The 2026 International Conference on Consumption Studies (ICCS 2026), jointly organized by the Faculty of Business of City University of Macau (CityU) and the Business School of Xiangtan University, was held from 16 to 18 October at CityU’s Taipa Campus. Themed “New Consumption in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, the conference featured keynote speeches, a roundtable discussion, parallel sessions, poster presentations and research workshops. Participants explored how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping consumer behavior, business management and consumption economics, promoting academic exchange across disciplines and regions.
Prof. Jun Liu, Rector of CityU; Prof. Changgeng Liu, former Vice President of Xiangtan University; and Prof. José Alves, Dean of the Faculty of Business at CityU, attended and delivered opening remarks. The conference addressed emerging issues in AI and consumption research, examining the opportunities and challenges that technological advances bring to consumer experiences, market operations and public policy.
The two keynote sessions were chaired by Prof. José Paulo Afonso Esperança of CityU and Prof. Yong Zhan of Xiangtan University, respectively. Prof. Sandra Loureiro of Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon examined consumer–AI relationships in the age of the silent economy. Prof. Jano Jiménez Barreto of the University of La Laguna focused on the language used by AI chatbots and discussed shared control in interactions among consumers, brands and chatbots. Prof. Fernando Serra of Nove de Julho University shared research perspectives on AI and management.
Prof. Changgeng Liu of Xiangtan University delivered a keynote speech on Baumol’s cost disease and household consumption of services. Prof. Guanghua Wan of Nankai University discussed the design and evaluation of consumption subsidy schemes. Focusing on responsible consumption and production, Prof. Joseph M. Cheer of Western Sydney University examined the platformization of tourism and the geography of consumption in the age of AI. The six keynote speeches highlighted the breadth of consumption research, offering perspectives on consumer interactions, business management, service consumption, policy evaluation and sustainable tourism development.
The conference also featured a roundtable discussion and a series of parallel sessions covering intelligent recommendation and consumer decision-making, AI and consumer behavior, smart tourism and destination management, green development and economic policy, the digital economy and consumer behavior, AI and digital consumption, and digital platforms and intelligent governance. Participants shared research findings on AI recommendation transparency and consumer trust, generative AI and decision quality, digital cultural and tourism experiences, green consumption, and platform governance. They also explored the behavioral mechanisms underlying the use of new technologies and the implications for management.
To help early-career scholars and postgraduate students strengthen their research and academic writing skills, the conference held a “Meet the Journal Editors” session and pre-conference workshops, chaired by Assistant Professor Jing Zhao of CityU FOB. Dr. Jiankun Gong, Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya, shared advice on writing for and submitting to international journals. Prof. Yong Zhan of Xiangtan University discussed the selection of research topics. Prof. Yuli Yu of Zhuhai College of Science and Technology addressed the development of research on AI-enabled new consumption settings and the criteria used by journals to assess such research. In the workshops, Assistant Professor Li Liu of CityU FOB introduced a field experiment on how augmented reality can promote green consumption, while Assistant Professor Lingyu Lin of CityU FOB explored frontiers in marketing research, from augmented reality to AI. The workshops provided opportunities for participants to exchange ideas on research design and the application of research methods.
The conference also presented Outstanding Paper Awards. The winning papers covered the circular economy, the expansion of cultural products into overseas markets, digital innovation in intangible cultural heritage, and urban consumption, reflecting the diverse perspectives within consumption research. At the closing ceremony, Feiwen Chen, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Business School at Xiangtan University, and Prof. Yihui Tian, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Business at CityU, jointly presented the awards to the recipients. Prof. Tian also delivered the closing remarks.
Bringing together research in consumption economics, marketing, management and tourism, the conference provided a platform for academic exchange on consumption in the age of AI. It also offered CityU faculty members and students opportunities to engage with research at the international forefront, present their findings and expand their academic networks. The event further strengthened exchanges among universities and researchers in China and abroad and promoted dialogue between consumption research and business practice.