The role of augmented reality in the customer shopping experience

Purpose This article aims to explore the potential of augmented reality (AR) to enhance the customer shopping experience in the furniture industry. It aims to investigate how AR mobile apps can be used to provide a hedonic and utilitarian shopping experience for customers. Design/methodology/approach W administered an online questionnaire to 180 customers of the company “Cubitte Concept” (www.cubitteconcept.com), which specializes in the manufacture and design of furniture. This company allowed us to contact these customers to disseminate the questionnaire for gathering relevant information. Data collection lasted approximately three months, from July 3rd to October 5th, 2023, yielding 150 valid responses, which represented 85% of all collected questionnaires. The small sample size is justified by the problem of access to our target group, who are reluctant to be questioned in any way and try at all costs to protect their opinions and privacy. The following table describes the main characteristics of the sample. Findings The results indicate that customer experience, with its three hedonic, cognitive and utilitarian dimensions – along with interactivity, performance expectancy and effort expectancy – have a significant impact on purchase intention. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this investigation may open up future avenues of research where we can further explore the impact of AR technology on customer experience and purchase intention in other sectors, as well as study the moderating effects individual, social and cultural factors. Practical implications While the practical implications can help retailers develop effective strategies for integrating AR into their online shopping experiences. By understanding the potential benefits and challenges associated with AR, retailers can make informed decisions about its implementation and design effective AR applications that improve customer engagement and satisfaction. Therefore, these findings present an opportunity for a comprehensive understanding of how AR influences consumer behavior, empowering stakeholders to refine and optimize their AR marketing strategies. Notably, in Tunisia, AR usage is commonplace in the furniture industry. However, based on this study’s insights, we advocate for broader adoption and integration of AR across diverse sectors, including education, tourism, ready-to-wear and beyond. Originality/value This study presents a unique and novel analysis of AR in the furniture industry and contributes to the current understanding of the use of technology to enhance the customer experience and provide recommendations to professionals looking to implement augmented reality in their marketing strategy.