Factors influencing customers’ apparel shopping intention in metaverse

The emergence of the metaverse has opened an unbelievable online virtual world offering real-life immersive experiences to consumers. This study examines customers’ fashion apparel shopping intentions in the e-commerce metaverse. We propose a conceptual framework based on behavioral reasoning theory (BRT) to investigate the reasons for the adoption (or not) of the metaverse. The survey of 1170 customers was performed, and PLS-SEM was used to analyze data. The findings suggest that perceived enjoyment, interactivity, imagination, and sense of immersion favors the adoption, whereas perceived risk, traditional barrier, image barrier, and technological anxiety deter metaverse adoption. Our results advance the literature on innovative shopping technology and metaverse fashion apparel shopping intention. We provide guidelines for metaverse marketers and managers.