Interactivity, Inspiration, and Perceived Usefulness! How retailers' AR-apps improve consumer engagement through flow

Arghashi V., Arsun Yuksel C. A.

JOURNAL OF RETAILING AND CONSUMER SERVICES, cilt.64, 2022 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 64
  • Basım Tarihi: 2022
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102756
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF RETAILING AND CONSUMER SERVICES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Periodicals Index Online, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, DIALNET
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Augmented reality marketing, Interactivity, Inspiration, Flow, Consumers engagement, Brand outcomes, SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY, TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL, AUGMENTED-REALITY, CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT, BRAND ENGAGEMENT, SOCIAL MEDIA, IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES, BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSES, SCALE DEVELOPMENT, USER EXPERIENCE
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

This study investigates the antecedents and outcomes of consumer engagement through AR apps and suggests a new conceptual model. The purpose of the paper is to examine how consumer engagement is shaped via AR apps, which eventually leads to a positive attitude towards brand and brand usage intent. To this end, a face-to-face survey instrument was administered to 350 participants in Turkey, where participants tried an AR app and then answered a questionnaire. The structural equation modeling (SEM) and Hayes' Process analyses were applied to test the hypotheses and moderated mediation relationships. Findings showed that interactivity and inspiration are two major antecedents of consumers' flow experience. The flow experience with AR can generate favorable attitudes towards AR apps and more trust in AR apps, which trigger consumer engagement with AR apps and then improve brand attitude and brand usage intent. The outcomes of flow experience with AR (i.e., attitude and trust) mediate the relationship between flow and engagement. Although perceived usefulness increases the effect of consumers' attitudes towards AR on engagement, it has no moderating effect on the relationship between trust in AR and engagement. Furthermore, the results of Hayes' Process revealed that the indirect effect of flow on consumers' engagement with AR through attitude towards AR is moderated by perceived usefulness. So that, if AR marketers aim to strengthen the link between consumer flow experience and engagement via attitudes towards AR, they should therefore consider enhancing the perceived usefulness of AR. Surprisingly, perceived usefulness had no moderating effect on the indirect relationship between flow and engagement via trust. Finally, this paper discusses both the theoretical and managerial implications.