Marketing Tourism Products in Virtual Reality: Moderating Effect of Product Complexity

Abstract

As the tourism industry faces growing competition and digital transformation in the post-pandemic era, virtual reality has emerged as a creative marketing strategy. However, investing in virtual reality may be costly. Evaluating what type of products can generate higher returns through virtual reality is critical. Our study explored the moderating effect of product complexity on the relationship between virtual reality characteristics and behavioral intention. Our results indicated that the relationship between telepresence and consumer trust is stronger for a complex tourism product than a simple product. Firms with limited resources should invest in virtual reality to market complex products.