Purpose As the digital economy expands, examining Malaysians’ acceptance of digital financial services (DFS) becomes imperative. The intricacies of DFS necessitate that consumers possess both financial knowledge (FK) and digital financial literacy (DFL) to utilize DFS effectively. This study examines FK and DFL across demographics and their impact on DFS usage, aiming to bridge the gap between intended and actual adoption. Design/methodology/approach An online survey garnered 525 responses. Given that FK and DFL, DFS usage intention and actual usage were ordinally measured, ordered logistic regression was employed. Findings Age aside, socio-demographics similarly affect financial knowledge and digital financial literacy. FK strongly drives both intended and actual digital financial service (DFS) use. However, the impact of DFL varies: awareness and understanding are key for both intention and use, but digital financial risk control knowledge is vital for actual use. Digital skills mainly influence intended, not actual, DFS usage. Originality/value This research distinguishes between the impacts of FK and DFL on DFS adoption. Moreover, the study decomposes digital financial literacy into three fundamental components, yielding valuable insights for targeting specific knowledge domains to enhance DFS implementation.

Purpose This study examines the impact of structural shocks and policy interventions on the India/US exchange rate post the 1991 economic reforms in India. The study aims to improve forecasting accuracy by incorporating macroeconomic and microeconomic factors into the analysis using the threshold regression model (TRM), a nonlinear approach to estimation. Design/methodology/approach Extending Dornbusch’s (1976) overshooting model, the study incorporates micro factors, such as investor behaviour, beliefs and preferences, alongside traditional macroeconomic variables. Additionally, it introduces a capital control variable to assess monetary policy interventions. Using quarterly data from 1996Q2 to 2019Q3, TRM identifies two distinct economic regimes, providing a comprehensive understanding of India’s exchange rate dynamics. Findings The study reveals that macro and micro factors have varying effects on the exchange rate across regimes, reflecting India’s different economic conditions and policies. Furthermore, the TRM-based model achieves superior out-of-sample forecasting accuracy compared to the random walk model across all forecast horizons. Originality/value Unlike prior studies, where not all variables were deemed significant, our analysis demonstrates that all factors significantly influence the exchange rate. The innovative use of TRM deepens understanding of exchange rate behaviour, particularly in response to structural shocks and policy shifts. By identifying distinct economic regimes, the model offers insights into targeted policy measures tailored to India’s economic conditions, a previously unexplored perspective.

Purpose Mobile location-based service (m-LBS) seems like a new class of personalized service due to location positioning technologies. This work aims to investigate consumer readiness (RED) toward m-LBS based on integrating pull effect- and push effect-related factors into the technology acceptance model (TAM). Design/methodology/approach An online survey collected data from 423 participants, and the research framework was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings The results divulge that consumer RED is determined by TAM antecedents, including usefulness (USE) and ease of use (EOU). EOU motivates USE in m-LBS. Regarding pull effect-related factors, absorptive capacity (ABC) is the strongest positive factor influencing consumer RED to use m-LBS, followed by technology willingness (TWI) and innovativeness (INN). Moreover, INN, trust (TRU) and perceived risk (RIS) significantly influence USE and EOU. Originality/value This work endeavors to explicate customer RED toward m-LBS by incorporating some meaningful pull effect-related dimensions (i.e. ABC, TWI and INN) and pushing effect-related dimensions (i.e. RIS) into crucial antecedents rooted in TAM. Thus, the findings assist practitioners in developing marketing strategies by boosting pull effects and controlling push effects on customer engagement in m-LBS.

Purpose The paper examines the increase in annual income of the new middle-class (The NMC) of Delhi-NCR and its impact on their investment habits, consumption habits and lifestyle. The paper aims to look into the transformation of the new middle-class into the NMC in emerging economies and its potential to the companies and investors. Design/methodology/approach This study draws insight from 558 new middle-class consumers in Delhi-NCR. ANOVA, post hoc tests , and hierarchical multiple linear regression model are applied to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The NMC living in India's megacities imitates the lifestyle of their counterparts living in the West. To maintain their status and present themselves different from those living in middle or lower-middle-class categories, they spend audaciously, even though the income is low. When they enter the new middle class, their consumption, saving and lifestyle diversify positively. Research limitations/implications This study has limitations. First, the authors do not apply any behavioral theory or marketing model such as the theory of reasoned action (TRA), Engel-kollat-Blackwell (EKB) model or theory of normative model of target markets. Second, the research is limited to the NMC of only one emerging economy, i.e., India. Third, the research sample is limited to only one megacity of India, i.e., Delhi. Finally, this research used only one factor, i.e., AI, to study the consumption pattern. Practical implications The results suggest that considering the buying habits and lifestyle of Indian the NMC, consumers would prove helpful to the companies in product decision-making. Furthermore, understanding change in investment habits across different income levels would be advantageous to financial institutions, investment planners and marketers while designing their products to attract investment. Originality/value The research holds significance from the point of view of understanding Indian consumers encompassing the the NMC and predicting their implications on consumer goods-producing industries, which shall, in turn, facilitate producers and government in formulating policies and strategies.

Purpose This paper analyses Hanoi consumers' evaluation of food risk and response to the perceived risk. Design/methodology/approach The authors employed the mixed method approach that integrates segmentation analysis on the survey data and information from group discussions. Findings Based on consumers' risk rating of six food groups and level of food safety worry, the authors identified four distinct consumer segments: low, moderate, high and very-high-risk perception. The authors found the existence of widespread food safety concerns among Hanoi consumers. Living in an urban region was associated with a higher level of food risk perception. Moderate, high and very-high-risk perception segments exhibited a very low level of institutional trust and subjective control over hazards. Response to the perceived risk differed across segments. “Very high-risk perception” was associated with the most risk-averse behaviour, putting more effort into seeking food safety information and engaging more in supermarket purchase. Consumers with a low and moderate perceived food risk participate more in self-supply of food to reduce their food safety concern. Practical implications The paper provides empirical evidence on consumers' evaluation of food risk and their risk-reducing strategies to support the risk communication in Vietnam. Social implications Enhancing institutional trust and risk communication including hazard education can improve consumer confidence in food. Originality/value This is the first segmentation study on consumer food risk perception in Vietnam.