Restorative experiences and online tourists’ willingness to pay a price premium in an augmented reality environment

Abstract

This study examined the effects of the restorative experience triggered by empowerment features in augmented reality (AR) on online tourists’ immersion and willingness to pay a price premium in the pre-purchase phase. The study focused in particular on the coherence and compatibility perspectives of the restorative experience. A scenario survey was conducted to validate the research framework. The research findings clarified the psychological mechanism behind the willingness to pay a price premium in AR-empowered online travel experiences. They indicated that the two AR empowerment features namely environmental embedding and simulated physical control generate restorative experience, which further fostered immersion and ultimately resulted in the willingness to pay more. The results may help online tourism services select appropriate AR empowerment features that will incite tourists to pay a premium price and also help create an effective AR tourism destination experience in the pre-purchase phase. This study focused on the attention restoration theory, empowerment paradigms, and AR-based service technology to develop an integrated conceptual framework of the relationship among AR empowerment features, restorative experience, immersion, and pre-purchase decision-making behavior.