The mediation effect of marketing activities toward augmented reality: the perspective of extended customer experience

Abstract

Purpose In this era of smartphone applications, brands are actively developing applications to occupy the consumer’s mobile phone space, adding many practical functions to their applications to increase brand exposure or consumer interest in the brand. Augmented reality (AR) has evolved rapidly in the past decade because of technological breakthroughs, making AR no longer an untouchable technology, but one that can be easily used on almost every phone. Therefore, this study aims to combine extended customer experience with AR marketing activities to explain and predict usage and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach The eight key factors integrated into the extended customer experience are used as environmental stimulation factors, and Wanna Kicks and FitGlasses are used as experimental environments. A total of 193 valid samples were collected from users with AR experience. The empirical data is processed and verified by partial least squares in this study. Findings Customer experience has received increasing attention in the field of marketing research. This study developed a model to evaluate the antecedents and consequences of AR marketing activities by systematically adding customer experience, continuance intention, purchase intention and customer engagement, and then linking them to the AR application environment. This study presents the academic and practical implications, which can provide future research directions and references for brand marketing strategies and AR applications. Originality/value This study adds interactivity, vividness, perceived usefulness and novelty to the extended concept of customer experience. Therefore, the authors proposed that the extended customer experience can be used to measure the perceptions related to AR applications. This study is expected to provide scholars and practitioners in AR fields with a better understanding of the causes and consequences of customer experience with innovative technologies and to suggest effective marketing recommendations.