‘It’s an illusion, but it looks real!’ Consumer affective, cognitive and behavioural responses to augmented reality applications

ABSTRACT

The paper investigates two augmented reality (AR) applications and corresponding consumer responses to their media characteristics. Firstly, it discusses the role of interactivity with AR technology. Secondly, it introduces augmentation as a salient media characteristic of AR applications and tests measurement items of perceived augmentation. Two experimental studies replicate the research design of Van Noort et al. [Van Noort, G., Voorveld, H. A. M., & van Reijmersdal, E. A. (2012). Interactivity in brand web sites: cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses explained by consumers’ online flow experience. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 26, 223–234], applying it in the context of AR. The results show that perceived augmentation represents a fitting concept for understanding consumer responses to AR features and, furthermore, that flow mediates effects of perceived augmentation on consumers’ affective responses and behavioural intentions. AR features on the other hand do not increase perception of interactivity. Finally, implications of the study and further research directions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Augmented reality
• augmentation
• interactivity
• flow
• affective responses
• behavioural intentions

Acknowledgements

This research project was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation under Grant Doc.Mobility Fellowship P1TIP1_158595. The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers of the Academy of Marketing 2015 for their valuable feedback, and Dr Morgan Harvey, Dr Ben Marder, Jost H. Reinhold and Marta Pizzetti for their precious help with the earlier versions of this manuscript. Finally, the author would like to thank to IKEA for their permission to include images of IKEA Retail Systems Material.

Additional information

Funding

This research project was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation under Grant Doc.Mobility Fellowship [P1TIP1_158595].

Notes on contributors

Ana Javornik

Ana Javornik, MSc, is a research associate at the University College London Interaction Centre and a PhD candidate at Università della Svizzera italiana. Her research focuses on digital marketing and consumer behaviour and specialises in interactions between augmented reality and consumers. She has been awarded a Doc.Mobility fellowship for prospective scholars by the Swiss National Science Foundation.