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If you build it will they come?—An empirical investigation of consumer perceptions and strategy in virtual worlds

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Abstract

There is increased interest in, and accelerating technological development of, internet-based persistent three-dimensional (3D) virtual environments. The applications of these ‘virtual worlds’ are growing in the fields of entertainment and information assimilation such as virtual real estate, brand building, and marketing. Such applications could, in time, lead to serious economic and business transformation. However, there is a lack of empirical work examining differences between virtual worlds and traditional virtual channels such as websites, and suggesting effective entry strategies for organizations that seek to leverage their presence in virtual worlds. This paper attempts to provide a starting point for such a discussion. Results from our qualitative and quantitative analysis indicate that there is a significant difference in perceptions of trust, product diagnosticity, informativeness, and product descriptions between websites and virtual worlds. Results also suggest that organizations need to employ a synergy strategy when marketing experience goods in virtual worlds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Coggin College of Business, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA

    Lakshmi Goel

  2. Marketing Department, ESSEC Business School, Avenue Bernard Hirsch, BP 50105 Cergy, 95021, Cergy Pontoise Ceedex, France

    Sonja Prokopec

Authors
  1. Lakshmi Goel
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  2. Sonja Prokopec
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Correspondence to Lakshmi Goel.

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Goel, L., Prokopec, S. If you build it will they come?—An empirical investigation of consumer perceptions and strategy in virtual worlds. Electron Commer Res 9, 115–134 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-009-9031-7

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