The effects of augmented reality on consumer responses in mobile shopping: The moderating role of task complexity

Augmented reality (AR) solutions help facilitate consumers' direct examinations, enhancing their shopping experiences in the digital commerce context. This study examines consumer responses to AR in mobile shopping. It investigates the relationships among perceived media richness, interactivity, telepresence, utilitarian and hedonic values, and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it explores whether these relationships differ depending on consumers’ perceived task complexity. A total of 279 mobile application users participated in the online survey. The participants were guided to answer an online questionnaire after utilizing an AR mobile application to purchase a jewelry product. The findings reveal that media richness and interactivity positively influence telepresence, and telepresence increases behavioral intentions through perceived utilitarian and hedonic values. The effect of interactivity on telepresence and the impact of telepresence on utilitarian value are higher for consumers with low task complexity perception. By contrast, the impact of telepresence on hedonic value is higher for consumers with high task complexity perception. The results suggest practical implications for mobile retailers that apply advanced AR technology in retailing.