Technology visibility and consumer adoption of virtual fitting rooms (VFRs): a cross-cultural comparison of Chinese and Korean consumers

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine the influence of technology visibility and subsequent perceptions of VFRs on consumers' intention to adopt VFRs in the online shopping context. A cross-cultural comparison was conducted to examine the different relationships among technology visibility, consumer perceptions and adoption intentions between the Chinese and Korean consumers.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 306 Chinese and 324 Korean consumers. The data were empirically analysed using structural equation modelling as well as multi-group comparisons.FindingsEmpirical results suggest significant influence of technology visibility on consumers' experiential and functional perceptions towards VFRs and accordingly on their adoption intention towards VFRs. Significant differences were also revealed between the Chinese and Korean consumers in their adoption behaviours towards VFRs.Research limitations/implicationsThe comparison was only conducted between the Chinese and Korean consumers. If two countries from two dramatically different cultures were compared, the results might be more significant.Practical implicationsAn important implication is that enhancement of visibility is crucial for technology adoption considering its importance in shaping consumers' perceptions towards the technology.Originality/valueThe paper empirically tested the importance of technology visibility in consumers' new technology adoption in the VFR context from a cross-cultural perspective.

Antecedents and moderators of consumer adoption toward AR‐enhanced virtual try‐on technology: A stimulus‐organism‐response approach

“…The findings are also in line with the literature in that with more immersive and realistic experiences offered by telepresence, consumers can better identify and facilitate the perceived utilitarian and hedonic value of shopping in AR-enhanced environments (Hou et al, 2019;Nikhashemi et al, 2021). This study also demonstrated positive influences of perceived utilitarian and hedonic values on consumers' adoption intention of AR-enhanced VTOs, affirming the integrative nature of consumer experiences that encompasses both cognitive and affective processing (Fiore & Kim, 2007;Lee, Xu, & Li, 2020).…”

“…have not yet been exposed to VTOs particularly, in the United States compared with Eastern countries (e.g., China and Korea) (Lee, Xu, & Li, 2020), sensation-seeking tendency and technology anxiety were proposed in this study as having moderating effects on fashion consumers' adoption process of AR-enhanced VTOs.…”

Virtual Fitting Rooms for Online Apparel Shopping: An Exploration of Consumer Perceptions

“…Previous research on consumer behavior around VFRs focused on the influence of perceived usefulness and ease‐of‐use (e.g., Huang & Qin, 2011; Kim & Forsythe, 2008), representing a relatively more utilitarian orientation. However, non‐utilitarian value is increasingly seen as important for explaining consumer adoption of VFRs, and this has been under investigation (Lee, Xu, & Li, 2020; Zhang et al., 2019). Using the desirability–feasibility framework, this study contributes to the literature by furthering the understanding of consumer behavior around VFRs, focusing on individual desirability and feasibility of using new technology rather than on characteristics of the new technology from the utilitarian perspective.…”

“…While participants perceived benefits of using VFRs, results of this study revealed consumer concerns with the feasibility of VFRs from both technical and personal perspectives. Previous research (e.g., Lee, Xu, & Li, 2020; Zhang et al., 2019) has partially addressed consumer concerns of using VFRs, typically with “perceived product risk” or “perceived privacy risk,” without taking a holistic view that clearly distinguishes concerns from the technical and personal perspectives. From the technical perspective, consumers were concerned about the accuracy of VFR‐suggested fit and security of personal information.…”

“…Virtual fitting room (VFR) technology, which enables customers to access a virtual dressing room such as they would find in a brick‐and‐mortar store (Alfredo & Rodriguez, 2016), is becoming more prominent in tandem with the shift to e‐commerce. VFRs emulate the physical fitting experience by using multiple complementary technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), that provide realistic sensory elements (Lee, Xu, & Li, 2020; Park & Kim, 2021). Many VFRs use machine learning to incorporate interactive features such as clothing recommendations, mix‐and‐match features, and social sharing to enhance user experience (Lee & Xu, 2019; London, 2021).…”