This study examined the effects of user interactivity with VR in a digital retail setting on mental imagery and sensory brand app experience and its consequential impacts on perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, attitude toward using VR, and behavioral intent. Mental imagery is understood in relation to quantity, vividness, and valence. The user involvement with the device is employed as a moderator to fully understand the impact of VR in connection with consumer engagement. An IKEA VR application was utilized for this study. A convenient sample of college students was recruited from a large research university in the US. The findings of the study show that user interactivity impacts mental imagery, and it subsequently influences sensory brand app experience, perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, attitude toward using VR, and behavioral intent. Overall, this study provides meaningful and practical information to academicians and practitioners.

Shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores is considered highly experiential. An ability to experience and physically interact with a product is a key benefit of shopping at offline stores. In an online shopping context where sensory experience is absent, researchers have looked at how mental imagery as an alternative to in-store sensory experience impact consumer decision-making (Yoo & Kim, 2014). However the role of mental imagery has been largely overlooked in the context of offline store shopping. While it is true that shopping at offline stores facilitates sensory experience, evidence from cognitive neuropsychology literature supports that visual perception impacts visual mental imagery (Bartolomeo, 2002). Therefore, it is reasonable to posit that sensory experience in stores is related to mental imagery. Yet the relationship between actual sensory experience and mental imagery in the context of store shopping has not been studied. To fill a gap in the current literature, this study aims to examine the process by which sensory experience and mental imagery facilitate purchase decision-making in the context of offline stores. Based on the model of recursive relationships among consumers’ emotional, cognitive, perceptual and behavioral responses (Scherer, 2003) and a review of previous literature, this study posits that actual sensory experience and mental imagery related. It is further posited that both actual sensory experience and mental imagery influence consumers’ affective (anticipatory emotion) and cognitive responses (e.g., decision satisfaction, perceived ownership and decision satisfaction). This study employed an online survey in Korea. Apparel shoppers who shopped and purchased apparel at brick-and-mortar stores during the last six months were recruited. To facilitate a retrieval of in-store experiences, a series of questions about their specific shopping trip and purchases were asked at the beginning of survey. The current study consists of measurements adopted from the existing literature with adequate reliabilities. All the items were measured using a 7-point Likert-type scale. A total of 455 respondents completed the online survey questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were examined to assess reliabilities of the measures, and reliability coefficients were acceptable for all constructs (.78 ~ .92). Results of the SEM revealed that all the model-fit indexes exceeded their respective common acceptance levels, suggesting that the proposed model fitted the data well (2 = 627.38, df = 175; NFI = .92; IFI = .94; CFI = .94; RMSEA = .075). All the direct relationships among variables were significant except for the effect of sensory experience on perceived ownership, the effect of mental imagery on decision confidence, and the effect of perceived ownership on behavioral intention. This study provides new insights into consumer in-store shopping experiences and theoretical and practical implications. Sensory experience and mental imagery are complementary in facilitating consumer in-store shopping experiences. In addition to the importance of sensory experience, this study provides empirical evidence to support the vital role of mental imagery in the context of in-store shopping. Visualizing a situation through vivid mental imagery combined with actual sensory experience will lead consumers to positive shopping outcomes. Further research is warranted to better understand how to optimize actual sensory experience and mental imagery to offer excellent in-store experiences.

Background and Purpose of Study: Social commerce refers to a form of electronic commerce based on Social Networking Service (SNS) and has grown substantially since the advent of Groupon in 2008. The growth of social commerce was accelerated with the increased popularity of SNS, where consumers share product information and reviews and the information is spread to others through SNS in real time (KB financial group, 2015). Social commerce can be divided into three types: (1) online group buying, (2) online shopping linked with the SNS, and (3) online shopping in SNS. The first type of social commerce is the most common type in Korea and the current study conducted an experiment based on the online group buying format. In the group buying social commerce, consumers gather together to purchase a product with a cheaper price. Placing a large order facilitates price promotion, (Yuan, & Lin, 2004) and buyers benefit from the cheaper price through the group buying (Zeng, Huang, & Dou, 2009). Group buying websites provides consumers with two types of information: time left for the promotion (time pressure) and the number of product sold (product popularity), and the overall purpose of this study is to examine the effects of time pressure, product popularity and website reputation on purchase intention. Hypotheses Development: Consumers make a purchase on social commerce websites because they can get a product with a cheaper price through group buying. Thus, this study is based on the assumption that all products are under price promotion. According to prospect theory, consumers are more likely to be sensitive to losses than gains. Consumers initially perceive a price promotion as a potential gain, but as the expiration approaches, they are more likely to perceive the promotion as a potential loss, which consequently increase purchase intention (Inman & McAlister, 1994). Also, a statement indicating product popularity, such as ‘the best-selling item’ increases purchase intention (Jeong & Kwon, 2012). Signaling theory provides a useful insight into understanding the effects of website reputation. Since consumers use a website reputation as an indicator of quality (Kirmani & Rao, 2000), they generally respond more positively to well-known websites than unknown websites (Shamdasani, Stanaland, & Tan, 2001). Therefore, based on the literature review, the following hypotheses are developed.H1: High time pressure has a greater impact on purchase intention than low time pressure. H2: High product popularity has a greater impact on purchase intention than low product popularity. H3: Well-known website has a greater impact on purchase intention than unknown website. H4: The effect of time pressure on purchase intention differs as a function of product popularity. H5: The effect of time pressure on purchase intention differs as a function of website reputation. H6: The effect of product popularity on purchase intention differs as a function of website reputation. Method: This study’s design is a 2 (time pressure: high vs. low) x 2 (popularity: high vs. low) x 2 (website reputation: well-known vs. unknown) between-subjects factorial design. This study includes three pretests: (1) to select high versus low time pressure, (2) to select the number of product purchased (product popularity), and (3) to select well-known and unknown social commerce websites. Based on the results of the pretests, eight mock websites simulating social commerce websites were developed for the main experiment. The data were collected via a research company. Invitation emails with a URL were sent to potential participants, and they were guided to shop the website and answer the questionnaire. The measure of purchase intention was adopted from the existing literature with adequate reliabilities (Cronbach’s alpha >.70), and the scale items used a 7-point scale. Manipulation checks showed that manipulations of time pressure, product popularity, and website reputation were successful. Results: A total of 453 female online shoppers participated in the online experiment. An exploratory factor analysis revealed one factor of purchase intention, and the reliability.93, indicating adequate internal consistency of the scale. Hypotheses were tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed main effects for product popularity [F (1, 445) = 10.34, p < .05] and website reputation [F (1, 445) = 72.03, p < .05] on purchase intention, supporting H2 and H3. With regard to H4 to H6 predicting interaction effects, ANOVAs showed significant interaction effects of time pressure by product popularity [F (1, 445) = 5.53, p < .05], time pressure and website reputation [F (1, 445) = 4.59, p < .05], and product popularity and website reputation [F (1, 445) = 9.15, p < .05] on purchase intention. Thus, H4 to H6 were supported. Conclusions and Discussion: The study offers academic and managerial implications. The findings of the study provide empirical support for the signaling theory and prospect theory. The results suggest that high popularity and high reputation are significant factors influencing purchase intention. When consumers perceive a product as being popular on a social commerce website, they have greater purchase intention than when they do not perceive the product popularity. Also, when consumers shop on a well-known social commerce website, they have greater purchase intention than when they shop on an unknown website. When the product popularity is high, high time pressure is an important factor enhancing purchase intention. When a website is well-known, high time pressure increased purchase intention. However, when a website is unknown, high product popularity increased purchase intention. These findings of the study contribute to the literature in social commerce. Based on the website reputation, social commerce websites need to incorporate appropriate marketing tactics, such as time pressure and product popularity to increase consumers’ purchase intention.

Mass customization refers to a strategy whereby online retailers provide individually tailored products and services to their customers and has been implemented by many retailers with the Internet technology. Many luxury brands such as Bottega Venetta, Louis Vuitton, and Salvatore Ferragamo, provide customization programs to better serve their customers, from engraving their initials on a product to creating a new design of a product. However, the expansion of the customization program to the luxury brands raises potential risk, such as loosening the brand identity and inability to satisfy customers. Despite high interests in mass customization programs and popularity of luxury brands, the effect of mass customization in luxury brands has not been explored. Addressing this gap in the literature, this study attempts to investigate how customized products of luxury brands influence perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty. In addition, this study explores how consumers’ past loyalty toward a luxury brand influences perceived value of the customization. Hypotheses of the study were (1) Perceived value of a mass-customized product has a positive influence on satisfaction with product customization; (2) Satisfaction with product customization has a positive influence on brand loyalty; (3) The influences of perceived value of a mass-customized product on satisfaction and brand loyalty are different as a function of a customer’s past loyalty; (4) The influences of perceived value of a mass-customized product on satisfaction and brand loyalty are different as a function of a customer’s need for uniqueness. The research strategy of this study was survey methodology and the sample of the study was online shopping consumers. Online questionnaires were collected by an online survey firm. After visiting ‘BURBERRY BESPOKE’, a mass-customization program of a luxury brand, survey participants were asked to answer the questionnaire. The instrument tapped perceived value of a mass-customized product, satisfaction with product customization, past/future brand loyalty, and need for uniqueness. A total of 304 female online shoppers participated in the survey. The result of structural equation modeling found the positive effects of hedonic value and utilitarian value on satisfaction with product customization and the positive effect of the satisfaction on brand loyalty. The result of multiple group comparison analyses revealed the moderating roles of past loyalty and need for uniqueness in influencing the effects of perceived value of a mass-customized product on satisfaction. These findings of the study contribute to the literature in luxury brand retailing fields and suggested managerial implications to luxury brand retailers.