Phygital Science and the Future of Macromarketing: The Human First Phygital Value (HFPV) Framework for Integrated Physical-Digital Ecosystems

Abstract

This article advances macromarketing by introducing phygital science as a foundational paradigm for understanding integrated physical-digital ecosystems and by proposing the Human First Phygital Value (HFPV) framework as its core theoretical architecture. As physical and digital markets fuse into integrated sociotechnical ecosystems, prevailing digital transformation models; rooted in technocentric and efficiency-driven logics; are no longer adequate for explaining how value, well-being, and justice emerge in blended contexts. HFPV reframes phygital markets as dynamic systems shaped by human needs, institutional governance, cultural meaning, and technological affordances, and conceptualizes value as “poly-created” through continuous human-technology-context entanglement. The framework delineates the inputs, processes, outcomes, and systemic feedback loops that structure societal value in integrated physical-digital ecosystems, offering macromarketing a comprehensive lens for analyzing human flourishing, institutional trust, resilience, and equity at scale. By articulating a human-first orientation for phygital market design and governance, this article establishes the conceptual groundwork for a new research agenda focused on ethical AI, organizational redesign, sustainability, and cross-cultural variation in phygital well-being.