The effect of multidimensional experience on consumers’ purchase intention in virtual reality fashion clothing store

Purpose This study aims to investigate how a virtual reality (VR) clothing store impacts consumers’ purchase intention (PI) by examining user experience across four key dimensions: sensory experience, interactive experience, emotional experience and thinking experience. Additionally, it explores how perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) mediate the relationship between experience dimensions and PI. Design/methodology/approach In this study, 202 undergraduate and postgraduate students were assessed experimentally using both offline experiments and online questionnaires, and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 24 to determine the relationship between the variables. Findings VR clothing stores have a significant effect on PI across all four dimensions of user experience: sensory, interactive, emotional and thinking. Moreover, both PU and PEOU play a mediating role in the relationship between these experiential dimensions and PI. Practical implications Marketers should focus on improving interface design to increase user acceptance of VR clothing shops. This not only improves user engagement but also provides consumers with an immersive and personalised shopping experience, as well as increasing the visibility and influence of the company. Originality/value This study systematically builds a VR fashion clothing store, which provides a reference for the digital transformation of apparel enterprises and effectively improves consumers’ shopping experience by using its immersive and interactive features.