Will I virtually try and buy? – exploring the adoption of virtual fitting rooms through the lens of perceived value, risk, and consumer characteristics

Despite the potential of Virtual Fitting Rooms in overcoming the difficulties of online shopping, online retailers are grappling to expedite their widespread adoption. By integrating the technology acceptance model and perceived risk theory, this study validates a comprehensive framework to examine the impact of perceived value and perceived risk on their adoption. A cross-sectional survey-based research design was adopted using structural equation modelling and process macro. The results reflect that while perceived value positively impacts consumers' behavioural intention to use VFRs, perceived risk exhibited an inverse relationship with the consumers' behavioural intention to use VFRs. Also, the results confirm consumers' behavioural intention to use the VFRs exerted a significant impact on VFRs adoption. Additionally, it was found that while consumer self-confidence moderates the relationship between perceived value, perceived risk and consumer behavioural intention, consumer innovativeness has no moderation effect on the relationship between perceived value, perceived risk and consumer behavioural intention to use VFRs. This study provides novel insights to online retailers and web designers to design appropriate strategies to integrate VFRs into their systems and enhance consumers'shopping experience.