How to use malleable metaverse stores for branding
Testing two proposed metaverse store designs
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12420958 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yongwoog Andrew Jeon (0000-0001-5927-7707, College of Business, Northern Illinois University Department of Marketing, corresponding author), Yao Sun (0000-0002-0108-7828, New Jersey Institute of Technology) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Internet Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1066-2243 • E-ISSN: 2054-5657 |
| Publisher | Emerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1108/intr-09-2024-1456 |
| OpenAlex | W4417180648 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 49 |
Purpose The current study proposes and empirically tests a novel marketing tactic for the metaverse: designing virtual stores differentially to convey different personalities of the same brand. We also examine how these brand personalities, as perceived from virtual store designs, influence customers’ identification with the brand and intention to purchase its products. Design/methodology/approach We conducted three experiments testing two sets of design tactics, which are theoretically feasible but empirically uncertain: tidy (vs stylish messy) and maximalist (vs minimalist) virtual stores. Findings First, we showed that the brand was perceived to be high in competence and sophistication as personality traits when presented in a tidy-style virtual store. Second, the brand was perceived to be high in the active brand personality when presented in a maximalist-style virtual store. The opposite was also observed: the same brand was perceived to be low in the active brand personality when presented in a minimalist-style virtual store. Third, consumers whose personalities are matched with the different store designs more strongly favor the brand and are more likely to buy the products of the brand. This effect was explained by the customers’ personality-based identification with the brand. Research limitations/implications The current study would benefit from testing the models across different categories and brand personalities to enhance generalizability. Practical implications Our findings reveal metaverse marketing tactics utilizing distinct designs of virtual stores that can express the same brand’s differential personalities, which can be tailored to consumer personalities in the metaverse, thereby increasing conversion rates. Originality/value The current studies present novel insights into how store designs influence perceptions of brand personality and shape consumer behavior
Big Five personality traits · Consumer behaviour · Differential effects · Identification (biology · Metaverse · Personality · Personality psychology · Sophistication · AI in Service Interactions · Consumer Retail Behavior Studies · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
Perception and the Representative Design of Psychological Experiments
The role of consumer–brand identification in building brand relationships
An Empirical Examination of the Structural Antecedents of Attitude toward the Ad in an Advertising Pretesting Context
Dimensions of Brand Personality
A single‐item measure of social identification
Metaverse in Human Behavior
Implicit personality theory
Telepresence via Television
Unfolding the impacts of metaverse aspects on telepresence, product knowledge, and purchase intentions in the metaverse stores
Beyond the Turk
Defining Virtual Reality
Consensus in interpersonal perception
The Genesis Effect
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |