Factors driving consumers’ intention to purchase virtual clothing: Applying cognition–affect–conation theory

Virtual clothing, which exists solely in digital environments and is tradeable, has become the mainstay of digital transformation in the apparel industry. We applied cognition–affect–conation theory and used structural equation modeling to analyze questionnaire data from 402 consumers regarding their intention to purchase virtual clothing. This study found that perceived enjoyment and perceived sociability significantly predicted intention to purchase; social influence directly predicted intention to purchase and indirectly predicted intention to purchase through perceived enjoyment and sociability; and innovation identification, although not a direct predictor of intention to purchase, indirectly influenced intention to purchase through its predictive effect on perceived enjoyment and perceived sociability. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that compatibility moderated the mediating effects of perceived enjoyment and perceived sociability, with high compatibility potentially weakening the predictive effect of the mediators. The study offers marketers insight into virtual clothing market segmentation and consumer behavioral factors.