Why do people interact and buy in the Metaverse? Self-Expansion perspectives and the impact of hedonic adaptation

Suhyoung Ahn, Byoungho Ellie Jin and Hyesim Seo

Journal of Business Research, 2024, vol. 175, issue C

Abstract: The metaverse, a virtual space where people can interact with each other, is garnering global attention. This study attempts to answer three questions: what attracts someone to the metaverse, why do consumers buy intangible virtual goods in it, and do participants purchase more virtual items as they visit it frequently? Drawing from self-expansion theory and the notion of hedonic adaptation, this study examined the effects of perceived interactivity on the purchase intention of virtual items in the metaverse, mediated by perceived self-expansion, and moderated by metaverse access frequency. Data were collected through a survey of 248 individuals with metaverse experience. The results indicated that participants’ perceived interactivity (i.e., playfulness and connectedness) strengthened their perception of expanded self, which in turn enhanced their purchase intentions toward virtual items. Furthermore, the metaverse access frequency was found to weaken the indirect effects of playfulness and connectedness on purchase intention through self-expansion.

Keywords: Metaverse; Perceived interactivity; Self-expansion; Hedonic adaptation; Purchase intention of virtual items (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324000614
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:175:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324000614

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114557

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Business Research is currently edited by A. G. Woodside

More articles in Journal of Business Research from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().