This study investigates how digital transformation influences visitor satisfaction at 12 World Heritage Sites (WHS) across eight coastal provinces in Eastern and Southern China. Utilizing 402 valid survey responses, it explores the impact of demographic factors—education, age, and income—on visitors’ perceptions of digital services, particularly focusing on usability, quality, and overall experience. The findings reveal that younger, higher-income, and STEM-educated visitors express significantly higher satisfaction with digital services, while older, lower-income visitors report lower levels of engagement and satisfaction. This research highlights the need for tailored digital strategies that cater to diverse demographic groups, ensuring the balance between technological innovation and the preservation of cultural authenticity at heritage sites. The originality of this study lies in its focus on non-Western contexts, particularly China’s rapidly developing coastal regions, which have been largely overlooked in the global discourse on digital tourism. By applying established theoretical frameworks—such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT)—to a non-Western setting, this research fills a crucial gap in the literature. The insights provided offer actionable recommendations for heritage site managers to enhance visitor engagement, adapt digital services to demographic variations, and promote sustainable tourism development.

QR code transforms the way retailers offer their shopping experiences in the current context. In response, various retailers adopted innovative approaches such as QR code-based applications to attract their consumers. A QR code-based virtual supermarket refers to a space where goods or services are traded in a virtual space using a smart app-based QR code. To fully understand the opportunities of this type of supermarket applying QR-code technology, initial research is required to assess consumers’ use intention. This study has examined the antecedents of the adoption of QR code-based virtual supermarket among Vietnam consumers using the expanded Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and explored the moderating effect of perceived risk on the relationship between attitude and consumers’ intention to use QR code-based virtual supermarket. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 335 consumers in Vietnam. The findings revealed that the antecedents are effective in predicting consumers’ attitudes and intentions toward QR code-based virtual supermarket adoption. The results showed the negative moderation effects of perceived risk for the effect of attitude on consumers intention. In addition, practical implications are supported for the application of new shopping technology and are likely to stimulate further research in the area of virtual supermarket shopping.

Local community members play a critical role in the success of conservation projects, which in turn have the potential to influence the perceptions of local people. Relationships matter when it comes to sustainable long-term conservation and community well-being. The study aims to establish the relationship between local communities and wildlife conservation organizations in the context of Phinda Private Game Reserve and the Mnqobokazi community, located in South Africa. Data was collected using the qualitative methods of interviews and focus group discussions. The findings show that a symbiotic relationship between conservation organizations and local community members is critical in conserving the environment. The research indicates that both participation and benefits result in improved perceptions towards the protected area and a strong positive relationship. The accrual of benefits also appears to result in pro-environmental consciousness amongst community members. Several existing studies examine participation or benefit-sharing in community-based tourism in developing nations. However, less is known about the relationships between local communities and conservation organizations and the effect of participation and beneficiation on these relationships. This research narrows this gap in the body of knowledge by qualitatively examining a single case study. The findings add value to global collaborative efforts aimed at achieving positive relationships between communities and conservation management.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally transformed the global education landscape, compelling institutions to adopt e-learning as an essential tool to sustain academic activities. This research examines the critical impact of e-learning on arts and science college students in Coimbatore, with an emphasis on its influence on their readiness for campus recruitment. Using a survey of 300 students, this study investigates their perceptions of online education, highlighting both its advantages, such as flexibility and accessibility, and its challenges, including engagement barriers and technical limitations. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using statistical methods to draw meaningful insights. The research also explores the efficacy of online assessments in recruitment processes and assesses students’ awareness of available e-learning platforms and courses. The urgency of this study lies in addressing the pressing need to optimize digital education models as institutions globally transition toward blended learning post-pandemic. The findings underline the dual potential and limitations of e-learning, concluding with actionable recommendations to enhance its effectiveness, particularly in preparing students for competitive employment opportunities.

In the era of artificial intelligence, smart clothing, as a product of the interaction between fashion clothing and intelligent technology, has increasingly attracted the attention and affection of enterprises and consumers. However, to date, there is a lack of focus on the demand of silver-haired population’s consumers for smart clothing. To adapt to the rapidly aging modern society, this paper explores the influencing factors of silver-haired population’s demand for smart clothing and proposes a corresponding consumer-consumption-need theoretical model (CCNTM) to further promote the development of the smart clothing industry. Based on literature and theoretical research, using the technology acceptance model (TAM) and functional-expressive-aesthetic consumer needs model (FEAM) as the foundation, and introducing interactivity and risk perception as new external variables, a consumer-consumption-need theoretical model containing nine variables including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, functionality, expressiveness, aesthetics, interactivity, risk perception, purchase attitude, and purchase intention was constructed. A questionnaire survey was conducted among the Chinese silver-haired population aged 55–65 using the Questionnaire Star platform, with a total of 560 questionnaires issued. The results show that the functionality, expressiveness, interactivity, and perceived ease of use of smart clothing significantly positively affect perceived usefulness (P < 0.01); perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, aesthetics, and interactivity significantly positively affect the purchase attitude of the silver-haired population (P < 0.01); perceived usefulness, aesthetics, interactivity, and purchase attitude significantly positively affect the purchase intention of the silver-haired population (P < 0.01); functionality and expressiveness significantly positively affect perceived ease of use (P < 0.01); risk perception significantly negatively affects purchase attitude (P < 0.01). Through the construction and empirical study of the smart clothing consumer-consumption-need theoretical model, this paper hopes to stimulate the purchasing behavior of silver-haired population’s consumers towards smart clothing and enable them to enjoy the benefits brought by scientific and technological advancements, which to live out their golden years in comfort, also, promote the rapid development of the smart clothing industry.

 Landscape architects, who guide planning and design decisions by understanding the socio-cultural expectations, functional needs, and social behaviors of the community, create ideal spaces for people by integrating natural, social, cultural, and aesthetic factors with a holistic design approach in urban public areas. Public open green spaces are important urban areas that have a positive impact on people’s physical, mental, and emotional health. In this context, the concept of personal space, its impact on individuals, and related perception studies have been examined. In landscape design, criteria that affect individuals’ personal space distances and personal space perceptions have been identified, providing a basis for sustainable landscape design projects in public open and green spaces.