Metaverse consumer behavior: Investigating factors driving consumer participation in the transitory metaverse, avatar personalization, and digital fashion adoption

The transitory metaverse shows promise for retail and marketing, but further academic research is needed to fully understand its dynamics. Despite previous exploration, empirical insights from consumer perspectives on the three core elements of the transitory metaverse (online shared 3D space, digital avatar, and digital object) and their influence on its adoption are lacking, with much of the previous work remaining conceptual. This gap limits our understanding of the nuanced factors driving consumers’ participation in the transitory metaverse, their avatar personalization, and the adoption of branded digital fashion within the platform. To address this, our study employed a qualitative research approach, gathering textual narrative responses from 81 U.S. consumers through an online survey that included open-ended questions. We focused on their perceptions and experiences of transitory metaverse engagement, avatar personalization, and branded digital fashion within a representative transitory metaverse platform, Animal Crossing. Through inductive analysis of the qualitative data, we identified three main themes for consumer motivations in the transitory metaverse: serene escape, virtual ownership and empowerment, and liminal interaction. Similarly, three key themes emerged for avatar customization: mood-driven self-expression, liberation from societal norms, and social recognition. Users perceived their avatars as virtual doppelgängers, idealized selves, or virtual dolls. Regarding branded digital fashion adoption, four themes emerged: aesthetic appeal, affordability, connection to the real world, and support for favorite real-life brands. Based on these findings, we propose a conceptual framework and discuss their implications for both theory and practice.