Impact of Immersive Interface Design on Consumer Perceptions during Online Product Presentation

Augmented Reality (AR) is an immersive technology that is increasingly becoming popular in e-commerce. This technology is transforming the traditional way of product presentations in online stores. However, online retailers are keen to know if an AR-based product presentation is impacting consumers differently from traditional product presentations. In this study, we investigate the influence of immersive user interfaces on consumers' perceptions. We conduct an experiment in a university setting with subjects who test a mobile app enabled with AR, interactive three-dimensional (3D) and traditional representation for products of different complexities. We find that an immersive interface reduces the perceived risk and enhances satisfaction of the consumer, but increases the cognitive load. The first two effects are found to be higher for a more complex product. This study provides guidance to retailers who are planning to adopt immersive technologies for online product presentations about their possible impact on target consumers.