Body Scan versus Environmental Scan in App and Web Augmented Reality – The Role of Privacy Concerns and Technology Anxiety
(A2023-114437)

AUTHORS

Carsten Schultz, Kiel University; Harish Kumar, Management development institute, Gurgaon (India); Philipp Brüggemann, FernUniversität in Hagen

ABSTRACT

Despite widespread interest, augmented reality (AR) is yet to become mainstream. Extending the technology acceptance model in AR marketing in retailing, the present study aims to examine the acceptance of the different types of AR (app vs. web) with a specific focus on privacy concerns and technological anxiety. Furthermore, we investigate how the impact varies for different products based on the augmentation target (body scan vs. environmental scan). Our empirical findings reveal that technology anxiety and privacy concerns significantly influence AR’s acceptance. Beyond that, we expose several group differences in the acceptance of AR in retail. Privacy concerns are more relevant for women than men in terms of perceived ease of use. Technology anxiety is less relevant for app AR solutions than web AR solutions. Lastly, privacy concerns have a stronger impact on attitudes toward using AR for environmental scan products (i.e., furniture) than for body scan products (i.e., glasses).