharing intentions and data-privacy concerns in service contexts (e.g., on service platforms such as DoorDash)
– How consumers react to AI-based recommendations
– The impact of technology on consumers’ welfare, including the potential gains from the convenience and lower prices and the cost of data sharing
– How does the use of technology influence firm behavior?
The impact of technology on firms’ performance in service contexts
– Firms’ strategies for adopting and investing new technology to provide services
– The effect of marketing analytics tools on the interactions between firms and customers in the service industry
– The regulation of technology in the service sector
– The adoption and impact of technology in the marketing of the shared economy
– The impact of technology on the competitive environment in service industry
Guest Editors
– Haitao (Tony) Cui (University of Minnesota)
– Alison Jing Xu (University of Minnesota)
– Ting Zhu (Purdue University)
Submission Process and Timeline
We offer two tracks of submissions, both of which will undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Submissions should be directed to the Service Science online submission system. Criteria for acceptance include originality, contribution, and scientific merit.
– Regular Track: Papers for the regular track must be submitted by September 1, 2023. Decisions will typically be made after two rounds of review.
– Fast track: The fast-track option provides authors with early feedback on the fit of paper with this special issue. Authors are allowed to submit a long abstract of the paper (2-4 pages, single spaced) by an early deadline of May 1, 2023. The editors will provide feedback on the fit of the paper with the special issue and offer recommendations for further development of the paper. Once the full paper is submitted by the deadline of September 1, 2023, it will undergo the review process, with a decision made after one round of review. The decision will be one of the following: accept, conditional accept, minor revision, or reject.
Full CfP available here.
