Consumer experience creation in a U-commerce environment: An activity theory perspective

The rapid development of internet of things (IoT), big data and ubiquitous computing is making ubiquitous commerce (U-commerce) the next business wave. U-commerce is a dynamic convergence of the click and mortar world, which empowers consumers to interact with virtual and physical objects within the U-commerce environment. This user involvement creates unique consumer experiences in a U-commerce environment that traditional electronic channels, such as E-commerce, are unable to replicate. Applying Activity Theory, we identify personalized incentive and contextual facilitation which influence consumers' situational involvement and unique experiences in a U-commerce environment. Using 256 valid empirical data, the research results show that (1) contextual facilitation and personalized incentive positively affect consumers' situational involvement and unique experiences, (2) Situational involvement positively affects unique experiences: usability and hedonic experience.