All talk and no trousers

: a social influence perspective on drivers of metaverse use

Abstract

So Hiro’s not actually here at all. He’s in a computer-generated universe that his computer is drawing onto his goggles and pumping into his earphones. In the lingo, this imaginary place is known as the Metaverse. (Stephenson, 1992) With an ever-growing number of brands investing in their Metaverse presence, literature must fill the gap regarding users’ consumption behaviour on the Metaverse. This study set out to examine the individual- and social influence factors driving users' intention to use the Metaverse as well as the moderating role of fashion clothing product involvement. An online survey composed of 322 participants was administered to test out hypotheses. Results show that purposive value, personal innovativeness and external subjective norm explain intention to use the Metaverse and should be taken into account by brands when considering the process of entering the Metaverse. Findings also support the moderating effect of fashion clothing product involvement on the relation between social identity and intention to use. The study adds to extant research by being the first to implement a Social influence Model on the Metaverse and investigating not previously-tested relationships. From a managerial outlook, it provides theoretical support for fashion (and other) brands willing to enter the Metaverse, by explaining drivers of Metaverse use and pointing out users’ expectations regarding this new technology.

Date of Award	1 Mar 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Susana Silva (Supervisor) & Roberta De Cicco (Co-Supervisor)