Purpose

The metaverse, a virtual space where one can build and explore with others using avatars, is drawing global interest. Then questions arise: What drives consumers to customize their avatars and purchase virtual items in the metaverse? Who customizes and purchases virtual items more than others? To find the answers, this study tested a research model that explains why consumers customize their avatars and buy virtual items in the metaverse.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the stimuli-organism-response model, this study posits that metaverse characteristics (i.e. escapism, visual attractiveness, social interaction and autonomy) arouse consumers’ curiosity toward the metaverse, which in turn evokes avatar customization behavior and virtual item purchase intention. Survey data from 501 metaverse-experienced consumers in both the US and Korea are analyzed.

Findings

The result revealed that all four metaverse characteristics were found to stimulate consumers’ curiosity. Consumers’ curiosity enhances avatar customization behavior and purchase intention of the virtual items. Further, avatar customization behavior increases the purchase intention of virtual items.

Practical implications

The findings provide valuable insights into how metaverse platforms can effectively engage consumers by stimulating curiosity, especially through social interaction, and offering extensive avatar customization options and virtual items.

Originality/value

This study highlights how the metaverse’s open-ended experiences, user-driven customization and social interactions – unlike traditional online games – spark consumer curiosity. It emphasizes the pivotal role of curiosity in driving metaverse engagement and highlights the need to consider it as a central construct in future research. Additionally, this study provides managerial implications for virtual item purchases in the metaverse.

中文翻译：

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为什么人们在元宇宙中自定义头像？好奇心和 SOR 模型视角

 目的

元宇宙是一个虚拟空间，人们可以使用化身与他人一起构建和探索，它正在引起全球的兴趣。然后问题出现了：是什么驱使消费者在元宇宙中定制他们的头像并购买虚拟物品？谁比其他人更多地定制和购买虚拟物品？为了找到答案，这项研究测试了一个研究模型，该模型解释了为什么消费者会在元宇宙中定制他们的头像并购买虚拟物品。

设计/方法/方法

基于刺激-生物-反应模型，本研究假设元宇宙特征（即逃避现实、视觉吸引力、社交互动和自主性）引起了消费者对元宇宙的好奇心，进而唤起了虚拟形象定制行为和虚拟物品购买意愿。分析了来自美国和韩国 501 名有元宇宙经验的消费者的调查数据。

 发现

结果显示，所有四个元宇宙特征都被发现可以激发消费者的好奇心。消费者的好奇心增强了虚拟物品的头像定制行为和购买意愿。此外，头像定制行为会增加虚拟物品的购买意愿。

 实际意义

这些发现为元宇宙平台如何通过激发好奇心（尤其是通过社交互动）并提供广泛的头像定制选项和虚拟物品来有效地吸引消费者提供了宝贵的见解。

 原创性/价值

与传统在线游戏不同，这项研究强调了元宇宙的开放式体验、用户驱动的定制和社交互动如何激发消费者的好奇心。它强调了好奇心在推动元宇宙参与方面的关键作用，并强调需要将其视为未来研究的中心结构。此外，本研究还为元宇宙中的虚拟物品购买提供了管理意义。