Grounded in the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, this study investigates how five key metaverse attributes – vividness, innovation, immersion, interactivity and novelty – enhance brand coolness in the travel and tourism sector. It further examines how these heightened perceptions of brand coolness, in turn, drive consumers’ brand patronage intentions. In addition, the moderating effect of tourist involvement on these relationships is evaluated.
The research employs a quantitative, cross-sectional design using an online survey. Data were collected from 346 respondents who had prior experience with metaverse-based travel applications. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling to assess the direct and mediating effects. A moderated mediation analysis (Hayes’ PROCESS Macro Model 59) was conducted to examine the influence of tourist involvement on the overall relationships.
All five metaverse attributes were found to significantly enhance perceptions of brand coolness, which in turn positively influences brand patronage intentions. The analysis confirms that brand coolness serves as a pivotal mediating mechanism linking metaverse attributes to patronage intentions. Furthermore, tourist involvement acts as a significant moderator: the positive effects of metaverse attributes on brand coolness and of brand coolness on patronage intentions are stronger for highly involved tourists. In other words, metaverse-driven branding efforts elicit the most pronounced positive responses among tourists with high involvement.
As a cross-sectional survey based on self-reported data, this study is limited in its ability to infer causality and may be subject to common method biases. Moreover, the sample is drawn from the Indian travel and tourism context, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other countries or cultural settings. Future research should consider longitudinal or experimental designs, multi-method approaches and cross-cultural samples to validate and extend these results.
Travel and tourism brands can leverage metaverse attributes to enhance the perceived coolness of their brands and thereby cultivate stronger customer loyalty and patronage. Offering highly involved tourists vivid, immersive and interactive metaverse experiences can amplify consumer engagement and positive word-of-mouth advocacy. Managers are advised to invest strategically in metaverse technologies and personalized virtual content as a means of differentiating their brands and sustain a competitive advantage in the emerging virtual tourism marketplace.
This study enriches the digital marketing and consumer behavior literature by empirically validating the S-O-R framework in a metaverse tourism context. It demonstrates the pivotal role of brand coolness as a mediator between metaverse technology attributes and brand patronage intentions. It also provides novel insight into how tourist involvement magnifies the effectiveness of metaverse-driven brand strategies. These findings offer fresh theoretical and practical knowledge on consumer engagement in virtual environments, highlighting how metaverse branding can shape long-term brand relationships in the travel and tourism industry.
