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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Augmented Reality
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2025.1515937

ENJOY IT! COSMETIC TRY-ON APPS AND AUGMENTED REALITY, THE IMPACT OF ENJOYMENT, INFORMATIVENESS AND EASE OF USE

Provisionally accepted

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Virtual Try-On cosmetics apps based on Augmented Reality (AR) technology can improve both consumer product evaluation and purchase decisions, while also supporting companies' marketing strategies. This study explores the factors influencing the use of AR-based cosmetics apps by administering the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and additional scales on a sample of 634 Italian consumers. Perceived Informativeness (PI) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) were hypothesized as predictors of TRUST, DOUBT, Makeup Involvement (MI), Perceived Diagnosticity (PD), and Behavioral Intention (BI), with Perceived Enjoyment (PE) acting as a mediating variable. The structural equation model (SEM) confirmed PI as a strong predictor, with PE serving as a key mediator. The findings suggest that a moderate level of PE and PEOU is ideal - excessive simplicity or playfulness increases DOUBT and decreases TRUST. Both PD and BI are positively affected by the AR experience, with their coexistence being crucial for effective app usage. Additionally, PI, mediated by PE, significantly influences BI, emphasizing the role of information in consumer decision-making. These results provide valuable insights for the cosmetics industry, offering guidance to refine user experiences and enhance consumer engagement and satisfaction.

    Keywords: Augmented Realitiy, Cosmetics, beauty, Trust, Percieved enjoyment, Virtual try-on apps, Technology acceptance model, Percieved informativeness

    Received: 23 Oct 2024; Accepted: 24 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Micheletto, Accardi, Fici, Piccoli, Rossi, Bilucaglia, Russo and Zito. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sebastiano Accardi, Università IULM, Milan, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.