INHA University
Published on 25 August 2026
▲ Professors Harry Timmermans and Soora Rasouli, co-chairs of RARCS 2026, Professor Hyunju Lee, and Dr. Jihye Kim pose for a commemorative photo. (From left) Professor Hyunju Lee, Professor Harry Timmermans, Professor Soora Rasouli, and Dr. Jihye Kim.
Professor Hyunju Lee of the Department of Consumer Studies at Inha University and Dr. Jihye Kim of the Department of Consumer Studies received the Most Innovative Paper Award at the international conference “Recent Advances in Retailing and Consumer Sciences” (RARCS 2026), held in Berlin, Germany.
RARCS is an international academic conference in the fields of consumer and retailing research with a history of more than 30 years. More than 100 papers were presented at this year’s conference, and the Most Innovative Paper Award is given to only one paper among them. The award-winning paper also receives an opportunity to be submitted to the SSCI-indexed international journal “Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.” The journal is regarded as one of the leading international academic journals in the field of retailing and consumer services.
Professor Hyunju Lee and Dr. Jihye Kim presented a study that categorized older consumers according to their approaches to solving digital problems and analyzed the determinants of life satisfaction for each type.
The study focused on the need to understand older consumers not as a homogeneous group, but as distinct consumer groups with different characteristics depending on how they solve problems in digital environments. In particular, by analyzing the effects of digital competence, digital self-efficacy, digital attitudes, and social capital on life satisfaction among each type, the study suggested that digital inclusion policies and support for older consumers need to be further differentiated.
The award is regarded as a recognition of the study’s originality and timeliness, as it examined the digital divide among older consumers from the perspectives of consumer welfare and life satisfaction and highlighted the need for differentiated consumer support based on different approaches to digital problem-solving.
Professor Hyunju Lee of the Department of Consumer Studies said, “At a time when the digital divide is expanding into an important issue that affects consumers’ quality of life and social inclusion, I am pleased that this study on older consumers has received meaningful international recognition. We will continue to closely examine consumers who may be marginalized during the digital transformation and conduct research that contributes to consumer welfare and digital inclusion.”
