The Effects of Metaverse Avatar Identification on Immersion, Vicarious Pleasure, and Fashion Brand Item Sharing Intention

The metaverse, an expansion of the real world, refers to a three-dimensional virtual world where daily life and economic activities can be conducted through avatars. This study examines the effect of avatar identification on metaverse immersion, vicarious pleasure, and fashion brand item sharing intention by subdividing avatar identification into similarity identification, wishful identification, and embodied presence. In addition, it investigates the difference in the influence relationship between avatar identification, immersion, and vicarious pleasure according to the degree of fashion involvement. The total of 319 participants were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0. The results showed that similarity identification, wishful identification, and embodied presence had significant impacts on immersion and vicarious pleasure, influencing sharing intention. There was also a difference in the effect of avatar identification on consumer responses depending on fashion involvement. This study provides theoretical implications for experiential marketing and presents practical suggestions for developing metaverse marketing strategies.