Augmented reality in consumer retail : a presence theory approach

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation investigates the role of virtual try-ons (VTOs) enabled by augmented reality (AR) to foster positive consumer responses using a presence theory approach. Presence refers to the sense that a virtual object is real, and due to its importance in decision making, current research focuses on spatial presence as the key feature of a realistic product experience. However, this notion is used solely to refer to the feeling that the virtual product is real; thus, research overlooks the fact that when consumers are looking to make a purchase, they use other dimensions of the tangible experience in their decision making. In addition, it is not understood how the AR experience enables the exploration of styles and subsequent consumer responses.

This research fills these gaps with four articles that investigate AR in several ways. The first study starts by showing key antecedents of AR optimal experience and provides practical grounds to investigate the importance of the three presence dimensions. I find that the optimal AR experience delivers a realistic experience of the product, the virtual self, and the social context. Thereafter, this dissertation emphasizes the key role of presence theory in explaining consumer responses and empirically tests the theory of presence with a multi-dimensional perspective comprised of spatial, social, and selfpresence as well as a multi-contextual perspective that investigates consumer responses at the decision-making stage and earlier in the customer journey. At the decision-making stage, the results show that AR influences attitude certainty via spatial and social but not self-presence. However, self-presence positively influences consumers’ responses toward brands when they are exploring styles in the early stage of the decision journey.

The main contribution lies in redefining the presence experience in AR and in uncovering its effects on the consumer experience in different contexts. The results confirm the importance of a multi-dimensional view of presence, and the multi-contextual approach shows that the role of presence is more complex than the existing research suggests. In addition, this dissertation proposes guidelines for retailers, AR developers, and marketers to better deliver value to consumers in different contexts. Lastly, this dissertation ends with a call for future research on presence to further provide a detailed understanding of optimal realistic experience and its outcomes.