Consumers' adoption intention to Metaverse applications: An exploration through fsQCA approach

Abstract

Metaverse is an emergent technology that facilitates consumer interaction and participation in various activities within an integrated virtual environment. Considering the Metaverse's swift growth, comprehension of the perspectives and inclinations of its prospective users is critical. Considering configuration and complexity theories, this article examines the causal patterns of factors and fragmented perspectives concerning using Metaverse applications (M-apps). It does so by examining how functional (ease of use, privacy), social (interactivity, presence), and personality (locus of control, openness to experience) factors combine as causal configurations to describe consumer adoption (MTA). Hence, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis is employed to empirically examine the proposed configurational model by analyzing a sample of 372 Chinese consumers of different M-Apps. The notable MTA was determined to be explained under four distinct solutions with varying configurations of function, social, and personality in various combinations. The findings of this paper's complexity analysis constitute a scholarly and practical contribution to consumer acceptance of M-apps, allowing for the customization of Metaverse functionality to meet every consumer's needs.