Jungmin Yoo

Purpose: This study explores how VR interactivity influences user perceptions and behavioural intentions by stimulating mental imagery. Grounded in flow theory and TAM, it positions mental imagery as a key mechanism linking interactivity to sensory and behavioural outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: A convenience sample of U.S. undergraduates used Google Cardboard to explore a virtual store. Findings: VR interactivity influenced mental imagery and sensory app experience, which in turn influenced perceived enjoyment and usefulness. Enjoyment affected attitudes and behavioural intent, while usefulness influenced intent but not attitudes. Mental imagery mediated the relationship between interactivity and sensory app experiences. Originality/value: This study highlights VR’s underexplored potential to evoke mental imagery through interactivity. Conceptualizing mental imagery as a second-order construct, the findings show that VR interactivity promotes mental imagery, which in turn enhances sensory engagement and behavioural intentions.

현대의 유통환경은 ICT의 발전으로 다각화된 형태로 변화하였음에도 여전히 오프라인 매장의 필요성은 중요하다. 온라인 쇼핑이 성장함에 따라 오프라인 쇼핑이 위축되었다고 보고 있으나, 소비자들 꾸준히 오프라인 매장에서 제품을 구매하고 있으며 오프라인 매장에서의 감각적 경험을 추구하고 있다. 선행연구에 의하면 오감을 통한 감각적 경험이 소비자의 주관적 가치에 영향을 주며, 오프라인 리테일의 감각적 요소가 소비자의 반응, 평가 및 행동에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 선행연구는 전체적인 구매결정 과정에서 감각적 경험의 처리 과정을 간과하여, 구매 결정 시의 감각적 경험의 역할을 파악하고자 하였다. 본 연구는 오프라인 쇼핑 경험이 있는 20～40대 여성 소비자 35명을 대상으로 표적집단면접법(Focus Group Interview, FGI)을 실시하였으며, 감각적 경험에 따른 의사결정 과정의 세부요인을 파악하였다. 연구결과, 본 연구에서는 연구참여자의 구매결정과정이 욕구인식, 탐색, 대안평가, 구매결정의 과정으로 나타나는 것과, 합리적 및 비합리적 구매결정 두차원으로 구분되는 것을 확인하였다. 본 연구는 소비자의 감각적 경험을 통한 의사결정 과정 패러다임을 제시하였으며, 오프라인 매장의 감각적 자극이 소비자의 구매결정을 촉진한다는 결과를 시사하였으므로 이를 오프라인 매장 전략에 적용할 수 있을 것이다.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of interactivity and vividness on perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment and their consequent impacts on consumer behavioral responses in a retail furniture VR store context. Considering the lack of VR empirical research, the indirect effect of interactivity and vividness on perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment through telepresence and the moderating effect of consumer previous experience with VR are also included.Design/methodology/approach: A commercial IKEA VR store was chosen for the study. Head-mounted display (HMD) VR headsets were employed for the VR shopping experience. The study was conducted at a laboratory at a large university in the southeastern United States. A total of 146 college students participated in the study.Findings: Vividness had significant positive effects on perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment, which in turn influenced attitude towards VR and behavioral intentions. Interactivity did not have positive impacts on perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. However, it indirectly affected perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment through telepresence. The findings also proved the moderating effect of consumer previous VR experience between interactivity and perceived usefulness and between interactivity and perceived enjoyment. The relationship between attitude and behavioral intentions was also positive.Originality/value: Notwithstanding the benefits of VR in relation to its utilitarian, hedonic, and behavioral values, little is known about consumers' responses towards the usage of VR as a shopping tool. The present study can be considered as a starting point in understanding the usefulness of VR from consumer and managerial perspectives. The findings of VR indicated in the study will help practitioners understand the urgency of adopting VR in a retail setting.

Augmented reality (AR) enables consumers to browse and try products virtually by providing additional information and functionality to mobile shopping. Retailers continue to develop AR technology to engage consumers and enhance their digital shopping experiences. However, despite the growing interest in this technology, consumers rarely rely on AR due to the quality of its content. This study applies an information systems success model to examine the antecedents that influence the adoption of mobile technology, specifically focusing on consumers’ perception of AR quality and its effect on perceived diagnosticity and consumer satisfaction when using AR technology. Moreover, the study examines how perceived diagnosticity and satisfaction influence loyalty. The study participants were 283 shoppers in Korea who have previously experienced mobile shopping, with data collected through an online survey. The results show that when using AR, (1) the consumer’s perceptions of information quality and visual quality positively influence perceived diagnosticity and satisfaction, (2) perceived diagnosticity positively influences satisfaction and (3) satisfaction positively influences loyalty. These results have practical implications for mobile retailers seeking to develop effective product presentation strategies using innovative technologies.

As many scholars and practitioners study personalization and relationship marketing, it is important to provide personalization such as mass customization through marketing technology. The purpose of this study is to examine how to conduct consumer research using an online survey and analysis of data. This study examines consumers' perceived benefits while customizing a product as well as emotional product attachment, attitudes toward a customization program, and loyalty intentions in the context of online retailing. In addition, this study investigates how consumer responses are different based on individual characteristics such as fashion innovativeness. An online survey company in South Korea recruited 290 female apparel shoppers who purchased apparel online. To enhance external validity, this study used an existing retail website with a well-established mass customization program. After completing the customization program, participants complete the online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and latent mean analyses (LMAs) are then performed for analyses. This study stresses the importance of testing measurement invariance for mean comparisons. Before the SEM and LMA, this study follows the hierarchy of invariance tests (configural invariance test, metric invariance test, and scalar invariance test), which are not considered by traditional approaches such as ANOVA. These statistical analyses provide applicability of the invariance test procedures and LMA to consumer behaviors. The conclusions of mean differences have integrity and validity because they are guided by a sophisticated statistical procedure to ensure measurement invariance.