Exploring the impact of augmented reality technology on customer engagement and behaviour : implications for the tourism industry

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, Augmented Reality Technology has gained increasing popularity across various industries, including tourism, due to its unique ability to enhance customer experiences by offering interactive and immersive encounters. Despite extensive research on the benefits of Augmented Reality (AR), limited evidence exists on how its vivid, interactive, and novel features influence customer engagement and behavioural intentions. Theoretical background: To address this research gap, this study sets out to identify whether there exists a positive relationship between the deployment of Augmented Reality and the level of engagement and intention experienced by the customer. Particularly, the main argument revolves around the premise that Augmented Reality instils within customers, high levels of engagement and purchase intention, superior to those observed within traditional digital experiences (Hilken et al., 2017; Hilken et al., 2018; McLean and Wilson, 2019; Yim et al., 2017; Nikhashemi et al., 2021).