가상현실과 현실 세계를 융합한 공간으로서 가상의 세계 안에서 다양 한 상호작용과 경험을 제공하는 메타버스 서비스는 사용자들이 자아일치 성을 공유하고 강화하는 공간을 형성해줄 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 메타 버스 서비스 특성이 사용자의 재이용의도에 미치는 영향과, 이 관계를 매개하는 자아일치성의 효과를 검증하였다. 메타버스 서비스를 이용해 본 경험이 있는 성인 남녀를 대상으로 수집한 245개 설문자료를 분석한 결과에 따르면 메타버스 서비스 특성 중 실재감과 매개변수인 자아일치 성은 고객의 메타버스 재이용의도에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나 타났다. 또한 매개효과분석 결과에 따르면 자아일치성은 메타버스 서비 스 특성 중 실재감과 재이용의도 간의 관계를 부분매개하고, 유용성과 재이용의도 간의 관계, 상호작용성과 재이용의도 간의 관계를 완전매개 하는 것으로 나타났다. 연구 결과는 변화된 환경과 소비자 특성으로 인 해 전통적 브랜드 마케팅 방식의 한계에 직면하고 있는 기업들에게 메타 버스를 활용한 마케팅 전략 도출에 도움이 되는 유용한 정보를 제공하고 있다.

Promotion of brand-related sustainability initiatives (BSI) is a modern managerial issue, as BSI seems to impact not only sustainability but also consumer psychology toward a brand. In this regard, the author has extended self-congruity theory and suggested the concept of brand-sustainability-self-congruence (BSSC) as the image congruence of the triad comprising brand, BSI, and self-concept. Former surveys report predictive effects of BSSC on consumers’ brand evaluation, leading to increased brand equity (Kumagai, 2022, 2023).

Promotion of brand-related sustainability initiatives (BSI) is a modern managerial issue, as BSI seems to impact not only sustainability but also consumer psychology toward a brand. In this regard, the author has extended self-congruity theory and suggested the concept of brand-sustainability-self-congruence (BSSC) as the image congruence of the triad comprising brand, BSI, and self-concept. Former surveys report predictive effects of BSSC on consumers’ brand evaluation, leading to increased brand equity (Kumagai, 2022, 2023).

Many studies in the marketing literature focus on investigating the effects of brand attachment and self-congruence on favorable consumer behavior, such as brand loyalty, positive Word-of-Mouth, resilience to negative information (Thomson et al., 2005, Japutra et al., 2014a). However, limited studies examine the relationship between brand attachment, self-congruence and negative consumer behavior. For instance, Johnson et al. (2011) posit that when consumers are in relationships with brands and more self-relevant, they are more likely to induce retaliatory actions when the relationship ends. Highlighting the dark side of brand attachment, Japutra et al. (2014b) show that stronger brand attachment leads to a wide range of unwanted consumer behaviors including trash-talk, Schadenfreude, and anti-brand actions. These studies show how brand attachment is capable of hurting consumers. However, only limited studies pay attention on the negative consequences of brand attachment (e.g. Johnson et al., 2011; Japutra et al., 2014b). The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of self-congruence and brand attachment on compulsive buying behavior.