The Effect of Avatar Self-Integration on Consumers’ Behavioral Intention in the Metaverse

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between users and avatars, focusing on the degree of facial resemblance and the realism of fashion items as the main factors of avatar self-integration that affect consumers’ behavioral intentions. Through a contactless survey, this study empirically identified how avatar–user resemblance and fashion item realism influence consumers’ future spending intention on virtual fashion items and the continuous usage intention of the metaverse by mediating psychological identification. We also demonstrate the moderating role of users’ self-monitoring of the effect of avatar–user resemblance on psychological identification. We found a positive mediation role of psychological identification between avatar–user resemblance, fashion item realism, and users’ consumption intentions. Additionally, a higher self-monitoring tendency strengthens the positive effect of avatar–user resemblance on psychological identification. The study establishes an academic basis for metaverse retailing by uncovering connections between predictors contributing to users’ consumption intentions in the metaverse.

Keywords:

• Metaverse
• avatar self-integration
• avatar–user resemblance
• fashion item realism
• psychological identification
• item spending intention
• metaverse usage intention
• self-monitoring

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.co.kr) for English language editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets used and analyzed during this study are available from the first author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Brain Korea 21 Talent Cultivation Team for interdisciplinary Fashion Innovation of the National Research Foundation of Korea [4220200713719].

Notes on contributors

Sumin Oh

Sumin Oh is a virtual item designer based in Seoul, South Korea. She completed a master’s degree program in Fashion and Textiles at Seoul National University. Her recent research focuses on the consumption of fashion items and consumer behaviors within computer-generated virtual spaces.

Woo Bin Kim

Woo Bin Kim is a post-doctoral researcher at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA. She earned her PhD in fashion marketing at the Department of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University. Her current research interests lie in consumers’ creative experience in technology-driven retail settings.

Ho Jung Choo

Ho Jung Choo is a Professor at Department of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University, South Korea. She earned her PhD in Human Environment Design & Mgt. at Michigan State University, USA. Her teaching and research focus on fashion marketing including fashion consumption, fashion retailing and fashion-related consumer behaviors.