Unlocking the impact of brand engagement in the metaverse on Real-World purchase intentions: Analyzing Pre-Adoption behavior in a futuristic technology platform

Abstract

We propose metaverse as a medium for customer brand active engagement and for stimulating the purchase intentions towards a brand in real world. The participants recruited for the study were Gen Z respondents who are the main adopters of metaverse. ‘Nikeland’ in Roblox (one of the successful early versions of metaverse) was chosen as the experiential space for the participants. The results indicated that the new age consumers are looking forward to metaverse as futuristic technology platform and reported that interactivity (user active control, two-way communication, synchronicity) in the metaverse world positively impacts the consumers’ experience of brand trust, brand knowledge and brand attachment which in turn impact the brand active engagement leading to ‘consumer purchase intention of the product experienced in metaverse’ in the real world. The marketers and advertisers can engage customers in metaverse through initiatives like Digital bill boards, NFTs, virtual events, virtual tours, virtual avatars and virtual stores.