Investigating the effect of augmented reality on customer brand engagement: The mediating role of technology attributes

Abstract

Increasing customer participation and engagement with the brand has become prominent to increase customer brand experience along the customer journey. Technological advancement and the growth in Augmented reality (AR) provide marketers with promising opportunities to engage customers. This study investigated the effect of augmented reality on customer brand engagement (CBE); the technology attributes based on the Technology acceptance model (TAM); perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and enjoyment were used as a mediator. An experiment was conducted on females in Egypt on a cosmetic AR Mobile application. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to identify the relationships of AR attributes, technology attributes, and customer brand engagement. All the hypotheses were statistically supported. The findings confirmed that augmented reality attributes positively affect customer brand engagement. Additionally, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and enjoyment mediated the indirect and positive effects on CBE. The research provides marketers with practical implications for using AR technology.