Avatar personalisation vs. privacy in a virtual try-on app for apparel shopping

ABSTRACT Virtual try-on (VTO) apps are now used by many fashion consumers, but VTOs for the apparel category have met with resistance. This study examines privacy concern, body image and social value as antecedents to adoption intention towards an apparel VTO with two types of photorealistic avatars. Twenty users first tried out the app in lab sessions, then 301 completed an online survey with a video of the VTO. A majority of participants were concerned about potential misuse of their uploaded picture and preferred to use a pre-loaded avatar of a model with a similar body. This option explains why privacy concern had a weak negative impact on adoption intention in our model, albeit at the expense of self-presentation benefits. The trait of privacy disposition best predicted consumer responses overall, yet other motives were also revealed. Discussed are the implications of this study’s results and limitations to privacy calculus research.