Phygital Heuristics in Tourists’ Decision-Making in Motion

Abstract

Decision-making in motion has become increasingly prominent during travel. However, little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underlying tourists’ trip choices; both physical and digital cues and shortcuts (i.e., phygital heuristics) behind these processes are especially nebulous. Grounded in environmental psychology, we investigate the interactions among destination environments, decision tasks, and tourists’ cognitive processes when making decisions in motion. Results are based on real-world scenarios. Our findings shed light on the role of “ecological fit” in prompting adaptive and context-specific heuristics. We contribute to existing research by explicating how the sociophysical-biopsychological environment triggers and influences decision-making in motion, shedding light on the role of phygital heuristics in tourists’ actual behavior. Managerial implications are provided regarding marketing strategies and recommendation systems.

Keywords

decision-making in motion phygital heuristics decision task environmental psychology ecological rationality

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