Metaverse in Human Behavior: The Role of Telepresence and Flow Experience on Consumers’ Shopping Behavior in the Metaverse

Abstract

Digital commerce is being raised to a new level by the growing Metaverse cosmos. Business tycoons are attempting to establish a presence in the metaverse, highlighting its possibilities for e-marketing, virtual commerce, banking, and social engagement. As a result, many well-known organizations and companies are entering into the metaverse. The elements affecting customers’ behaviors in the metaverse, however, are not well understood. Our proposed study model was theoretically underpinned by the Stimulus Organism Response (S-O-R) concept. We proposed two stimuli factors (technological and spatial) and two factors of organismic experience (telepresence and flow experience) to account for consumers’ metaverse shopping intentions. With the help of structural equation modeling, we examined the data from 317 respondents. According to the findings, telepresence is significantly influenced favorably by interaction and vividness. Consumers’ flow experiences which eventually improve their intent to shop in the metaverse are significantly influenced by perceived similarity and competence. This study is one of the few that added to the body of knowledge on the metaverse while providing useful advice for tech firms and other businesses, in general, to take advantage of the metaverse’s prospects.