Augmented Reality and Consumer Behavior in E-Commerce

Zustand: Hervorragend | Sprache: Englisch | Produktart: Bücher | Augmented Reality (AR) is an innovative technology to improve product evaluation in e-commerce. It enables online consumers to project virtual product models into their surrounding real-world environment in real time using their mobile devices (e.g., projecting a virtual model of a sofa into its dedicated place in the living room via smartphone). AR can thus facilitate a more realistic online product evaluation and potentially increase sales. However, AR's effectiveness may depend on different usage contexts and product characteristics.The main objective of this cumulative dissertation is to provide a better understanding of AR in e-commerce and resulting consumer behavior. To this end, this dissertation studies context- as well as product-related boundary conditions of AR's effectiveness in online product evaluation, and consumers' underlying psychological mechanisms. The author presents four independent articles, which are nested in a general introduction and conclusion. Methodologically, experimental approaches are pursued that allow for drawing causal conclusions (field, laboratory, lab-in-field experiment, and quasi-experimental analysis of retailer data). The first article is a systematic literature review that establishes the foundation for the dissertation by reviewing consumer responses to AR usage in online and offline settings. The three subsequent quantitative-empirical articles examine the following aspects of AR usage: (1) the influence of the AR usage context on consumer perception of the evaluated product, (2) the role of AR in reducing spatial fit uncertainty in e-commerce, and (3) the effectiveness of AR in transferring implicit knowledge in corporate training situations. The results of this dissertation contribute to digital marketing research and provide actionable recommendations for managers.…