Metaverse Shopping: How Culture Shapes Acceptance
Retailers are investing in the metaverse as a new way to engage customers, but adoption depends more on user experience than on technology alone. This study, based on 140 studies and over 46,000 users, shows that people are more likely to engage when the experience feels personal, relevant, and enjoyable. Customers respond to platforms that align with their identity and provide clear value, not just those that function well. Ease of use, social influence, and habit still matter, but they play a supporting role rather than driving adoption on their own.
A key finding is that attitude is the strongest driver of whether customers intend to use the metaverse. That attitude is shaped mainly by perceived usefulness and enjoyment. In other words, users need to see both practical benefits and have a positive experience early on. Confidence in using the platform, along with perceived value, also plays an important role in driving continued engagement. Ease of use contributes indirectly by improving perceptions of usefulness and satisfaction, especially during early interactions.
Culture further shapes these effects. In markets where hierarchy is more accepted, ease of use becomes more important because it signals reliability and competence. In long-term oriented cultures, enjoyment and emotional engagement have a stronger influence because they are seen as indicators of lasting value. These differences mean that the same metaverse strategy will not perform equally across markets.
For managers, the implications are clear. Focus on designing metaverse experiences that feel useful, engaging, and personally relevant from the start. Prioritize features that support identity expression, enjoyment, and clear customer benefits rather than only technical performance. At the same time, managers should adapt these experiences to local cultural expectations instead of applying a standardized global approach.
Fares, H. O., Haines, S., Lee, S. H., Azmy, A., Mohan, M., & Le S. (2025). Retail Metaverse acceptance: A meta-analysis with Hofstede’s cultural moderation (external link, opens in new window) . Journal of Retailing.