A New Walk in the Future of the Metaverse: Marketing Implications for Consumer Behavior

The metaverse is a lasting 3D virtual and immersive environment where users interact across various devices (Evans, Frith, and Saker 2022; Mystakidis 2022). Key elements include user-generated content, a digital economy, NFTs, virtual identities, human interface technology, and a self-contained system (Abbate et al. 2022; Ahn, Kim, and Kim 2022; Choudhary 2022; Duan et al. 2022; Dwivedi et al. 2023). It gained traction with Neal Stephenson's “Snow Crash” (1992) and platforms such as Second Life and Minecraft. The excitement grew with Oculus Rift's launch and Facebook's acquisition in 2014, and games such as Fortnite were further propelled (Terry and Keeney 2022). The rise of blockchain and NFTs reshaped economic frameworks, and the pandemic accelerated the shift to online interaction, leading to Facebook's rebranding as Meta in 2021 (Freeman 2022). By 2023, discussions on user agency and ethical implications continue as companies strive to create a cohesive digital universe for work and leisure (e.g., Uddin et al. 2024). The metaverse is transforming consumer–brand interactions (e.g., Arya et al. 2024), with businesses projected to generate $1 trillion by 2025 (Accenture 2023). Significant companies such as Meta, Microsoft, and Google invest heavily, while platforms such as Fortnite and Roblox showcase community engagement. Citibank estimates that the global metaverse market could reach trillions by 2030 (Sahiner 2023). Immersion experiences and social ties are meaningful to younger consumers, primarily Gen Z and millennials. To foster customer loyalty, businesses should prioritize virtual fashion, gaming, and community-focused experiences. Trust is increased by using immersive marketing techniques (such as virtual events and customized loyalty programs). A multiplatform approach ensures cohesive messaging, and brands entering this environment must focus on innovation, personalization, and cultural sensitivity to adapt to changing consumer behaviors (e.g., Sharma and Kushwah 2024). Technological advancements and cultural shifts impact consumer behavior in the metaverse, where marketers engage with customers through immersive experiences (e.g., Gao, Chong, and Bao 2024). For younger generations that value interaction and authenticity, social engagement, escapism, self-expression, and entertainment are crucial motivators (see the example of Gucci's limited-edition virtual shop products) regarding how firms may cultivate client loyalty through experiential marketing strategies such as gamification and virtual events (e.g., Kalender and Guzmán 2024). They wish to abandon traditional marketing methods in favor of tailored approaches that use virtual characters and real-time interactions (Sorosrungruang, Ameen, and Hackley 2024). Although these technologies deepen emotional connections, VR and AR raise ethical and privacy concerns (e.g., Egliston, Carter, and Clark 2024). Future studies must examine how sustained involvement affects brands in the digital sphere and how developing technology affects them (Koohang et al. 2023). In future studies, we must understand the long-term impacts of sustained shopper engagement on brand perception within the metaverse. Researchers will analyze how advancements shape marketing practices and user experiences, influencing consumer behaviors, and preferences in this new digital landscape (e.g., Lim et al. 2024). To gain insights into consumer behaviors in this new digital frontier, scholars and researchers must examine how evolving immersive technologies continue to shape marketing practices (e.g., Sattarapu et al. 2024). The articles in this Special Issue (as presented in the following section) deepen into these consumer behavior and marketing implications and offer valuable perspectives on evolution and thriving in the future of the metaverse. The title of the Special Issue captures the complex nature of consumer behavior, engagement, and marketing strategies in the evolving metaverse. The focus of the Special Issue is on consumer behavior, engagement, and marketing strategies, particularly regarding its impact on different consumer segments, notably Generation Z. The articles collectively address (1) critical dimensions of the consumer in the metaverse, (2) the factors influencing adoption and engagement, (3) the role of avatars, (4) the quality and value perceptions of virtual products, (5) psychological ownership, (6) brand interactions, and (7) the intersection of sustainability within this digital landscape. We organize the main topics of the Special Issue into five themes: consumer engagement, user experience, technology adoption, sustainability in the metaverse, and future perspectives. The first group covers (1) consumer behavior insights, especially regarding Gen Z; (2) community engagement through brand interactions and avatars; and (3) marketing implications of immersive experiences and Fintech. The second group focuses on (1) metrics for assessing metaverse experiences; (2) how perceptions of virtual product quality affect physical purchases; (3) psychological ownership linked to avatars and user engagement; and (4) the role of avatars in identity formation and co-creation. The third category includes topics such as exploring intentions behind adopting metaverse applications and user engagement barriers and enablers. The fourth category includes addressing sustainability challenges and advocating for sustainable practices. The last category includes discussing trends in the metaverse and insights into Gen Z behavior. The above broad categories emphasize consumer engagement, user experience, technology adoption, sustainability, and future insights in the metaverse. Below, we present the articles in groups, following a logical flow from foundational concepts to practical applications, where each section appears to build on the previous one. The article “Consumer behavior in the metaverse” by Jaspreet Kaur, Emmanuel Mogaji, Manisha Paliwal, Suchita Jha, Shailja Agarwal, and Stephen Alaba Mogaji, provides a foundational understanding of consumer behavior within the metaverse, particularly focusing on Gen Z. It would serve as a strong opening to define the scope of the issue. The growing interest in the metaverse's marketing potential and its impact on consumer behavior is significant. This study addresses the gaps in understanding Gen Z's interactions within the metaverse by employing a deductive thematic analysis of qualitative data from 63 semistructured interviews, using the Engel–Kollat–Blackwell (EKB) model as a framework. The findings align with the EKB model's stages. Despite initial challenges, participants are eager to engage with the metaverse and encourage others to join, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities for consumers and brands in this space. It offers practical implications for managers, tech developers, and policymakers aiming to boost consumer interest and involvement. In their article “The metaverse experience: A scale development study,” Michela Mingione, Giovanni Mattia, Margherita Materia, and Giuseppe Pedeliento, further the discussion by detailing how to measure the metaverse experience, which is critical to understanding consumer interactions. Understanding the metaverse experience (MEX) is crucial for companies to leverage its potential and meet consumer expectations; the authors develop a scale to identify critical dimensions of MEX and explore which ones enhance consumers' attitudes toward the metaverse, a factor that encourages exploratory behavior. Based on a multistage research design using qualitative and quantitative analysis, the study identifies six dimensions of MEX: sensory/affective, intellectual, behavioral, relational, interoperability, and safety. It finds that the intellectual, behavioral, and relational dimensions are nonsignificant, with the MEX primarily influenced by sensory/emotional, interoperability, and safety dimensions, which directly impact consumer attitudes. This work contributes to the discourse on the metaverse by providing the first tested and reliable scale for measuring MEX. The article “Consumers' adoption intention to metaverse applications: An exploration through fsQCA approach” by Jingbo Yuan, Sayed Kifayat Shah, and Zhiqi Li discusses how adoption intentions help ground the understanding of various user perspectives and configurations influence engagement in the metaverse. The metaverse is a rapidly growing technology enabling consumer interaction within a virtual environment. Understanding the perspectives of potential users is essential. This article, therefore, examines how functional (ease of use, privacy), social (interactivity, presence), and personality (locus of control, openness to experience) factors combine to influence consumer adoption of metaverse applications (M-apps). Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, the study analyzes responses from 372 Chinese M-app users, identifying four distinct configurations of factors that explain adoption. The findings contribute to scholarly understanding and practical applications of M-apps, aiding in customizing metaverse functionality to meet consumer needs. In their article “The future of metaverse adoption: A behavioral reasoning perspective with a text-mining approach,” Anuja Shukla, Anubhav Mishra, Nripendra P. Rana, and Sohom Banerjee complement the previous article by exploring barriers and enablers to metaverse adoption, providing insights into the market's future. The metaverse is considered a major technological innovation, but its acceptance remains uncertain. Initial optimism has waned, and mixed business sentiments indicate a need for a deeper analysis of its limited success. This study utilizes netnography to analyze data from 751 articles and employs structural topic modeling for insights and sentiment analysis. Critical enablers for metaverse acceptance include flexibility, brand experience, human centricity, and virtual retail, while barriers include regulatory issues, usage challenges, financial investment concerns, and skepticism. Social adventure and influence also support adoption under subjective norms. The article adds to the limited literature on metaverse adoption and provides marketers with strategies to leverage its potential. The article “The metaverse: A liquid consumer utopia a journey into Gen Z's usage intention behavior using the TRAM model” by Dina Bassiouni and Hakim Meshreki synthesizes insights into Gen Z's intentions and behaviors and builds on the discussions in previous articles. This article adopts a utopian analytical lens to explore metaverse usage intentions by adapting the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the technology readiness index (TRI) within the TRAM framework. Unlike most qualitative metaverse studies, the authors adopt a quantitative approach to investigate the factors influencing adoption among Gen Z in a developing country. The findings show that the metaverse, to gain traction, must provide an immersive and enjoyable experience, and the critical predictors of usage intention include optimism and perceived enjoyment, while skepticism acts as a barrier. In this article, the authors highlight the interplay between TAM and TRI, shedding light on the cognitive and affective dynamics that shape the acceptance of transformative technology. The article “Exploring avatar selves in the metaverse: Consumer co-creation of experiences” by Amrita Chakraborty, Varsha Jain, and Russell Belk examines the evolving identity of users within the metaverse, adding depth to the personal aspect of consumer interactions. The authors explore how metaverse users co-create experiences and shape their identities through avatars, influenced by social constructionism and narrative identity theory. Using netnography and semistructured interviews, the study reveals that engagement is a two-way exchange, guided by cognitive (informative), conative (presence), and affective (entertainment) factors. This process leads to an altered self, affecting users' engagement with the platform. The article significantly contributes to understanding the evolving self in the metaverse. In their article “Creating a metaverse-me: Exploring the consumer avatar creation process,” Alex Taylor, Margurite Hook, Tanya Carlyle, and Jamie Carlson offer insights into the complexities of avatar creation and user engagement. Challenges hinder consumer adoption of the metaverse in avatar creation, and the article explores users' reluctance to engage and focuses on avatars (as virtual representations). Based on interviews, the authors present a framework for the avatar creation process, which includes consolidation, exploration, affirmation, and aspiration. The findings reveal that avatars extend real-world identities and influence consumer behavior. These insights are valuable for marketers aiming to create consumer-centric metaverse strategies and for researchers studying immersive consumption environments. The article “MV-QUAL: A tool for understanding decisions to purchase virtual products in the metaverse” by Fabienne Cadet, John Gironda, Bay O'Leary, and Maria Petrescu ties nicely into consumer decision-making processes, with a focus on quality perceptions in metaverse shopping. The authors introduce the metaverse quality (MV-Qual) scale, analyzing factors influencing consumer perceptions of quality and value when purchasing virtual products in the metaverse. Using flow theory and SERVQUAL, they develop a framework based on data from 322 U.S. users, employing partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS and neural network analysis in Neusrel, which leads to interesting, vital findings. Factors such as control, vividness, avatar design, rarity, and resale value affect metaverse store quality and perceived product value and influence purchasing intentions. Therefore, the study enhances understanding of consumer behavior in the metaverse and provides a valuable tool for marketing researchers and practitioners to improve the consumer experience. In their article “Purchase spillovers from the metaverse to the real world: The roles of social presence, trialability, and customer experience,” Shafayet Mansoor, Syed Mahmudur Rahman, and Jana Lay-Hwa Bowden introduce the idea of how experiences in the metaverse influence real-world behavior, connecting the virtual and physical realms. The authors explore U.S. metaverse users to identify critical factors, such as social presence and trialability, which enhance customer experiences, and they show that positive metaverse experiences can boost purchases in traditional retail, contributing to the omnichannel retail conversation. The study also distinguishes the effects of early versus long-term users on intentions to return to metaverse platforms. The authors provide a model to predict customer behaviors in the metaverse and highlight its role as an influential extension of real-world consumption. Managers are encouraged to invest in creating engaging experiences on metaverse platforms to sustain user interest and drive brand strategies that benefit both brands and customers. The article “Psychological ownership of avatars in the metaverse: Its key antecedents and outcomes” by Jinsu Park and Hye-Young Kim explores the concept of psychological ownership. It enriches the discussion of identity and user attachment within the metaverse. The authors investigate the factors influencing the psychological ownership of avatars in the metaverse and how virtual currency acquisition methods affect this relationship. The study is focused on the data analysis from 252 Zepeto users using PLS-SEM. The authors find that control, intimate knowledge, and investment in self-enhance avatar ownership extend to virtual products. A reward system for virtual currency enhances ownership transfer and influences the intention to buy related real-world products. The article highlights the link between digital experiences and real-world consumer behavior. In their article “Exploring consumer participation in brand metaverse communities, focusing on the metaverse features—Fantasy experiences and self-expansion,” Namhee Yoon, Dooyoung Choi, and Ha Kyung Lee examine how consumers engage in brand communities within the metaverse, transitioning into brand interactions. The authors investigate how consumers' intentions to create brand communities are affected by their fantasy experiences in virtual stores, where they immerse themselves in sensory-rich environments by applying self-expansion theory. The study explores how these experiences mediate the relationship between fantasy experiences and brand community intentions. A survey of 196 Zepeto users reveals that fantasy experiences positively impact engagement in metaverse brand communities. Those who fully participate tend to expand their sense of self, resulting in more active involvement. Additionally, prior engagement in the metaverse enhances the impact of fantasy experiences on self-expansion and community participation intentions. The article by “Decoding millennials and generation Z consumers' brand behaviors in the Metaverse: The relationships among avatar identification, self-presence, and psychological dynamics” by Mikyoung Kim, Hyun Jung Oh, Ji Hye Choi, and Yumi Jung furthers the discussion on brand engagement by focusing on specific consumer segments, adding depth to brand dynamics. This study explores how consumer avatar identification impacts purchase intentions in the metaverse, focusing on self-presence, emotional closeness, and brand strategy appropriateness. Based on an online survey of 312 participants aged 18–42 (millennials and Generation Z), the findings reveal that wishful identification enhances self-presence and emotional closeness more than similarity identification. Emotional closeness enhances the perceived appropriateness of brand strategies and influences purchase intentions. The article highlights that wishful identification affects consumer behavior and brand perceptions, emphasizing the need to understand avatar relationships. In their article “The impact of immersive and flow experiences on consumer participation in hyper-connected shopping platforms: A metaverse perspective,” Zeling Zhong and Manel Hamouda examine the factors driving consumer participation in shopping experiences, linking back to marketing strategies. The metaverse is attracting more and more customers, and its retailing potential is clear, but more research is needed to determine how it affects consumer behavior. This study uses data from 262 customers to examine interactions within this highly networked buying environment. The results illustrate the importance of trust, immersion, and flow in metaverse buying by demonstrating how customer perceptions of metaverse affordances impact self-efficacy. One important factor influencing participation is perceived enjoyment, which provides information to improve customer involvement in this area. The article “Metaverse metamorphosis: Fintech's evolution catalyzing new era of consumer behavior” by Antora Dutta and Saumya Singh adds a unique angle by discussing how Fintech is evolving in the metaverse and its implications for consumer behavior. The boundaries between the real and virtual worlds are becoming increasingly hazy due to the rapid improvements in digital technology, opening the door for a metaverse. The Fintech industry is leading this movement, which has the potential to revolutionize the game in the following decades. The authors examine the critical elements of the metaverse and how it affects Fintech, specifically in terms of improving consumer behavior through advertising psychology, user identity, and social perception. Through a thematic analysis, the study sheds insight into how the metaverse economy affects consumer behavior and market dynamics, which eventually helps create predictive models to spot new trends. In their article “Sustainability meets metaverse: A framework of sustainable dimensions of the and address the important topic of sustainability in the of the metaverse, providing a crucial The of the metaverse is changing consumers' online and experiences. a on sustainability in both online and concerns increased on and consumers to adopt sustainable practices. The authors introduce a framework that sustainability with the metaverse. 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