The perceived value of digital fashion product and purchase intention: the mediating role of the flow experience in metaverse platforms

PurposeThis paper aims to explore digital fashion products in the metaverse platform contexts and empirically examine the effect of the metaverse platform characteristics on the purchase intention of digital fashion products through users' flow experience and perceived value of the products.Design/methodology/approachA survey method was used in this study. Answers from 314 metaverse users were analyzed, and the hypotheses were tested using the structural equations modeling and bootstrapping analysis.FindingsThe analyses showed that telepresence, social interaction and economic flow had significant effects on users' flow experience among the metaverse platform characteristics, while the continuity and content creation of the metaverse platform did not have significant effects. The flow experience also appeared to have significant effects on multiple consumption values, including pleasure value, self-expression value and economic value. Last, the perceived pleasure value and economic value of digital fashion products had a positive effect on purchase intention.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this research is that it is one of the first empirical attempts to investigate individual consumers' perceptions and experiences of digital fashion products in the context of metaverse platforms.