Digital fashion and metaverse platforms: Do platform attributes drive shopper's purchase intention?

This study aims to understand consumer behavior in fashion shopping on the Metaverse platforms. It proposes a behavioral model grounded on a stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, where the platform attributes namely interactivity, personalization, and sociability act as stimuli to activate the experiential (utilitarian and hedonic value) and immersive responses, which in turn drive the purchase intention of digital fashion shoppers. The moderating role of shoppers' personal characteristics is also tested. Survey data of 327 users of Metaverse platforms are used to test the proposed model. DRESSX, a multibrand fashion retailer offering branded nonfungible tokens (BNFTs) in the form of digital clothing and accessories, is used to simulate the Metaverse. The results show that personalization is the strongest platform attribute offering experiential value, and sociability features of the platform play the key role in driving immersiveness. Furthermore, both experiential value and immersiveness drive the shoppers' purchase intention.JEL Code: M30 Marketing and Advertising: General