The influence of augmented reality on consumers’ online purchase intention : the Sephora Virtual Artist case

The advent of digitalization lead to the change of many business models and it has had a particular impact on retail. Indeed, brands are experimenting new ways to respond to consumers’ needs, blurring digital and physical experiences. An answer to this is Augmented Reality (AR) and it can be implemented in companies’ online platforms. This dissertation relies on studying this phenomenon through Sephora Virtual Artist, an e-commerce platform with AR features launched by the company. This research analyses if this technology can contribute to an e-commerce business in the cosmetic industry, through an experimental design comparing consumers’ responses to the Sephora 2D traditional website to Sephora Virtual Artist. From the outcome of the study, it was possible to affirm that AR could be a successful strategy for beauty companies that want to increment the performances of their online channels. Moreover, the main drivers of Online Purchase Intention were identified, and a specific target as well. The collected data might contribute for companies of the beauty industry whether to decide or not to invest in Augmented Reality and how to implement it. Moreover, it might also help brand managers communicating in the right way, to the right target and on the right channel.O advento da digitalização leva à mudança de muitos modelos de negócios e tem um impacto particular no retalho. De fato, as marcas estão a experimentar novas maneiras de responder às necessidades dos consumidores, fundindo as experiências digitais e físicas. A Realidade Aumentada (RA) é uma resposta para isso e pode ser implementada nas plataformas online das empresas. Esta dissertação baseia-se no estudo desse fenómeno através da Sephora Virtual Artist, uma plataforma de e-commerce com recursos de RA lançados pela empresa. Esta pesquisa analisa se esta tecnologia pode contribuir para um negócio de e-commerce na indústria cosmética, através de um projeto experimental comparando as respostas dos consumidores do site tradicional da Sephora 2D aos da Sephora Virtual Artist. A partir do resultado do estudo, foi possível afirmar que a RA pode ser uma estratégia bem-sucedida para empresas de beleza que desejem incrementar o desempenho de seus canais online. Além disso, os principais fatores de sucesso para a plataforma foram identificados bem como o seu público alvo. Os dados recolhidos podem contribuir para que empresas do setor de beleza decidam ou não investir em Realidade Aumentada e como implementá-la. Além disso, também pode ajudar os gerentes de marca a comunicarem da maneira certa, para o público certo e no canal certo

Telepresence in live-stream shopping: an experimental study comparing Instagram and the metaverse

Advances in digital platforms allow influencers to use live shows to showcase products, which has given rise to live-stream shopping. Moreover, new communication forms have emerged, such as the metaverse. The social interactions that occur in these immersive environments foster influencer-follower interactions. This research compares the impact of live-stream shopping on followers’ experiences and behaviors on two communication channels (live shows on Instagram and in the metaverse) and analyses the moderating role of content involvement in telepresence. Data were collected in a between-subjects quasi-field experiment. Two scenarios that differed in degree of telepresence were created, a live show on Instagram and a live show in the metaverse. The results showed that telepresence is an important part of the user experience and in the success of live shows. Telepresence was seen to have a major influence on experiential value, but not on instrumental value. Both values provided followers with satisfaction with the experience. This satisfaction generated stickiness intention and intention to recommend the influencers’ live shows. The effect of telepresence on experiential value was greater for followers less involved with the influencer’s content. This research is pioneering in comparing an established platform, Instagram, with the metaverse. Despite the greater experiential value provided by the metaverse, to increase its instrumental value metaverse spaces needs to be further developed

The influence of augmented reality in consumer purchase intentions and sustainable development

The current production and consumption model has been one of the main problems in the process of environmental degradation, in which the population, encouraged by commercial advertising, acquires unnecessary products, often returning them to the seller, which intensifies the destruction of nature and its resources. The technological evolution of recent years has created a disruptive effect on business models and consumer behavior. Transcending borders and distances, e-commerce has digitized the world into a single platform, contributing to the exponential growth of online commerce. Today's companies have developed omnichannel strategies in order to impact consumers during the entire purchase decision process. To reduce sensory limitations (visual and touch) in the online buying process, several technologies have been created and implemented, such as Augmented Reality. Thus, the objective of this dissertation was to analyze the effect of the application of Augmented Reality technology on purchase intentions and on intentions to return products, compared to the traditional online sampling model based on 2D product image display, currently implemented in most online stores. In this regard, the effects of perceptions (hedonic value, utilitarian value and perceived risk) and sensations (sense of control, attractiveness and confidence) during a shopping experience were studied. It has been proven that, in fact, Augmented Reality technology has a stronger effect on increasing purchase intentions than its traditional 2D alternative, but not on decreasing product return intentions.O atual modelo de produção e consumo tem sido um dos principais problemas no processo de degradação ambiental, em que a população incentivada por propaganda comercial, adquire produtos desnecessários, devolve-os muitas vezes ao vendedor, intensificando a destruição da natureza e dos seus recursos. A evolução tecnológica dos últimos anos tem criado um efeito disruptivo nos modelos de negócio e no comportamento dos consumidores. Transcendendo fronteiras e distâncias, o ecommerce digitalizou o mundo numa única plataforma, contribuindo para o crescimento exponencial do comércio online. As empresas atuais têm desenvolvido estratégias de omnichannel com o intuito de impactar os consumidores durante todo o processo de decisão de compra. Para diminuir as limitações sensoriais (visuais e tato) durante o processo de compra online, diversas tecnologias têm sido criadas e implementadas, como é o caso da Realidade Aumentada. Assim, o objetivo desta dissertação foi o de analisar o efeito da aplicação de tecnologia de Realidade Aumentada nas intenções de compra e nas intenções de devolução de produtos, comparativamente com o modelo tradicional de compras online baseado na exibição de imagens de produtos em 2D, atualmente implementado na maioria das lojas online. Para tal, foram estudados os efeitos das perceções (valor hedónico, valor utilitário e perceção do risco) e das sensações (sensação de controlo, atratividade e confiança) durante uma experiência de compra, tendo-se comprovado que, efetivamente, a tecnologia de Realidade Aumentada tem um efeito mais acentuado no aumento das intenções de compra do que a alternativa 2D, mas não na diminuição das intenções de devolução de produtos

Let me Entertain You – the Influence of Augmented Reality on Purchasing Intention in E-Commerce

Augmented reality (AR) in e-commerce helps consumers to envision products in their respective surroundings, so fosters customer experience. Our online experiment with 302 probands explores the effect of AR on purchasing intention, taking into account motivational variables—perceived usefulness, entertainment and perceived ease of use (PEOU). Consumers viewing products in an AR-enabled online shop rated perceived usefulness, entertainment and PEOU significantly higher than the control group viewing the non-AR-enabled online shop. Performing mediation analysis, we found that AR significantly influences purchase intention, which is mediated by perceived entertainment. Our findings add to the understanding of the interplay of the motivational variables perceived usefulness, entertainment and PEOU as well as the impact of AR on customer decision making. From a managerial point of view, our findings suggest that in the current stage of the technology, AR is perceived as a playful add-on to online shopping, positively impacting purchase intention

A Model of Adoption of AR-based Self-service Technologies: A two Country Comparison

Purpose This paper proposes a model that extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) by identifying factors that influence consumers' acceptance of augmented reality (AR) self-service technologies (AR-based SSTs) in the retail sector, resulting in the Augmented Reality in Retail Model (ARiR Model). Design/methodology/approach This study is based on an online questionnaire responded to by 284 makeup-using women from Nicaragua and the USA. It is based on an AR mobile app used to shop in retail stores. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling was used to validate the ARiR model and test the hypotheses. Findings Aesthetics and navigation are significant predictors of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use (PEOU), and self-efficacy also explains perceived ease of use. Technology readiness and the need for personal interaction were not found to be influencing factors. A cross-cultural comparison indicated that both countries have similar overall attitudes towards AR-based SSTs. Research limitations/implications This paper provides insights into the perceived value of, and motives for customer acceptance of, AR-based SSTs, which can serve as guidelines for their future implementation. Furthermore, it validates and confirms the application of the proposed ARiR model for technology acceptance in both developed and developing countries. Practical implications The paper provides new insights for retailers on the implementation of AR at the point of sale. Originality/value The model extends the original TAM to AR and introduces five new constructs: need for personal interaction, aesthetics, navigation, self-efficacy and technology readiness. It was tested in both a developing and a developed country

The influence of virtual reality in e-commerce

[EN] The development of virtual reality (VR), together with other technological innovations will shape the future of e-retailing. This research studies the effectiveness of different VR formats and devices in a virtual store environment, namely V-commerce. This study proposes and test a conceptual model that analyses the relations between sense of presence, brand recall and purchase intention, while also going deeper into their antecedents. Our findings suggest differences in purchase intention depending on VR format and device used. No differences are shown in sense of presence and affect by VR format and device. Our tested model suggests a dual route of influence of VR on consumers' purchase intention in virtual stores: one through emotions and sense of presence and the other through the affect evoked by the virtual environment and brand recall. Lastly, some managerial implications and methodological issues are considered.This work has been developed by Instituto de Investigacion e Innovacion en Bioingenieria (I3B), Universitat Politecnica de Valencia and was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness funded project "Advanced Therapeutically Tools for Mental Health" (DPI2016-77396-R) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, ECO2014-53837R.Martínez-Navarro, J.; Bigné-Alcañiz, E.; Guixeres Provinciale, J.; Alcañiz Raya, ML.; Torrecilla-Moreno, C. (2019). The influence of virtual reality in e-commerce. Journal of Business Research. 100:475-482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.054S47548210

Pick the Right Tactics When Online Sales Go Live: An Empirical Analysis of Livestreaming for Amazon Sellers

Using livestreaming to boost sales has become an essential strategy to achieve deeper interactions with customers for many large e-commerce platforms worldwide. Existing livestreaming literature has looked at multiple Chinese e-commerce platforms but not enough attention has been paid to the U.S. market. This study investigates consumer behaviors and the promotion efficacy in the Livestream setting on Amazon Live. We analyze the time patterns of customer engagement and explain why sellers should use different promotion strategies for weekdays and for weekend streamers. Besides, we present evidence that the average video display time per product is crucial for the livestream promotion efficacy and suggest optimal time-exposure intervals as a benchmark for sellers to align with