Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
The present study examines the impact of anthropomorphism and augmented reality (AR) on consumers’ attitudes and intention to adopt m-commerce. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted amongst 541 Executive MBA students who had never previously used AR-mediated m-commerce to purchase merchandise from a retail brand. SPSS and AMOS 21 were used to construct a structural equation model to test our conceptual model. The results indicate that anthropomorphization of AR-mediated m-commerce positively affects consumer confidence, perception of innovativeness, and subjective norms attributed to AR-mediated m-commerce, which in-turn positively affect the attitude toward AR-mediated m-commerce. Simultaneously, anthropomorphization of AR-mediated m-commerce negatively affects cynicism and product usage obstructions, whereas cynicism negatively affects attitudes toward AR-mediated m-commerce. Consequently, the study establishes that anthropomorphizing AR-mediated m-commerce positively affects attitude, and it promotes the adoption of m-commerce. This information is crucial for retail industries in emerging markets, and it fills a notable knowledge gap in the AR and m-commerce literature by demonstrating that anthropomorphism helps to stimulate consumer confidence and dispel consumer doubts about AR-mediated m-commerce. It also validates the replacement of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness with confidence and cynicism when applying the technology acceptance model in emerging markets.
Manchanda et al. (Tue,) studied this question.