가상현실 유통 환경에서의 원격실재감과 소비자 구매행동 분석

Abstract

신기술이 접목된 가상현실(VR: Virtual Reality)환경의 쇼핑몰은 가까운 미래에 새로운 패러다임을 가져다 줄 것이다. 본 연구는 미래의 유통환경에 알맞게 VR기술을 접목한 쇼핑환경을 구현하여 응답자들을 대상으로 직접 상품을 구매해 보는 형태의 쇼핑체험을 통해서 가상현실 쇼핑환경에서 원격현실감(telepresence)과 사용자들의 이용행태를 알아보고자 하였다. 연구의 목적으로는 첫째, 몰입(Flow)와 가상 리미노이드 이론을 바탕으로 하여 VR쇼핑환경에서 소비자들이 몰입경험을 하는데 필요한 심리적 기술 체감의 요인들(원격현실감(telepresence), 도전감(challenge), 보디 오너쉽(body ownership), 통제감(control))과 지각된 가치요소들인 즐거움(enjoyment) 및 유용성(usefulness)과의 관계를 알아보고자 한다. 둘째, VR쇼핑환경으로부터 지각된 즐거움과 유용성이 VR추후사용의도에 미치는 영향관계를 기술수용모형(TAM)을 이용하여 검정하고자 한다. 본 연구는 실제 수퍼마켓과 비슷한 가상현실 수퍼마켓 구현하여 사용자들이 가상현실 수퍼마켓에서 쇼핑 체험을 하게 한 후 연구모형을 분석하기 위한 120명의 실험자를 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였다. 연구결과로는 첫째, 가상 쇼핑몰 환경이라는 신기술 체감에 대한 심리적 요인들은 지각된 가치 중 즐거움과 직접적인 영향관계를 가지고 있었다. 그러나 도전감은 즐거움과는 유의미한 영향관계를 확인할 수 가 없었다. 둘째, 가상 쇼핑몰 환경에서의 신기술에 대한 심리적 요인들 중 보디오너쉽과 통제감은 지각된 가치 중 유용함과 유의미한 영향관계로 나타났다. 셋째, 가상현실 쇼핑몰 체험동안 지각된 가치들은 VR추후사용의도에 직접적인 영향관계를 검정하였다. 마지막으로 본 연구를 통하여 가까운 미래에 다가올 VR 유통환경의 변화에 대비하여 다양한 유통전략을 구사하여 실무적인 시사점을 제공하고자 하였다.

A Virtual Reality (VR) shopping mall with new technology will bring a new paradigm in the future. The purpose of this study is to analyze users’ telepresence and behavioral intention of using shopping mall VR. To achieve this primary goal, first, we investigated the factors of psychology—such as telepresence, challenge, body ownership, and control for VR shopping mall users—and the factors of perceived value—such as playfulness and usefulness by applying the Flow Theory and Virtual Liminoid Theory. Second, we investigated the relationships between the factors of perceived value and the behavior intention by applying the Technology Acceptance Model. This study suggests how distributors can operate VR shopping mall in terms of academic and practical implications. The notion of telepresence focuses on a virtual environment, in which the medium feels like a part of the wonderful environment and the user of the medium feels like mediating the environment as if it were a physically exiting object (Kim & Biocca 1997). Flow is an optimal state of experience that is fully immersed in activity and refers to the overall sense when people engaged and acted on something (Csikzentmihalyi, 1975). Flow is mainly applied as a useful notion to research on the interaction between human and computer (Han & Park, 2000). Limioid Theory is a psychological process when user enters a new situation. Users have to decide how to expand and act on their own in a new situation, so users quickly fall into new situation and want to transition successfully (Huang & Liao, 2017). In this study, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is frequently cited (Jang & No, 2017). TAM is proposed for understanding consumer behavior to accepting new technologies based on Rational Behavior Theory and Planned Behavior Theory (Davis, 1989). It is possible to predict the behavior intention not only the initial use of the innovation technology, but also the continuous use intention. In this study, we created the VR supermarket and 120 students participated and experienced the VR supermarket. We conducted a survey of 120 participants to analyze the moderate effect after implementing VR supermarket. As a result, first, telepresence, body ownership, and control were positively related with playfulness. Second, body ownership and control was positively related to usefulness. Third, playfulness and usefulness were positively related to behavior intention. H1: Telepresence is positively associated with playfulness in VR shopping experience. H2: Challenge is positively associated with playfulness in VR shopping experience. H3: Body ownership is positively associated with playfulness in VR shopping experience. H4: Body ownership is positively associated with usefulness in VR shopping experience. H5: Control is positively associated with playfulness in VR shopping experience. H6: Control is positively associated with usefulness in VR shopping experience. H7: Playfulness is positively associated with behavior intention in VR shopping experience. H8: Usefulness is positively associated with behavior intention in VR shopping experience. We developed the VR supermarket and 120 students participated and experienced the VR supermarket in persion for this survey. We conducted a survey of 120 participants to analyze the moderate effect after implementing VR supermarket. First, the study used SPSS version 21.0 to process the descriptive statistics and reliability analysis of the collected data and to assess the demographic profile of the sample. Second, this study assessed the properties of measurement scales for convergent validity and discriminate validity and then constructed composite reliability by confirmatory factor analysis followed by AMOS version 22.0 based structural equation model (SEM) to verify the path relationships of users’ telepresence, challenge, body ownership, control, playfulness, usefulness, behavioral intention. The purpose of our research is to investigate the effects of telepresence, challenge, body ownership, control, playfulness, usefulness on behavior intention in VR supermarket. Structural modeling fit indicated that the measurement model was good (=398.57, p < .000; CFI=.95, IFI= .95, RMR=.07 and RMSEA= .04). H1 suggests that telepresence have positive effects on playfulness (γ=0.46, t=4.08, p<.05). This study not confirms H2, positive related to challenge and playfulness (γ=-0.01, t=-0.13, p>0.05). The result of H3 examined that the level of body ownership is related with playfulness (γ=0.29, t=-3.25, p<0.05). The result of H4 was confirmed significant relation with body ownership and usefulness (γ=0.18, t=1.65, p<0.05). H5 hypothesis was supported as the effect of control on playfulness (H5 γ=0.22, t=2.20, p<0.05). This study not confirms H6, positive related to control and usefulness (γ=0.45, t =t=3.77, p<0.05). H7 was statistically supported that the level of playfulness is related with behavior intention (γ=0.38, t=4.38, p<0.05). Also, H8 was supported that usefulness have positive effects on behavior intention (γ=0.47, t=5.27, p<0.05). In sum, the first, telepresence, body ownership, and control were positively related with playfulness. the second, body ownership and control was positively related to usefulness. the third, playfulness and usefulness were positively related to behavior intention. In VR shopping mall, users are able to experience not only the hedonic process of shopping experience, but also the economic process of purchasing goods. For this reason, telepresence in VR shopping environment is important, manipulation of VR should also be easy. Through this effort, shopping mall industry should provide users’ playfulness of shopping, make effort to improve the productivity and ability of shopping, and make it useful to buy what users want. It is the competitive advantage of VR shopping mall.