IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v83y2025ics0969698924004545.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Metaverse friends with social benefits: Effects of social identity on the intention to purchase virtual products through site attachment, user engagement, and public self-consciousness

Author

Listed:
  • Kim, Hyojung
  • Yoo, Jungmin
  • Park, Minjung

Abstract

The metaverse has fundamentally transformed remote interactions and retail commerce, providing virtual collaborative workplaces and vibrant digital shopping experiences. This study examines the consumption decisions of digital communities, emphasizing the relationship between metaverse users' social identity and their intention to purchase virtual products, mediated by site attachment and user engagement, and moderated by public self-consciousness. Confirmatory factor analysis and Models 6 and 59 of the PROCESS macro were used to conduct an online survey of 319 female metaverse users from South Korea. The results revealed a direct association between respondents' social identity and their purchase intention. While user engagement mediated this relationship, site attachment did not. Additionally, their social identity positively influenced purchase intention through the serial mediation of both site attachment and user engagement. Furthermore, public self-consciousness partially moderated the influence of social identity on purchase intention and acted as a moderated mediator through enhanced site attachment and user engagement. This study makes a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge on this topic by integrating social identity theory and the public self-consciousness literature within metaverse environments and offers insights to virtual brand marketers into how to facilitate users' emotional bonds and social participation. In particular, strong site attachment alone is not a significant positive predictor of users’ intention to purchase virtual products; user engagement is also important. Hence, shifting the focus toward user experience offers new perspectives of how emotional and social connections drive user behavior in the metaverse.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim, Hyojung & Yoo, Jungmin & Park, Minjung, 2025. "Metaverse friends with social benefits: Effects of social identity on the intention to purchase virtual products through site attachment, user engagement, and public self-consciousness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:83:y:2025:i:c:s0969698924004545
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104158
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698924004545
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104158?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pang, Hua & Zhang, Kaige, 2024. "Determining influence of service quality on user identification, belongingness, and satisfaction on mobile social media: Insight from emotional attachment perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    2. Hsieh, Jung-Kuei, 2023. "The impact of influencers' multi-SNS use on followers’ behavioral intentions: An integration of cue consistency theory and social identity theory," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Bilgihan, Anil & Leong, Aliana Man Wai & Okumus, Fevzi & Bai, Jingyi, 2024. "Proposing a metaverse engagement model for brand development," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    4. Jafar, Rana Muhammad Sohail & Ahmad, Wasim & Sun, Yanming, 2023. "Unfolding the impacts of metaverse aspects on telepresence, product knowledge, and purchase intentions in the metaverse stores," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. Kim, Do Yuon & Lee, Ha Kyung & Chung, Kyunghwa, 2023. "Avatar-mediated experience in the metaverse: The impact of avatar realism on user-avatar relationship," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    6. Richard Bläse & Matthias Filser & Sascha Kraus & Kaisu Puumalainen & Petra Moog, 2024. "Non‐sustainable buying behavior: How the fear of missing out drives purchase intentions in the fast fashion industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 626-641, February.
    7. Hall-Phillips, Adrienne & Park, Joohyung & Chung, Te-Lin & Anaza, Nwamaka A. & Rathod, Sandra R., 2016. "I (heart) social ventures: Identification and social media engagement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 484-491.
    8. Balabanis, George & Stathopoulou, Anastasia, 2021. "The price of social status desire and public self-consciousness in luxury consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 463-475.
    9. Yoo, Kiwoong & Welden, Roman & Hewett, Kelly & Haenlein, Michael, 2023. "The merchants of meta: A research agenda to understand the future of retailing in the metaverse," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 173-192.
    10. Farivar, Samira & Wang, Fang, 2022. "Effective influencer marketing: A social identity perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    11. Nunkoo, Robin & Shukla, Anuja & Mishra, Anubhav, 2024. "The role of temporal distance, conspicuous consumption, and multisensory interfaces on consumer judgments in metaverse," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    12. Wu, Shu-Ling & Hsu, Chiu-Ping, 2018. "Role of authenticity in massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs): Determinants of virtual item purchase intention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 242-249.
    13. Mkedder, Nadjim & Jain, Varsha & Salunke, Parth, 2024. "Determinants of virtual reality stores influencing purchase intention: An interpretive structural modeling approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    14. Recalde, Daniella & Jai, Tunmin Catherine & Jones, Robert Paul, 2024. "I can find the right product with AR! The mediation effects of shopper engagement on intent to purchase beauty products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    15. Ewa Krolikowska & Sven Kuenzel & Alastair M. Morrison, 2020. "The ties that bind: an attachment theory perspective of social bonds in tourism," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(22), pages 2839-2865, November.
    16. Kaufmann, Hans Ruediger & Petrovici, Dan Alex & Filho, Cid Gonçalves & Ayres, Adriano, 2016. "Identifying moderators of brand attachment for driving customer purchase intention of original vs counterfeits of luxury brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5735-5747.
    17. Algharabat, Raed & Rana, Nripendra P. & Alalwan, Ali Abdallah & Baabdullah, Abdullah & Gupta, Ashish, 2020. "Investigating the antecedents of customer brand engagement and consumer-based brand equity in social media," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    18. Chakraborty, Debarun & Polisetty, Aruna & G, Sowmya & Rana, Nripendra P. & Khorana, Sangeeta, 2024. "Unlocking the potential of AI: Enhancing consumer engagement in the beauty and cosmetic product purchases," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    19. Ghali, Zohra & Rather, Raouf Ahmad & Khan, Imran, 2024. "Investigating metaverse marketing-enabled consumers’ social presence, attachment, engagement and (re)visit intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    20. S, Sreejesh & Paul, Justin & Strong, Carolyn & Pius, Jose, 2020. "Consumer response towards social media advertising: Effect of media interactivity, its conditions and the underlying mechanism," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    21. Akhtar, Naeem & Hameed, Zahid & Islam, Tahir & Pant, Manoj Kumar & Sharma, Anshuman & Rather, Raouf Ahmad & Kuzior, Aleksandra, 2024. "Avatars of influence: Understanding how virtual influencers trigger consumer engagement on online booking platforms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    22. Morgan M. Bryant & Rituparna Basu, 2023. "People, profiles, and purchases: Investigating the impact of environmental cues in social commerce," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 2285037-228, December.
    23. Kim, Myung Ja & Lee, Choong-Ki & Bonn, Mark, 2016. "The effect of social capital and altruism on seniors' revisit intention to social network sites for tourism-related purposes," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 96-107.
    24. Park, Min-Sook & Shin, Jong-Kuk & Ju, Yong, 2019. "Attachment styles and electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) adoption on social networking sites," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 398-404.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rahman, Syed Mahmudur & Chowdhury, Noman H. & Bowden, Jana Lay-Hwa & Carlson, Jamie, 2025. "Metaverse platform attributes and customer experience measurement," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. Nunkoo, Robin & Shukla, Anuja & Mishra, Anubhav, 2024. "The role of temporal distance, conspicuous consumption, and multisensory interfaces on consumer judgments in metaverse," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. Ki, Chung-Wha (Chloe) & Chong, Sze Man & Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi & Lam, Magnum Man-Lok & Wong, Christina W.Y., 2025. "Metaverse consumer behavior: Investigating factors driving consumer participation in the transitory metaverse, avatar personalization, and digital fashion adoption," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Shahzad, Khuram & Ashfaq, Muhammad & Zafar, Abaid Ullah & Basahel, Sarah, 2024. "Is the future of the metaverse bleak or bright? Role of realism, facilitators, and inhibitors in metaverse adoption," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    5. Chakraborty, Debarun & Polisetty, Aruna & Rana, Nripendra P., 2024. "Consumers' continuance intention towards metaverse-based virtual stores: A multi-study perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    6. Eggenschwiler, Matthias & Linzmajer, Marc & Roggeveen, Anne L. & Rudolph, Thomas, 2024. "Retailing in the metaverse: A framework of managerial considerations for success," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Zhang, Haowei & Lv, Yang & Zhang, Justin Zuopeng & Hollebeek, Linda D. & Behl, Abhishek & Urbonavicius, Sigitas, 2025. "Exploring purchase intention in metaverse retailing: Insights from an automotive platform," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    8. Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Balakrishnan, Janarthanan & Mishra, Anubhav & Bock, Koen W. De & Al-Busaidi, Adil S., 2024. "The role of embodiment, experience, and self-image expression in creating continuance intention in the metaverse," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    9. Saleem, Tayyaba & Talpur, Qurat-ul-ain & Ishaq, Muhammad Ishtiaq & Raza, Ali & Junaid, Muhammad, 2024. "Exploring the effect of telepresence and escapism on consumer post-purchase intention in an immersive virtual reality environment," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    10. Raed S. Algharabat & Nripendra P. Rana, 0. "Social Commerce in Emerging Markets and its Impact on Online Community Engagement," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-22.
    11. Wang, Bin & Han, Yao & Kandampully, Jay & Lu, Xiaoli, 2025. "How language arousal affects purchase intentions in online retailing? The role of virtual versus human influencers, language typicality, and trust," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    12. Kinzinger, Arno & Steiner, Winfried J. & Tatzgern, Markus & Vallaster, Christine, 2025. "Interactive product presentation in an immersive environment: The influence of functional control on hedonic aspects," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. Roberto Bruni & Annarita Colamatteo & Dušan Mladenović, 2024. "How the metaverse influences marketing and competitive advantage of retailers: predictions and key marketing research priorities," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 965-982, June.
    14. Gleim, Mark R. & McCullough, Heath & Gabler, Colin & Ferrell, Linda & Ferrell, O.C., 2025. "Examining the customer experience in the metaverse retail revolution," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    15. Roh, Taewoo & Xiao, Shufeng & Park, Byung Il, 2024. "What makes metaverse users immersed in the flow state in an emerging market? An application of affordance theory and ISSM," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    16. Mehrotra, Ankit & Agarwal, Reeti & Khalil, Ashraf & Alzeiby, Ebtesam Abdullah & Agarwal, Vaishali, 2024. "Nitty-gritties of customer experience in metaverse retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    17. Ghali, Zohra & Rather, Raouf Ahmad & Abumalloh, Rabab Ali & Ghaderi, Zahed & Nawaz, Muhammad Zahid & Abbasi, Amir Zaib & Jaziri, Dhouha, 2024. "Impact of firm/customer innovativeness and identification on customer value co-creation, happiness and satisfaction," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    18. Aiolfi, Simone & Luceri, Beatrice, 2024. "See you on the Metaverse: A bibliometric expedition through the Metaverse landscape," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    19. Pang, Hua & Ruan, Yang, 2024. "Disentangling composite influences of social connectivity and system interactivity on continuance intention in mobile short video applications: The pivotal moderation of user-perceived benefits," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    20. Xin, Baogui & Song, Yaping & Tan, Hui & Peng, Wei, 2025. "Sustainable digital fashion in a metaverse ecosystem," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:83:y:2025:i:c:s0969698924004545. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.