Metaverse Fashion Retail in the Nordics: Future Signals and Buyer Personas
Haukka, Kia (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024120231994
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024120231994
Tiivistelmä
The emergence of the metaverse is reshaping the landscape of retail. Metaverse fashion retail introduces significant opportunities to integrate sensory-rich experiences into virtual environments, presenting both opportunities and challenges. By examining how users perceive value, trust, and connectivity, this study aims to shed light on what drives consumer adoption in a virtual retail context, moving beyond traditional physical shopping experiences.
The primary objective of this study was to uncover key expectations, motivations, and barriers that Nordic consumers may have regarding fashion retail in the metaverse. In particular, the research examines how established frameworks, such as the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Metcalfe’s Law, can offer insights into technology adoption in virtual retail spaces. These frameworks help contextualize how consumers might engage with new retail environments and highlight the potential obstacles for widespread acceptance.
A mixed-method approach was employed to gather consumer perspectives on fashion retail in the metaverse. The study combined both quantitative surveys and qualitative in-person interviews. The empirical phase included an online survey, followed by in-person interviews. Participants were Nordic consumers without any prerequisite experience in the Metaverse or virtual shopping. Interviews also included demonstrations using VR headsets, offering insight into consumer attitudes through actual user experiences. The research resulted in the creation of three buyer personas to further understand the diverse preferences and behaviours of the target audience, and to act as a starting point for fashion retailers in their customer journey building.
Findings revealed that more than half of survey respondents expressed a neutral or positive attitude toward purchasing fashion items in the metaverse. Most participants preferred VR shopping from home, in a realistic-looking virtual store, and were enthusiastic about using virtual fitting rooms (VFRs) and customizing products. Less than 15% of consumers indicated that shopping in the metaverse would reduce their current offline or online shopping habits, instead viewing metaverse fashion retail as an additional avenue for shopping.
This research contributes valuable insights to the growing field of metaverse retail, combining theoretical frameworks with practical insights into buyer behaviour, and providing new insights into the relationship between fashion retailers and Nordic consumers, particularly in the context of shopping for apparel in online and virtual environments. These results support and extend the findings of previous studies, reinforcing previously observed trends in technology adaptation of retail consumers. Future studies should explore how to further develop immersive and user-centric fashion retail experiences in virtual spaces.
The primary objective of this study was to uncover key expectations, motivations, and barriers that Nordic consumers may have regarding fashion retail in the metaverse. In particular, the research examines how established frameworks, such as the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Metcalfe’s Law, can offer insights into technology adoption in virtual retail spaces. These frameworks help contextualize how consumers might engage with new retail environments and highlight the potential obstacles for widespread acceptance.
A mixed-method approach was employed to gather consumer perspectives on fashion retail in the metaverse. The study combined both quantitative surveys and qualitative in-person interviews. The empirical phase included an online survey, followed by in-person interviews. Participants were Nordic consumers without any prerequisite experience in the Metaverse or virtual shopping. Interviews also included demonstrations using VR headsets, offering insight into consumer attitudes through actual user experiences. The research resulted in the creation of three buyer personas to further understand the diverse preferences and behaviours of the target audience, and to act as a starting point for fashion retailers in their customer journey building.
Findings revealed that more than half of survey respondents expressed a neutral or positive attitude toward purchasing fashion items in the metaverse. Most participants preferred VR shopping from home, in a realistic-looking virtual store, and were enthusiastic about using virtual fitting rooms (VFRs) and customizing products. Less than 15% of consumers indicated that shopping in the metaverse would reduce their current offline or online shopping habits, instead viewing metaverse fashion retail as an additional avenue for shopping.
This research contributes valuable insights to the growing field of metaverse retail, combining theoretical frameworks with practical insights into buyer behaviour, and providing new insights into the relationship between fashion retailers and Nordic consumers, particularly in the context of shopping for apparel in online and virtual environments. These results support and extend the findings of previous studies, reinforcing previously observed trends in technology adaptation of retail consumers. Future studies should explore how to further develop immersive and user-centric fashion retail experiences in virtual spaces.