Intrinsic Motivations and Their Role in Consumer Interaction with Immersive Branded Environments
(A2025-126491)

AUTHORS

Virginia Vannucci, University of Pisa; Francesca Bonetti, HEC Montreal; Matteo Montecchi, King's College London; Anne Roggeveen, Babson College

ABSTRACT

Firms across a wide range of industries are increasingly experimenting with immersive branded environments (IBEs) –collaborative virtual spaces where consumers interact with brands and other users through digital personas. These environments offer firms novel opportunities to improve the consumer experience, test new digital offerings, and closely observe consumer behavior. However, despite the promise of revolutionizing shopping, consumer engagement with IBEs remains limited. We employ self-determination theory to explore whether the technological affordances of these environments enable consumers to fulfill the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness – essential drivers of intrinsic motivation. Through a mixed-method approach comprising two sequential stages, our research identifies the motivational drivers that need to be in place for users to successfully interact with IBEs while also uncovering how these interactions influence consumer brand perceptions.