Consumer brand choice in the metaverse
Exploring personal and social factors
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21402186 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aline Simonetti (0000-0001-9433-3479, Universitat de València), Enrique Bigné (0000-0002-6529-7605, Universitat de València, corresponding author), Luis Fernando Rico Navas (Mind) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 213 |
| Pages | 124033 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Technological Forecasting and Social Change (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0040-1625 • E-ISSN: 1873-5509 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124033 |
| OpenAlex | W4407185961 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 67 |
Brands increasingly consider the metaverse a promising touchpoint for customer-brand interactions. This study investigates consumers' willingness to pay for brands in the metaverse when a default-free option exists. It examines how social contexts influence these decisions. Additionally, we assess the similarities between virtual and real-life purchase decisions. We apply the theoretical lenses of psychological motives, including self-identity, group identity, and status, alongside the theory of consumption values to identify drivers of branded purchase decisions. In a cross-cultural survey experiment, participants were asked to choose a phone for their avatars, encountering branded and free-of-charge options. We manipulated the social context (friends or strangers) and recorded preferences for real-life consumption. Results show that most consumers allocate their virtual budget to acquire a branded phone rather than take the free option, regardless of social company. The selected brand often mirrors the brand owned in real life and mostly reflects the brand that best represents the consumer. Status-seeking behavior increases branded-product choices, while group identity motivates choosing a brand that represents the consumer. This study advances the understanding of consumer purchase behavior in the metaverse as an omnipresent virtual extension of real life by highlighting psychological and value-driven mechanisms underlying virtual brand decisions. • Consumers are willing to pay for virtual branded products in the metaverse. • The presence of others, avatars, does not change the willingness to pay pattern • Real life possession affects brand choice in the metaverse. • Status-seeking is related to choosing a branded virtual product
Advertising · Business · Consumer behaviour · Social science · Social worlds · Sociology · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Consumer Retail Behavior Studies · Diverse Topics in Contemporary Research · Marketing
The Metaverse
Identity-based consumer behavior
Metaverse marketing
Metaverse beyond the hype
Status Consumption in Consumer Behavior
Hedonic Consumption
Understanding the intention-behavior gap
Why we buy what we buy
A Framework for Conceptual Contributions in Marketing
Money, possessions, and ownership in the Metaverse
Mental Imagery
The sweet escape to metaverse
Why do people purchase virtual goods? A uses and gratification (U&G) theory perspective
From theory to practice
My doctor is an avatar! The effect of anthropomorphism and emotional receptivity on individuals' intention to use digital-based healthcare services
A review of the key challenges of non-fungible tokens
Consumers' continuance intention towards metaverse-based virtual stores
The role of embodiment, experience, and self-image expression in creating continuance intention in the metaverse
More Than Just Talk on the Move
The Ideal Elf
Why users purchase virtual products in MMORPG? An integrative perspective of social presence and user engagement
How to understand “salable fake goods” and “unsalable quality goods”? An insight from the view of quality responsibility and consumers’ brand loyalty
Possessions and the Extended Self
Self-Construal, Reference Groups, and Brand Meaning
Consumer Culture Theory (CCT)
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |