Special Issue | UCJC Business and Society Review (formerly known as Universia Business Review)

Special Issue: Consumer Happiness and New Technologies: Emerging Perspectives and Research Challenges

UCJC Business & Society Review announces the call for papers for a Special Issue entitled “Consumer Happiness and New Technologies: Emerging Perspectives and Research Challenges”, which aims to deepen the analysis of how emerging technologies are transforming the consumer experience and consumer well-being, satisfaction, and happiness across different economic and social contexts.

In an environment characterized by the acceleration of digitalization, the development of artificial intelligence, and the expansion of extended realities, it is essential to examine the impact of these innovations on consumer perceptions, behavior, and well-being. This Special Issue seeks to become a leading academic forum for researchers interested in understanding the mechanisms, opportunities, and challenges that arise at the intersection of consumer happiness and new technologies.

This Special Issue will be presented at the X International Academic and Professional Congress on Happiness, which will be held in Esposende, Portugal, on 24 and 25 September 2026. In this context, editorial preference will be given to papers submitted to the congress and effectively presented there, with the aim of reinforcing thematic coherence, fostering academic exchange, and enhancing the international visibility of the selected contributions.

The main research lines include, among others:

• Consumer happiness and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Consumer happiness and Augmented Reality (AR)
• Consumer happiness and Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR)
• Consumer happiness and automation and humanoid robots
• Consumer happiness and digital platforms and apps
• Consumer happiness and big data and personalization
• Consumer happiness and social media
• Consumer happiness and the ethical, social, and sustainability implications of new technologies

The Special Issue is also open to papers that, from different theoretical and methodological approaches, address consumer happiness in the context of new technologies, provided that they make a relevant contribution to the advancement of knowledge in this field.

This Special Issue will be edited by the following Guest Editors, all of whom have recognized academic standing:

Prof. Pedro Cuesta-Valiño

pedro.cuesta@uah.es

He holds a PhD in Economics and Business (2002) and has been with the University of Alcalá (Spain) since 1996, where he is Full Professor of Marketing. He currently serves as Academic Director of ISDI University Center. His research focuses on market research and marketing strategies, consumer and organizational behaviour, retail management, corporate social responsibility, and happiness studies, including consumer happiness, happiness management and citizen well-being. His work also examines the impact of new technologies, tourism, and sport management on marketing and society. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications in international academic journals and has participated in more than 150 international conferences, frequently as a keynote speaker. His research impact is reflected in an h-index of 21 in Web of Science, 21 in Scopus, and 33 in Google Scholar. Professor Cuesta-Valiño is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising and Associate Editor of Humanities & Social Sciences Communications. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Consumer Studies, Journal of Happiness Studies, International Journal of Happiness and Development, ESIC Market, Retos-Revista de Ciencias de la Administración y Economía, Retos-Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación, Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais, Retos, International Review of Communication and Marketing Mix, and ADResearch ESIC International Journal of Communication Research. He is the founder of the International University Network of Happiness and Director of the research group Consumer Behaviour, Organizational, and Market Analytics.

Prof. Dr. Inés Küster

ines.kuster@uv.es

Prof. Dr Ines Küster is Professor in Marketing in the Department of Marketing - Fac. of Economics, University of Valencia, Spain. She got her PhD in Marketing from the University of Valencia in 1999. Her research attention has focused on the areas of strategic marketing, consumer behavior, tourism, eduaction, new technologies and sales. She has published articles in several refereed journals (i.e. JOUEC; Information&Management, JQR, European Journal of Innovation Management; Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing; Innovative Marketing; Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal; European Journal of Marketing; The Marketing Review, Marketing Intelligence and Planning; Journal of Global Marketing, Journal of Relationship Marketing; Annals of Tourism Research; Sex Roles; Equal Opportunites International, and other relevant Spanish and international journals). She is the author of diverse books and book chapters related to her investigation field. She has also presented papers at diverses conferences, as the European Marketing Conference, ICORIA or the Academy of Marketing Conference. She collaborates with several companies, helping them in marketing areas (recruiting salespeople, training sales managers, analysing commercial efforts, etc.).

Prof. Dr Natalia Vila

natalia.vila@uv.es

She is Professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing at the University of Valencia. Her research work has been published in TOURISM (i.e. Journal of Vacation Marketing, Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, Current Issues in Tourism; International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management; Tourism Economics); NEW TECHNOLOGIES (i.e. Information & Management, Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising); MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS (i.e. Management Decision; European Journal of Marketing; Marketing Intelligence and Planning; Total Quality Management & Business Excellence; Journal of Marketing Management; European Journal of Management-Business Economics), INTERNATIONAL MARKETING (i.e. International Marketing Review; Journal of Global Marketing); TEACHING MARKETING (i.e. Journal of Teaching in International Business, Multicultural Education; Interactive Learning Environments) FOODS (i.e. British Food Journal, Food Research International; Medicine and Social Sciences; Food Quality and Preference; Journal of Functional Foods;) and CONSUMER (Physiology and Behavior; Psychological Report; Journal of Consumer Marketing; Sex Roles)

• Dr. Pedro Cuesta Valiño, Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
• Dr. Inés Küster, Universitat de València (UV)
• Dr. Natalia Vila López, Universitat de València (UV)

The manuscript submission period will open on 1 October and close on 31 January. Accepted articles will be published in the journal’s second issue of 2027.

The journal invites the international academic community to contribute theoretical and empirical research that broadens understanding of the relationship between consumer happiness and new technologies, offering relevant implications for both academia and business and social practice.

Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively in English. However, for final acceptance and publication, authors will be required to provide the corresponding Spanish version, in accordance with the established editorial guidelines.