Exploring the stimulating role of augmented reality features in E-commerce: A three-staged hybrid approach

The application of Augmented Reality (AR) in business applications has seen colossal growth in recent years with even healthier future growth expectations. To advance the understanding of the paramount role played by AR features in shaping consumers' perceptions and behaviors. Applying a mixed-method approach, this study endeavors to contextualize the Stimuli-Organism-Response (S–O-R) framework in a novel context of AR retailing. Specifically, this study aims to determine the key influential AR features in the context of e-commerce and explores their relevant effects on facilitating consumers' in-depth understanding of the products and producing a playful atmosphere for customers resulting in enhanced consumer experiences. A three-stage hybrid research design is adopted in this study. First, an in-depth qualitative interview is applied to produce a comprehensive list of context-dependent key AR features. The SEM analysis using survey data in stage two and the artificial neural network (ANN) analytical technique in stage three unveil how the AR features influence customers’ different reactions and rank the significance of AR features. Some cardinal theoretical and practical implications are also provided in the end.