Augmented reality in E-Commerce: A dual value and barrier-based perspective on Gen Z's satisfaction and AR-Integrated shopping behavior

Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a cornerstone in online retail environments, providing immersive experiences for consumers and transforming their interactions with digital storefronts. However, while AR has presented consumers with novel avenues, its widespread adoption hinges on a delicate balance between consumers' gratifications and the digital vulnerabilities to which they are exposed. Understanding how consumers process these immersive digital experiences and their associated psychological drawbacks has become crucial. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, this study examines the hedonic and utilitarian benefits of AR features on e-commerce platforms and how these experiences influence adoption intentions and overall well-being among Gen Z consumers. The respondent dataset of 836 Gen Z consumers was analyzed through PLS-SEM, multigroup analysis, and predictive analysis techniques, including CVPAT and PLSPredict. Initial findings reveal that both hedonic and utilitarian benefits significantly enhance perceived satisfaction, which in turn mediates successful adoption intentions of AR. Privacy concerns and technological anxiety, through their negative influence, dampen the satisfaction dimension and disrupt benefit-outcome pathways. Multigroup gender analysis further reveals that males are more hedonically driven, whereas females are more utility-driven. The study contributes to the AR adoption literature by offering actionable insights for consumer-centered AR integration in e-commerce.