Antecedents of consumers’ purchase intention in metaverse commerce: a technology affordance perspective

Purpose Despite metaverse technology having attracted increasing attention from scholars, there are still limited studies that empirically examine the salient antecedents of purchase intention in metaverse commerce. According to the S-O-R framework and technology affordance theory, our study explores the effect of metaverse affordance on purchase intention through the mediation of immersive and vicarious experiences in metaverse commerce. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 255 consumers who have used metaverse technology on Tmall, and structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the research hypotheses. Findings Our findings reveal that metaverse affordance positively affects immersive experience and vicarious experience, which in turn enhance purchase intention. Particularly, we find that consumers with higher familiarity are more influenced by metaverse affordance. Originality/value Our study extends affordance theory by conceptualizing metaverse affordance and contributes to metaverse research by unveiling the positive impact of metaverse affordance on consumer experiences and purchase intention in metaverse commerce.