Today, we identify service articles published in Marketing, Management, Operations, Productions, Information Systems, and Practitioner-Oriented Journals in the last months.
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Hess, N. J., M. Mende, M. L. Scott, A. L. Roggeveen and D. Grewal (2026): Served by a cyborg: insights into how human enhancement technologies impact consumer response to frontline employees, JOURNAL OF RETAILING, 102(1), pp.114–131
Tension exists between rapid technological advancement which can reduce the need for human employees and consumers preferences for human employee interactions. In response, emerging industry perspectives highlight the importance of technology-human synergy. This research offers empirical insights into how consumers respond to “frontline cyborgs”-employees equipped with human enhancement technology (HET), which augments human abilities beyond natural limits. Following an empirics-first approach, three studies provide insights into the mediating effects of superhumanization, dehumanization, warmth and competence on satisfaction and loyalty intentions. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that HET generates unique consumer responses, distinguishing it not only from traditional human service but also from other technology-infused approaches. Study 3 then indicates that the outcome dependency between the cyborg and the customer impacts consumer perceptions of the interaction. This research introduces superhumanization and dehumanization as novel theoretical perspectives for retail and marketing scholars and managers. Furthermore, our results suggest important managerial considerations for where cyborgs are more (or less) attractive.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2025.08.007 [Google]
Fehl, A. G., V. Good, T. Arnold, L. Slevitch and M. Pasham (2026): Shift climate: How perceptions of fellow frontline employees drive behaviors and customer loyalty, JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF MARKETING SCIENCE, (), pp.
Service research highlights the importance of relatively constant elements that influence customer service. A great deal of unexplained variance in service provision remains, however, especially from one shift to another within the same service establishment. We address this gap by introducing the construct shift climate, defined as a frontline employee’s perception of the level of co-workers’ focus on customer need satisfaction. We present a scale development plus two additional studies-employing an experience sampling methodology to capture data from both employees over time and their customers-that, in combination, conceptualize and empirically demonstrate the importance of shift climate. The results show that this new construct explains variance beyond previous service-related variables for critical outcomes, including customer loyalty intentions and employee in-role, extra-role, and helping behaviors. Premised on social baseline theory, our model also illustrates the moderating role of perceived shift mood on shift climate’s relationship to relevant outcomes and the importance of shift risk management. We present a future research agenda that integrates shift climate into existing service research streams and outlines additional aspects of shift variance that deserve further exploration.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11747-025-01132-2 [Google]
Peasley, M. C., C. Bauer, B. Hochstein, D. G. Bachrach and A. Patil (2026): Inside the call: How customer service agent warmth and competence shape customer reactions, JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF MARKETING SCIENCE, (), pp.
Despite the growing prevalence of online and AI-driven service encounters, customers still overwhelmingly prefer to speak to a human customer service agent (CSA) to resolve problems. For instance, 86% of U.S. customers surveyed (aged 25 +) prefer phone-based service over other options. However, scholarly research has largely overlooked dynamic voice-to-voice interactions due to the methodological challenges of “seeing inside a live voice-based call.” As such, prior studies have predominantly focused on in-person or text-based service interactions. We address this gap across two complementary studies-leveraging a large company data set that includes over 28,000 CSA-customer calls from a major US insurance provider and a customer experiment that focuses on an insurance service encounter. Grounded in a conceptual framework based on service adaptiveness, our research examines the interplay between issue severity, CSA tactics (warmth and competence), in-call customer frustration, and post-call outcomes within live and simulated calls. The findings reveal that under varying conditions of severity, some of the tactics that agents are trained to use can inadvertently increase customer frustration. By integrating live field data with experimental insights, our research offers valuable contributions that provide feedback on in-call and post-call outcomes relevant to a firm’s overall performance.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11747-026-01144-6 [Google]
Hsu, Y. M. (2026): From Capability to Care: Sense-Breaking, Sense-Giving, and Strategic Flexibility as Drivers of Ethical, Autonomy-Preserving AI Personalization, PSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, 43(6), pp.1418–1431
AI-driven personalization now structures search, recommendation, pricing, and service across the consumer journey, heightening a core dilemma: maximizing relevance and efficiency without compromising autonomy and trust. This article advances a capability-based account of responsible personalization. I theorize that technology sense-breaking (challenging legacy assumptions) and sense-giving (constructing shared meanings) foster strategic flexibility, which, in turn, enables two outcomes: (a) product/process innovation performance and (b) consumer-facing safeguards that calibrate trust-transparent AI disclosure, adjustable recommendation intensity, and human-override/redress mechanisms. I further argue that transformational leadership amplifies the translation of sensemaking into flexibility, steering reconfiguration toward “engagement without coercion.” A firm-level, multi-respondent survey of Taiwan-based organizations adopting AI/Web3 in marketing and service contexts is used to test a moderated-mediation model with validated multi-item measures and PLS-SEM, alongside power checks, CMV diagnostics, and robustness analyses. By endogenizing UX governance within organizational capabilities and leadership, the study links internal reconfiguration to external consumer dignity, specifying when firms are most likely to implement autonomy-preserving designs. The contribution is a precise, operational blueprint for aligning market performance with ethical experience through capability formation and trust calibration
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mar.70118 [Google]
Kushwaha, P. S. and M. K. Kamila (2026): Chatbots in Airlines: Are They Really Assisting?, PSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, 43(6), pp.1459–1471
This study investigates how value co-destruction processes in airline chatbot interactions contribute to customer dissatisfaction, despite airlines’ increasing implementation of these technologies. The study employs a dual-method approach to analyze 6800 records, comprising 1500 user-generated reviews and 5300 texts, and identifies recurring concerns. The results indicate that four predominant themes emerge: poor service quality, inadequate technology, lack of empathy, and unreliable information support. These findings inform the Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Value Disconfirmation Model, which integrates Expectation Confirmation Theory, Service-Dominant Logic, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and Behavioral Reasoning Theory to explain how algorithmic opacity, emotional deficits, and interaction rigidity drive customer dissatisfaction. Theoretically, the Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Value Disconfirmation Model contributes to understanding airline-specific paradoxes in Artificial Intelligence-human complementarity. Practically, the study proposes three design principles: Emotion Alignment, Human Escalation, and Context Continuity, to design robust, emotion-aware chatbots that lead to higher customer satisfaction and faster issue resolution.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mar.70121 [Google]
Bang, X. and F. Schweitzer (2026): The role of digital and interpersonal touchpoints as drivers of future customer engagement intention in B2B service firms, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 134(), pp.363–380
We study how digital and interpersonal touchpoints interact to shape customer experience and drive future customer engagement as a business outcome in B2B professional services firms. Customer experience emerges from touchpoints within a broader context, ultimately influencing customer value judgments. However, customer experience managers often struggle to link customer experience investments to business outcomes, particularly in B2B professional services, where long sales cycles and complex offerings make direct return-on-investment measurements challenging. Gathering and analysing data of 196 customers of a global financial services firm as well as a calibration study of 80 customers of the same firm, we show that digital and interpersonal touchpoints positively influence future customer engagement intention in the form of lifetime, influence, and knowledge value. Moreover, we find digital activity level to moderate this relationship. These findings underline the importance of professional digital and interpersonal touchpoint management to driving future engagement.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.03.013 [Google]
Jenkins, M. R., P. W. Fombelle and M. Steffel (2026): Are Apologies Always the Best Policy? Apologies for Service Failures Backfire When Consumers Are Not Aware of the Failure, JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, (), pp.
Technological advancements enable firms to anticipate service failures and apologize to consumers more effectively than ever. However, are apologies always the best policy? Five experiments, including a large-scale field experiment, demonstrate that apologies backfire when consumers are not aware of the failure. Apologies decrease consumer satisfaction, trust, recommendation intentions, and repatronage behavior. This is because apologies increase awareness that a failure occurred. Accordingly, apologies backfire for both mild and severe failures so long as there is room to increase awareness of the failure. Moreover, apologies backfire more than notifications about a service failure because although both increase awareness of the aspect of the service experience that was a failure, apologies uniquely increase awareness that this constituted a failure. Beyond increasing awareness, apologies backfire by decreasing perceived service quality and competence. However, apologies also increase perceived warmth and honesty. Consequently, apologizing can be beneficial when consumers are already aware of a failure because apologies are less likely to backfire and more likely to enhance positive perceptions of the firm. These findings challenge the conventional wisdom that apologies are always the best policy when something goes wrong and provide insight into when and when not to apologize.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaf064 [Google]
Chen, Y. Q., X. M. Yu, Y. N. Xie, Z. T. Huang, H. Y. Xie and H. K. Lou (2026): Monthly plans over lifetime access: how privacy concerns shape subscription preference, MARKETING LETTERS, 37(1), pp.
As people grow more concerned about data privacy, they have become more hesitant to commit to long-term relationships with digital platforms. However, we know little about how these concerns affect their responses to everyday pricing options. Across seven experiments (four preregistered), we show that heightened privacy concern increases preference for subscriptions over lifetime access because it reduces temporal commitment to service providers. This effect weakens when subscriptions require longer commitment. These findings uncover a novel relational consequence of privacy concern, expanding the understanding of privacy spillover effects and offering actionable insights for firms navigating pricing strategy in an increasingly privacy-sensitive marketplace.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11002-026-09814-9 [Google]
Li, S. B., X. Huang, L. Wang, Y. W. Jiang and X. Luo (2026): EXPLORING ONLINE HELP-SEEKING TENDENCIES: THE INFLUENCE OF EXPERIENCE TYPE AND HELP PROVIDER TYPE, MIS QUARTERLY, 50(1), pp.327–350
Businesses are increasingly providing online assistance through help features to enhance the user experience in the digital era. Understanding factors influencing users’ tendencies to seek online help is crucial for optimizing resources and improving support and the overall user experience. Drawing on utilitarian-and hedonic-motivation systems theory, this paper examines how the type of experience and the type of help provider impact users’ online help-seeking behavior. Across three studies-including secondary data analysis, an online experiment, and an observational study of actual user behavior-we found that users are more (vs. less) inclined to seek help when encountering difficulties in utilitarian (vs. hedonic) experiences. This pattern was driven by users’ greater focus on achieving specific outcomes in utilitarian contexts, in contrast to their emphasis on experiential enjoyment in hedonic contexts. Importantly, users showed a stronger preference for seeking assistance from human agents over service robots when facing challenges in utilitarian experiences. Nevertheless, during hedonic experiences, no notable difference between humans and robots emerged in users’ inclination to seek help. These findings highlight the importance of considering the type of experience and the type of help provider when planning online support services, contributing valuable insights to the literature on hedonic vs. utilitarian motivation systems, users’ online help-seeking behavior, and user experience.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2025/19133 [Google]
Ponsignon, F., M.-J. C. Brisson, S. Paixão-Barradas, C. Grenier and C. I. Bagnis (2026): Designing the Healthcare System for the Fulfilment of Patient Goals: A Patient-Centric Exploration in the Home Dialysis Context, The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 41(1), pp.171–181
ABSTRACT This study investigates patients’ goal-oriented experiences in the context of home dialysis for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim is to understand how the home care context can be designed to support chronic patients in achieving their goals. Drawing on goal-oriented experience theory, we explore how patients’ motivations, desired outcomes, and lived experiences shape their perceptions of home health care. To do so, we employed a co-design-based qualitative methodology, including postal kits, photo diaries, ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews, and participatory workshops with 22 stakeholders (patients, healthcare professionals, and caregivers) in public and private healthcare institutions in France. Seven key design features vital to patient experience and goal fulfilment were identified: patient participation, social support, training, food quality, home layout, interactions with medical staff, and consumable supply. These features enhance the cognitive (control and expertise), emotional (safety and comfort), and physical (fitness) dimensions of patient well-being. Patients’ main goals were survival, freedom, mobility, and maintaining normalcy in life. This study contributes to the literature on healthcare design and the patient journey by emphasizing goal-oriented care and demonstrating how experiential knowledge and higher-order goals can inform system design beyond conventional ?goals of care.? Healthcare systems should integrate patient-defined goals into service design to promote autonomy and quality of life. Involving multiple stakeholders can foster deeper insights and more effective, user-centric care models. This research pioneers a patient-centric, goal-oriented design framework in home healthcare, emphasizing the value of co-design methods.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.70042 [Google]
Libai, B., E. Muller and V. Schoenmueller (2026): The effects of churn on the growth of subscription services: Adopters, users, money, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN MARKETING, 43(1), pp.92–112
Subscription-based service model, where profitability arises from sustained service relationships with consumers, has emerged as the dominant business paradigm across various industries. A notable characteristic of the growth in service markets is the indirect relationship between adoption and monetization. While adoption marks the initial stage of user engagement, monetization occurs gradually as users integrate the service into their routines over time. Consequently, the focus has shifted away from emphasizing adoption rates to prioritizing the total number of users. The difference between adopters and users is due to the fact that not all users integrate the service to their routine and some (or many) of them churn away from the service. The growth of adopters and users, and the ensuing monetary growth, are highly affected by churn, hence the critical issue we investigate in this paper is the valence and size effect of churn on adopters, users and revenues of the firm. We build on the service modeling approach of Libai, Muller, and Peres (2009) to first explore the impact of churn on dynamics of growth for new subscription services. We explain how churn affects key interest topics, such as the size and time to peak for adopters and users, the market potential of those who have not adopted yet, adopter categories, and conversion of users to money. We hope this work can motivate further explorations of this critical area for new product research in marketing. (c) 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2025.03.005 [Google]
Black, N. A., E. Kaur, M. Mariam and C. M. Barnes (2026): Social Support and Employee Mental Health: A Meta-Synthesis and Theoretical Framework, JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, (), pp.
Social support is widely promoted as a key organizational response to employee mental health challenges, yet management research has often overlooked how different sources of support-such as coworkers, line managers, senior leadership, and professional service providers-vary in their effects on employee recovery. This oversight is especially consequential for employees managing common, diagnosable mental health conditions for whom recovery depends on changes in maladaptive cognitive and behavioral processes that are frequently activated in work contexts. To address this limitation, we conducted an interdisciplinary meta-synthesis of 96 review articles spanning management, clinical psychology, psychiatry, and occupational health. Anchored in Beck and Haigh’s Generic Cognitive Model, we develop the Integrated Work Support Model (IWSM), which explains how distinct sources of social support influence activating work situations, maladaptive beliefs, and maladaptive behaviors over time for employees with common mental health conditions. Our synthesis distinguishes the roles of primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions, clarifying when organizational actors can mitigate triggering work conditions, when clinical expertise from professional service providers is required to directly change maladaptive processes, and how social support from actors internal to the organization can enhance-but not substitute for-therapeutic intervention. By integrating clinical theory with management scholarship, this review advances a process-based understanding of social support, specifies role-differentiated responsibilities for organizational actors and professional service providers, and offers actionable guidance for designing social support systems that promote recovery while avoiding unintended harm.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/01492063261433560 [Google]
Arcila Perdomo, D. C., F. Ponsignon and J. Passebois-Ducros (2026): Designing for memorable experiences in cultural tourism: a process model from managerial perspectives, Journal of Marketing Management, (), pp.1–41
Memorable experiences are central to cultural tourism, yet little is known about how managers intentionally design encounters that endure beyond the visit. This study investigates how managers design for memorable experiences in museum and wine tourism settings. Drawing on a well-established model of human memory, we examine how design decisions support the memory processes of attention, encoding, and retrieval. Using a multiple-case approach, 21 interviews across 12 institutions were analysed thematically using Gioia?s method. Findings reveal how physical, social, and content elements are strategically orchestrated to capture attention, evoke emotional engagement, and reinforce recall. Integrating cognitive psychology with service design, we propose a process model that advances experience design theory and offers actionable guidance for cultural tourism practitioners seeking deeper, longer-lasting visitor experiences.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2026.2619055 [Google]
Durrieu, F., F. Ponsignon, D. A. Jaud and P. T. Lorey (2026): Designing for Co-created, memorable experiences in sustainable wine tourism: The moderating roles of eco-certification confusion and offering type, Tourism Management Perspectives, 61(), pp.101443
This article examines how and when design characteristics (relational authenticity and visitor participation) influence word-of-mouth recommendations by co-creating memorable experiences in sustainable wine tourism. It also investigates the moderating effects of (1) visitor confusion about ecological certifications and (2) the type of wine tourism offering. Drawing on the S-O-R framework, we developed and tested six hypotheses using field survey data collected at three sustainability-oriented wine tourism sites offering distinct experiences. We found that experience memorability mediates the relationship between design characteristics and visitor recommendations. Moreover, eco-certification confusion and offering type partially moderate the effects of design characteristics on memorability. This study contributes to wine tourism research by: (1) identifying key design characteristics that enable the co-creation of a memorable experience and drive positive word-of-mouth; (2) demonstrating that eco-certification confusion amplifies the impact of relational authenticity on memorability; and (3) suggesting that different offerings require different design choices.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2025.101443 [Google]
Keränen, J., A. Salonen, H. Terho and J. Munnukka (2026): How to nudge industrial customers to accept free-to-fee service price switches?, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 134(), pp.186–197
Capturing value from service provision is a persistent challenge for many firms. Sometimes, business-to-business (B2B) suppliers offer services for free to increase customer adoption at the early stages of servitization or to boost product sales. If customers initially receive services for free, managing the switch from free-to-fee at later stages is difficult. To address this managerial challenge, we examine how sellers of digital industrial services can use behavioral nudges to increase customer acceptance of a free-to-fee price switch. Using a scenario-based experiment with 386 industrial buyers, we test the effects of three choice architectures-motive justification, social influence-focused information provision, and loss versus gain framing-on customer willingness to switch. Our findings indicate that these nudges increase acceptance, but their effects range from small to medium and occur only among attentive audiences. The study contributes to both theory and practice by demonstrating that cognitive biases and decision-making heuristics play a role in B2B service pricing. Although nudges should not be viewed as a universal solution for behavioral change, their simplicity and low implementation costs make them a practical tool for managers. We encourage future research to critically examine the boundary conditions that influence nudge effectiveness across diverse B2B decision-making situations.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.008 [Google]
Mahimkar, A., J. Hadjimarcou and E. Ramirez (2026): Navigating role conflict: Implications for service sabotage in customer success management, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 134(), pp.159–171
Drawing on the self-determination, conservation of resources, and self-regulation theories, this research examines the impact of role conflict faced by customer success managers (CSMs) in regard to service sabotage through a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Results from testing a moderated mediation model provide support for the relationship between this role-stressor and service sabotage, the mediating effects of job dissatisfaction on this relationship, and the moderating effects of the respondent’s emotional intelligence on the mediated relationship. As such, business-to-business (B2B) suppliers should develop strategies to mitigate role conflict faced by CSMs by aligning internal teams to prevent excessive task delegation to CSMs, promoting open communication that could encourage discussions regarding role-related issues, and a potential restructuring of the hiring process. These actions could engender a stress-free work environment that helps companies champion customer success and catalyze a resounding positive impact on the company’s financial performance.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.03.001 [Google]
Mangus, S. M., V. L. Thomas and D. E. Bock (2026): In the eye of the beholder: A systematic review of the literature on customers’ perceptions of salesperson appearance, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 134(), pp.10–26
For salespeople, first impressions are crucial, as customers often draw inferences from these impressions, which can impact both the salesperson’s compensation and the firm’s performance. Salesperson appearance – observable or physically verifiable characteristics – is a key component of making a good first impression. Based on a systematic literature review of 59 articles (16 B2B-focused and 43 B2C-focused), the current research examines the extant salesperson appearance literature. It identifies four emergent themes applicable to B2B sales: (1) Gender matters, in some cases, (2) Race and age – biases exist, (3) Looks can sell in the moment, but perhaps not in the long run, and (4) Dressing for the decision maker. Building on the findings, the authors formulate research questions related to the emergent themes and identify several areas requiring further investigation to better understand the impact of customer perceptions in B2B and B2C sales relationships. The paper concludes by highlighting important theoretical contributions and actionable insights for managers.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.02.007 [Google]
Schroeder, C. S., S. Volpers, C. R. Plouffe and B. Hochstein (2026): Unpacking the exchange dynamics between strategic frontline employees and the internal business team, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 134(), pp.143–158
Strategic frontline employees (SFLEs) rely heavily on the internal business team (IBT) in co-creating customer value, yet the mechanisms and conditions that shape internal service exchanges between these groups remain underexplored. What limited research exists on the IBT tends to treat it as a “monolithic” group, offering few specifics on how diverse actors influence customer and performance outcomes given the critical internal tasks and roles they perform. Drawing on 47 interviews across 12 firms in B2B and B2C contexts, this study makes three contributions. First, the IBT is reconceptualized as a fluid, task-contingent ecosystem in which membership and SFLE involvement are determined by specific customer tasks across the buying journey. Second, we develop an SFLE-IBT exchange framework based on a recurring input-mediator-output-input process model, activated by reactive and proactive stimuli. Third, we identify drivers and constraints of SFLE-IBT exchange efficiency that span individual and institutional conditions. This advances our understanding of SFLE-IBT exchanges while offering actionable guidance on managing the firm’s complex intraorganizational environment.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.03.002 [Google]
Shanka, M. S. (2026): Effect of dynamic marketing capabilities on new market development and sales growth: The roles of structural inertia and environmental dynamism, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 134(), pp.134–142
Although prior research has recognized the value of dynamic marketing capabilities in enhancing market performance, limited empirical evidence exists on the contextual conditions under which they are most effective. This study addresses this gap by examining how and when dynamic marketing capabilities contribute to new market development and sales growth. Drawing on dynamic capabilities theory, the research investigates both the direct effects of dynamic marketing capabilities and the moderating roles of structural inertia and environmental dynamism. We employ a multistudy design using two independent samples of B2B firms. Study 1 draws on logistics service providers across East Africa countries, whereas study 2 examines commodity supplier firms operating in Ethiopia. Across both studies, dynamic marketing capabilities positively influence new market development and sales growth. These relationships are contingent on structural inertia and environmental dynamism: firms with lower structural inertia and those operating in more dynamic environments leverage dynamic marketing capabilities more effectively. Overall, the findings clarify the contingent mechanisms through which dynamic marketing capabilities enhance firm marketing performance.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.02.014 [Google]
Spadafora, M. and M. Rapaccini (2026): Strategic transformation of the sales function in servitization: A multi-level configurational view, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 134(), pp.280–296
This study explores how manufacturing firms reshape their sales function in their shift to a service business (servitization). Drawing on polar-type case studies at different stages of servitization, this research analyses how the sales of base and advanced services differ in terms of organisational structures, roles and responsibilities of sales teams, processes and tools, and knowledge and skills. The research reveals that standardised approaches and centralised governance often constrain the evolution of advanced services sales. We argue that modularity can also hinder the strategic development of sales functions in early-stage servitization. In contrast, it drives legitimation of professional sales teams in more mature contexts. Moreover, digital tools that support the selling of base and advanced services can differ significantly, with the latter benefiting from a more sophisticated portfolio of information systems and technologies such as simulators and configurators, while the former remain anchored to legacy tools supporting the sales of product business. The paper contributes to the servitization and industrial marketing literature by offering a multilevel view of the transformation of sales functions in connection with servitization, highlighting the interplay between standardisation, autonomy, modularity, and digitisation as impediments or enablers for the sale of advanced services.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.03.012 [Google]
De Vos, S., B. Qesja, G. Lipnickas and J. Harris (2026): Applying an experiential lens to the strength-based approach for students living with disabilities: Insights from online higher education professionals, JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH, 210(), pp.
There is a significant research gap of customers experiencing vulnerability within service settings such as higher education (HE). This research examines how the strength-based approach can be utilized in an educational context using the Experience Territory Matrix (ETM). By adopting an observer perspective of customer vulnerability, this study focuses on the re-enchantment (characterized by high student-customer orientation and high respect) of educational experiences for students with disabilities (SWDs), capturing the perspectives of online HE professionals. This research utilizes an explanatory sequential mixed-method study design. High studentcustomer orientation and high respect embody the strength-based approach in online education for SWDs, leading to a significantly positive impact on inclusivity, institutional and degree commitments, and support service satisfaction, as perceived by HE professionals. The findings also support the sequential mediation effect of respect and inclusive educational actions and processes on service outcomes and uncover relationship quality as a conduit of respect.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116165 [Google]
Dodds, S. and N. Palakshappa (2026): Strengths-based sustainable service ecosystems: Understanding disability services, JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH, 211(), pp.
The purpose of this study is to explore sustainable service ecosystems in a community service context. Underpinned by a strengths-based approach, sustainability, and service ecosystems, this research examines the case of Whirikoha, an organization devoted to transforming the lives of people living with an intellectual disability. Findings reveal that the community service provider plays a key role in creating a strengths-based sustainable service ecosystem grounded in a central intent related to building strengths and ensuring wellbeing for both focal and key actors, through resilience, connections, support, and collective responsibility. Whirikoha’s ecosystem also relies on shared vision and values, shared guardianship of people (actors) and planet (natural environment), and collaboration. This is achieved by mitigating risk, managing resources, and creating alignment. A strengthsbased sustainable service ecosystems framework provides a platform for future research with service organizations working in similar spaces.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116189 [Google]
Itani, O. S., N. N. Chaker, M. A. Aman, K. K. A. Bakeshloo and S. El Hajjar (2026): The paradox of ambidexterity: marketing and service-sales in the spotlight, JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH, 208(), pp.
While firms increasingly strive for ambidexterity in their marketing, service, and sales, most research considers the notions of firm marketing ambidexterity and strategic service-sales ambidexterity in isolation. There is also limited research that connects firm marketing ambidexterity and strategic service-sales ambidexterity at the corporate level. Accordingly, we adopt a top-management perspective to gain a deeper understanding of ambidexterity capabilities, contingencies, and outcomes. Through the lens of Organizational Learning Theory, we identify firm marketing ambidexterity as a critical driver of strategic service-sales ambidexterity. We also advance two contingency factors-customer demandingness and marketing function status-that govern this relationship. Using survey data from 190 upper managers and executives, the results indicate that firms should strive for excellence (high levels) in marketing exploitation and exploration to achieve strategic service-sales ambidexterity, suggesting that achieving ambidexterity is not as straightforward as theory suggests. Instead, it depends on the level of customer demandingness and the status of the marketing function in a firm. Furthermore, the results indicate that strategic service-sales ambidexterity enhances firm performance. These findings offer implications for practitioners and scholars.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116069 [Google]
Lee, D. C., J. Kim, J. Jhang, J. Park, A. Cho and J. Lee (2026): When size doesn’t matter: The impact of unexpected surcharges on consumer reactions, JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH, 208(), pp.
Service firms increasingly use surcharges on complimentary items, yet little is known about how consumers respond to these charges. Across five studies in the restaurant context, we show that even nominal surcharges elicit negative consumer responses. Specifically, adding surcharges to complimentary items lowers engagement with advertisements. Furthermore, even a one-cent surcharge reduces perceived fairness and revisit intention. These effects arise because such surcharges violate communal norms, a type of relationship norm emphasizing genuine concern for others and acts of goodwill. By contrast, the negative effect disappears when exchange norms are activated, while it persists under communal norm activation. Together, these findings advance research on consumer responses to small surcharges on complimentary items and offer practical guidance on how service firms can communicate surcharges to mitigate negative reactions.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116046 [Google]
Leocadio, P., C. Kelleher, E. Fernández and C. P. Hawkes (2026): Better together: mitigating consumer vulnerability risk in healthcare systems through strengthening consumer co-production capacity☆, JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH, 211(), pp.
Service scholars tacitly assume that healthcare consumers, professionals, and researchers possess the requisite capacities and resources for service co-production with healthcare organizations. However, conflicting epistemes may increase experiences of vulnerability during co-production. Our paper aims to explore how healthcare organizations can enable and sustain meaningful consumer involvement in healthcare co-production to deliver transformative outcomes. Our participatory research with young people with type 1 diabetes and family members identified key practices (i.e., constructing, connecting, and co-learning) that support meaningful involvement of consumers in healthcare co-production. We introduce strengthening consumer co-production capacity as a means of mitigating risk of vulnerability and advancing epistemic justice in co-production. We demonstrate that healthcare organizations can and should prioritize continuous strengthening of consumers’ co-production capacity, acknowledge and respect differentiated expertise and perspectives, and foster mutual respect to maximize and sustain co-production partnerships.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116216 [Google]
Lin-Schilstra, L., M. Y. He and W. J. Cai (2026): Cultivating a responsible dining mindset: Pro-environmental voice behavior by frontline service employees in restaurants, JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH, 207(), pp.
Restaurants play a crucial role in reducing food waste, with frontline employees influencing customers’ consumption behaviour. This study introduces and validates a novel construct, i.e., pro-environmental voice behaviour (PEVB), defined as frontline employees’ provision of environmentally conscious suggestions to customers that balance service quality with food waste reduction. Across four studies, we develop and validate the PEVB scale. Study 1 used 21 semi-structured interviews to generate initial items. Study 2, with 194 respondents, identified 12 items across three dimensions: routine voice, informative voice, and remedial voice. Study 3 employed a time-lagged design to examine antecedents of PEVB, showing that face value reduces PEVB through moral disengagement, while pro-environmental value was unrelated to PEVB via moral obligation. Study 4, using two independent samples, confirmed the factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity of the scale. Together, the findings provide a robust foundation for understanding and measuring employees’ pro-environmental voice in service contexts.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116032 [Google]
Zhang, Y. and Y. Yuan (2026): Chatbot failures in e-commerce after-sales service: mechanisms linking perceived corporate hypocrisy to third-party complaints, JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH, 212(), pp.
After-sales service is the fundamental obligation of e-commerce merchants to address post-purchase issues. Chatbot service failures undermine this responsibility, prompting third-party complaints. Using the stimulus-organism-response framework, a two-stage mixed-methods study revealed this phenomenon. A qualitative analysis of 3,149 third-party complaint cases using grounded theory procedures identified two categories of chatbot failures: competence deficits (e.g., irrelevant and untrustworthy responses) and benevolence deficits (e. g., lack of empathy and biased responses), alongside associated customer cognitive and emotional reactions. A subsequent quantitative analysis of 501 valid questionnaires established that competence deficits directly increased complaints, whereas both deficit categories drove complaints via perceived corporate hypocrisy and a chain of frustration and hypocrisy. The perceived availability of human recovery mitigated the negative influence of these failures on the two mediators. This study offers guidance to prevent chatbot misuse in e-commerce, improve AI-enabled after-sales service, and reduce third-party complaints.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116230 [Google]
