Table 1. Theoretical approach to AR and... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1.

Theoretical approach to AR and VR

Theoretical framework	Explanation	Related variables	Representative research
Decision fluency	Describes how vivid mental images and easy information processing improve decision comfort and influence consumer behaviour	Mental imagery, mental intangibility, processing fluency and decision comfort	Heller et al. (2019a), Hilken, Chylinski, et al. (2022)
Spatial presence theory	Explains how AR and VR shape users’ sense of location. VR creates telepresence (being in the virtual world), while AR creates local presence (virtual objects appearing in the real world), both affecting perceived closeness	Telepresence, local presence, closeness	Wirth et al. (2007), Hilken et al. (2017), Rauschnabel et al. (2024)
Technology acceptance model	Explains how perceived usefulness and ease of use influence users’ attitudes and intentions to adopt a technology	Perceived usefulness, ease of use and enjoyment	Manis and Choi (2019), Rese et al. (2014), Saleem et al. (2021)
Experiential theory	Focuses on how immersive, sensory, and emotional experiences impact customer satisfaction and behavioural responses	Customer experience, flow, immersion	Jung et al. (2021), Pizzi et al. (2020), Poushneh and Vasquez-Parraga (2017)
Dark side	Examines how perceived risks, privacy concerns, and intrusiveness negatively affect customer trust, satisfaction, and usage	Risk and privacy and loss of autonomy	Alimamy and Gnoth, (2022), Faqih, (2022), Feng and Xie, (2019), Rauschnabel et al., (2018)

Theoretical framework	Explanation	Related variables	Representative research
Decision fluency	Describes how vivid mental images and easy information processing improve decision comfort and influence consumer behaviour	Mental imagery, mental intangibility, processing fluency and decision comfort	Heller et al. (2019a), Hilken, Chylinski, et al. (2022)
Spatial presence theory	Explains how AR and VR shape users’ sense of location. VR creates telepresence (being in the virtual world), while AR creates local presence (virtual objects appearing in the real world), both affecting perceived closeness	Telepresence, local presence, closeness	Wirth et al. (2007), Hilken et al. (2017), Rauschnabel et al. (2024)
Technology acceptance model	Explains how perceived usefulness and ease of use influence users’ attitudes and intentions to adopt a technology	Perceived usefulness, ease of use and enjoyment	Manis and Choi (2019), Rese et al. (2014), Saleem et al. (2021)
Experiential theory	Focuses on how immersive, sensory, and emotional experiences impact customer satisfaction and behavioural responses	Customer experience, flow, immersion	Jung et al. (2021), Pizzi et al. (2020), Poushneh and Vasquez-Parraga (2017)
Dark side	Examines how perceived risks, privacy concerns, and intrusiveness negatively affect customer trust, satisfaction, and usage	Risk and privacy and loss of autonomy	Alimamy and Gnoth, (2022), Faqih, (2022), Feng and Xie, (2019), Rauschnabel et al., (2018)

Source(s): Developed by the authors