Argumented Reality: How Will Consumers Embrace this Novel Mobile Shopping Tool?

Abstract

Purpose: The rapid path for massification of AR in Mobile Shopping Marketing context presents new opportunities for both marketers and researchers. One prevalent app in this context is the Try Out kind, whereby consumers can superimpose virtual, 3D items into their surrounding space and interact with them in real time. This carries a multitude of benefits, compared to traditional mobile shopping tools e.g. digital catalogs. It holds far reaching consequences to consumers’ decisionmaking, brand attitude and relationship as well as purchase intentions. However, these are dependent on the extent to which they accept it. Hence, certain gaps in consumers’ acceptance of this technology presents the need for further inquiry. This thesis aims to investigate the determinants of usage in acceptance of AR Try Out Apps.
Gap: There is a need for more conceptualization and empirical studies on AR in Marketing. Moreover, app centric research is prevalent, along with the use of the technology acceptance model (TAM), which overlooks exogenous factors such as Social Influence. Therefore, this study makes use of a more comprehensive model - the UTAUT. Additionally, studies do not adhere to the suggestion of including a point of reference in a non-AR task, which this study follows by incorporating Digital Catalogs. Finally, this thesis includes an Experiential Marketing perspective, which theory defends to be naturally inherent to AR.
Methods: As the foundation of research, this thesis draws upon an abductive research approach and makes use of a sequential mixed methods research design. 60 individuals participated in experiments testing either the selected AR Try Out app or a digital catalog for control group purposes and filled out a self-report following this. 10% of all participants were then sampled for interviews on the topic of their experience. The quantitative data of the self-report is analyzed through regression analysis, with subsequent elaboration made by the qualitative insights, through descriptive and provisional coding.
Findings: The results indicate that Behavioral Intention is influenced by Social Influence, Trust, Facilitating Conditions, and Attitude. Attitude is influenced by Hedonic and Utilitarian Performance Expectancies, which are found to feed into each other, on a loop. Effort Expectancy is found to only influence Utilitarian Performance Expectancy. Elaborative components of each of these determinants are furthered by qualitative insights and exposed in a Unified Theory for Acceptance of AR Try Out Apps. Theoretical and
Managerial Implications: This study contributes to closing the gaps before mentioned in the literature and discusses a possible connection to branding theories, namely how the creative stimuli of AR’s hedonic value can influence consumers’ brand attitude and relationship. For marketers, this thesis posits areas of interest regarding AR implementation from the ideation, to its design, and its integration into a wider marketing