How Body Esteem Influences Virtual Model Selection and Intention to Use Virtual Fitting Rooms

TL;DR

This study explores how body esteem affects consumer choices and trust in virtual fitting rooms, showing that higher body esteem leads to greater trust and usage intentions.

Contribution

The study introduces new insights on how body esteem influences virtual model selection and usage intentions in virtual fitting rooms.

Findings

Consumers with high body esteem prefer virtual models with body sizes congruent to their own.

High body esteem consumers are more likely to trust virtual models and use virtual fitting rooms.

Preferences for thin models and uniqueness moderate the relationship between body esteem and model selection.

Abstract

Virtual fitting rooms have come a long way, incorporating augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and body scanning technologies to enhance the shopping experience. While the extant literature has provided systematic examinations of consumers’ experience for virtual fitting rooms, factors that affect consumers’ virtual model selection and intention to use virtual fitting rooms remain understudied. This study aims to explore how consumers’ body esteem influences virtual model selection, trust in virtual models, and intention to use virtual fitting rooms. The results of an empirical study in China showed that consumers with high (vs. low) body esteem were more willing to select virtual models with body sizes that were congruent with (vs. larger than) their own, and they were more likely to trust virtual models and use virtual fitting rooms. The preference for thin models and the need for uniqueness produced a moderating effect. These results provide valuable insights into consumers’ intention to use virtual fitting rooms in e-commerce.

Figures