Investigating Consumption Values and Purchase Intentions in Metaverse Shopping: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly using the metaverse to enjoy memorable shopping experiences. However, to date, research has yet to focus on the predictors of consumer behaviour in these digital environments. To address this gap, we empirically validate the metaverse-specific consumption values theorized by Venturini and Columbano (2023) to predict the antecedents of the purchase intention in these virtual platforms. An online experiment was conducted with 187 respondents from MTurk and analyzed using a linear regression model. Utilitarianism, social identity, and pro-enviromental engagement were found to significantly influence purchase intention. These findings have important implications for both theory and practice