Adapting sense of presence to product uncertainties in crafting augmented reality enhanced experiences

Abstract

Grounded in situated cognition theory, this study explores the differential effectiveness of sense of presence (i.e., social vs. spatial presence) created by augmented reality mobile applications (AR apps) in crafting tourists’ AR-enhanced experience under product quality and fit uncertainties. An online survey conducted with 1970 users of tour apps indicates that social presence is more effective than spatial presence in fostering informative customer experiences but less effective in generating entertaining experiences. A field experiment involving 1584 users of a hotel chain’s mobile app corroborates these findings and further demonstrates that when product quality uncertainty is high, the advantage of social presence over spatial presence in promoting informative experiences becomes even more pronounced. Conversely, when product fit quality is high, the benefit of spatial presence over social presence in creating entertaining experiences diminishes. These insights not only contribute valuable knowledge to the study of AR applications in travel and tourism but also offer practical recommendations for businesses on how to optimize the sense of presence in their AR apps to address product uncertainties and enhance customer experience.