Is Augmented Reality Technology an Effective Tool for E-commerce? An Interactivity and Vividness Perspective

- AR-based product presentations generally provide effective communication benefits compared to web-based product presentations.
- The positive relationship between interactivity/vividness and usefulness/enjoyment is mediated by a sense of immersion.
- The greater consumers' perceived media usefulness/enjoyment in using AR, the more positive the attitude toward AR.
- The greater consumers' perceived AR media novelty, the greater is consumers' immersive AR experience.
- The greater previous media experience with AR, the lower is consumers' perceived AR media novelty.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR) as an e-commerce tool using two products - sunglasses and watches. Study 1 explores the effectiveness of AR by comparing it to a conventional website. The results show that AR provides effective communication benefits by generating greater novelty, immersion, enjoyment, and usefulness, resulting in positive attitudes toward medium and purchase intention, compared to the web-based product presentations. Study 2 compares the paths by which consumers evaluate products through AR versus web with a focus on interactivity and vividness. It is revealed that immersion mediates the relationship between interactivity/vividness and two outcome variables - usefulness and enjoyment in the AR condition compared to the web condition where no significant paths between interactivity and immersion and between previous media experience and media novelty are found. Participants' subjective opinions about AR are examined through opinion mining to better understand consumer responses to AR.