Augmented Reality Is Reshaping Consumer-Brand Relationship

Research Purpose:The adoption of advanced technologies globally allows individuals,businesses,and societies to communicate,collaborate and engage synchronously using digital tools.Digital technologies are extensively practiced in the business world to improve economic growth and productivity and create innovative services.These technologies are particularly appealing for engagement,collaboration,and co-creation.These technologies empower users to integrate information from multiple sources on their hand-held devices,personalize profiles through various applications and social networks,and interact with their contexts.Furthermore,these advanced technologies facilitate businesses in developing consumer-brand relationships and improving the customers’ lives.From the business point of view,building brand loyalty is one of the critical factors in generating competitive advantages for businesses by developing long-term consumer-brand relationships.In recent years,marketing has shifted its emphasis from relationship marketing to consumer engagement.In this scenario,augmented reality plays a crucial role in satisfying and involving customers in engagement for developing brand loyalty.Therefore,augmented reality-based marketing and applications have been proved highly effective and engaging,as recently,this technology has been widely used and accepted by customers worldwide.Such advanced technologies have been transforming the conventional ways of customers’shopping plans and experiences,and resolving the problems in the online shopping environment.This study proposes an advanced technologies-based customer engagement model based on the technology acceptance model under the broader conception of innovation diffusion theory to measure the effect of augmented reality.Social cognitive theory is used to help explore the use of self-avatar and consumers’ acceptance to improve consumers’ buying decision-making process,and service-dominant logic is adapted to investigate the impact of consumer engagement alongside the proposed antecedents,including the use of advanced technology and customer satisfaction,and outcome including e-word of mouth and brand loyalty.The study’s general objective is to establish the impact of augmented reality technology on customer satisfaction,consumer-brand engagement,e-word of mouth,and brand loyalty.Moreover,to investigate the role of consumer’s self-avatar creation in boosting relationships.The study aims to answer the impact of brands’ augmented realitybased virtual try-on applications for online buying;is it helpful,problem-solving,and entertaining for consumers?Research Methodology:A comprehensive theoretical framework was developed and analyzed using PLS-SEM based on the innovation diffusion theory using the technology acceptance model,social cognitive theory,and the service-dominant logic.While keeping in mind the research ethics,the present study employed the deductive research approach for investigating the study phenomenon.The online survey questionnaire was designed and uploaded on "Wen Juan Xing" to acquire users’ responses using the convenience sampling technique under the non-probability sampling method.UNIQLO’s online buying platforms,social media platforms,fan pages,and brand communities have been targeted,along with personal contacts.The study has recorded responses from a sample size of 545 and analyzed them.The scale items were adapted from previous studies.Research Findings:Augmented reality is making significant contemporary support in developing brand loyalty.Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of augmented reality proved to be a significant predictors of customer satisfaction and consumer-brand engagement in online shopping.Customer satisfaction and consumer-brand engagement are essential in developing and improving e-word of mouth and brand loyalty.The assessment of the present study confirms the direct and indirect effect of augmented reality on brand loyalty.The present study’s findings also support the mediating role of customer satisfaction and consumer engagement as imperative mediators in the relationship of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of augmented reality with brand loyalty.Hence,consumer-brand engagement emerges as a potent mediator of brand loyalty.The moderating role of self-avatar creation for virtual try-on was found significant in the relationship of perceived ease of use with customer satisfaction and consumer engagement only because consumers’ preferences for the need for touch and feel lacking in virtual tryon.Moreover,apart from the interesting results of the present study,it also generated some significant insights for the audience.Theoretical contribution:The study’s findings contain treasures of insights for academia.The findings contribute to the literature on the innovation diffusion theory by incorporating the technology acceptance model,social cognitive theory,and service-dominant logic empirically.The current study also provides strong building blocks to develop consumer engagement theory.Furthermore,the study empirically provides solid grounds for developing the virtual self-avatar theory.These findings contribute to the literature by including various augmented reality related constructs and other aspects drawn from the major theories and applying them in the context of augmented reality technology.In addition,the present study is also supporting the impact of brand attachment theory and the theory of planned behaviour.Practical Implication:The present study provides some significant practical implications for practitioners.The study results would improve customers’ online shopping experiences using augmented reality.The use of augmented reality can enhance customers’ satisfaction and engagement with their favourite brands for mutual benefits.For managers,the present research findings would also provide several significant insights into how they can successfully implement augmented reality and virtual self-avatar in their online retail settings to enhance the brands’ customer’s pleasure and loyalty through the virtual try-on facility from the perspective of developing a fruitful consumer-brand relationship.Moreover,the study describes how brands make conventional shopping activities more exciting and motivating using self-avatar creation for virtual try-on.Innovation and Deficiencies:The present study is innovative in the following primary ways:the augmented reality-based application from an online shopping perspective and the incorporation of a virtual try-on facility.Second,creating a consumer’s virtual self-avatar for solving the garments fit dilemma;third,through a unique theoretical model for investigating the impact of augmented reality to develop brand loyalty.Current research has not considered the impact of control variables in the investigation,including demographic,consumer involvement levels,type of products,price,etc.,which could significantly influence the study’s constructs from developing consumer-brand relationships.However,it was because of investigating the impact of augmented reality on brand loyalty unbiasedly.