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JR Let me imagine that for you 2019-03-21.pdf (997.25 kB)

Let me imagine that for you: transforming the retail frontline through augmenting customer mental imagery ability

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posted on 2023-06-09, 17:21 authored by Jonas Heller, Mathew Chylinski, Ko de Ruyter, Dominik Mahr, Debbie KeelingDebbie Keeling
The rapid development of augmented reality (AR) is reshaping retail frontline operations by enhancing the offline and online customer experience. Drawing on mental imagery theory, this paper develops a conceptual framework to reflect how AR emulates customer’s cognitive processes offloading those to the technology. Consequently, the AR-enabled frontline improves decision comfort, motivates positive WOM and facilitates choice of higher value products. The underlying mechanism is a sequential mediation via improved processing fluency and decision comfort. The findings also demonstrate boundary conditions of customers’ visual processing styles and product contextuality. Object-visualisers benefit more from AR induced imagery processes, and the effect of processing fluency on customer decision comfort is moderated by product contextuality. The results are verified with repeat studies to control for novelty of AR, and a field study that highlights the impact of AR on customers’ choice and spending. We discuss implications for theory and practice of AR-enabled frontline retailing.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Journal of Retailing

ISSN

0022-4359

Publisher

Elsevier

Issue

2

Volume

95

Page range

94-114

Department affiliated with

  • Strategy and Marketing Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-03-28

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-04-16

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-03-21

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