Enhancing marketing strategies with augmented reality and Word of Mouth

• Autor(a) principal: Guia, Beatriz Filipa Gouveia da
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/30642
• topic: Word of Mouth; Augmented reality; Marketing; Realidade aumentada

In the new era in marketing, traditional paradigms are giving way to innovative approaches. Word of Mouth (WOM), has emerged as a powerful force in modern marketing strategies, using the influence of personal recommendations and consumer narratives to impact brand perception and drive consumer engagement. Simultaneously, Augmented Reality (AR) is reshaping the marketing landscape allowing brands to engage consumers in immersive and interactive experiences. Combining WOM with AR has the potential to redefine marketing strategies design, empowering brands to create more personalized and influential customer experiences. This study aimed to explore how businesses can enhance their marketing strategies, with a specific focus on optimizing WOM by strategically integrating AR. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology, the research investigated the impact of inspiration, utilitarian benefits, hedonic benefits, perceived augmented quality, and attitude towards the app on WOM. The findings revealed that inspiration, utilitarian benefits, perceived augmented quality, and attitude towards the app significantly influence WOM. Notably, attitude towards the app acted as a mediator between inspiration and utilitarian benefits, contributing to WOM. However, hedonic benefits did not have a significant influence on WOM. Furthermore, attitude towards the app did not play a mediator role between perceived augmented quality and hedonic benefits in significantly affecting WOM. These results provide valuable insights for businesses seeking to enhance their marketing strategies by leveraging AR technology, with implications for designing more effective marketing strategies to stimulate positive WOM.