Indulging in virtual luxuries: unveiling the allure of impulse buying in metaverse

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to examine consumers’ impulse purchases of luxury products in the metaverse, specifically by exploring how consumers’ motivational and emotional experiences affect virtual luxury product purchases in the metaverse.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was administered to a total of 230 users of various metaverse platforms in China. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) disjoint two-stage approach.

Findings

The findings indicated that motivational experience (goal importance and goal interest) and positive emotion (fantasy, feeling and fun) have positive effects on impulse buying of luxury products in the metaverse, but none for negative emotions (loneliness and isolation).

Practical implications

This study indicated that understanding and leveraging consumers’ motivational experiences and positive emotions can drive their impulse buying behaviour of luxury products in the metaverse, hence providing virtual and brand retailers with a testbed for their products before they launch in the physical market.

Originality/value

This study enriches our comprehension of consumers’ metaverse luxury purchases by delving into the impacts of motivational and emotional experiences on impulse buying behaviours.

Citation

Jee, T.W., Zhao, S.-D., Wee, G.W.-E., Kalantari, H.D. and Wei-Han Tan, G. (2024), "Indulging in virtual luxuries: unveiling the allure of impulse buying in metaverse", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-03-2024-0387