Crafting Experiences That “Feel Right”: Regulatory Alignment as the Key to Experiential Resonance and Consumer Action in Phygital Retail

The integration of digital technologies into physical retail has given rise to phygital experiences, yet their effectiveness remains inconsistent. Drawing on regulatory fit theory, this study examines how immersive continuity and interactive augmentation shape consumer behavior through motivational alignment. Using a multi-study design that combines field data on actual spending with PLS-SEM analysis, the findings reveal that these experience features do not exert uniform direct effects. Instead, their impact depends on alignment with consumers’ regulatory mode, which determines the extent to which the experience is perceived as “feeling right.” Perceived regulatory fit drives both purchase behavior and spending, with experiential resonance serving as a key mediating mechanism. The study advances a contingent, mechanism-based understanding of phygital experience design.