Are Consumers Ready for Augmented Reality? Factors Influencing Online Footwear Purchasing Intentions Using AR Technology

Abstract

Some online retailers flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic time. Apparel retailers face the dilemma of how to adapt a considerable part of their businesses to mobile commerce. Augmented Reality (AR) applications offer the capability to try clothing and footwear items virtually. We address critical factors for consumers to adopt AR to shop apparel in general and footwear in particular. Based on a real-life pilot, we present six Research Propositions that can be addressed in future research and introduce a novel approach to evaluate the UTAUT2 constructs that result in a new way to view Habit and Price Value often ignored in extant research.