The Impact of Immersive Brand Experience on Brand Trust and Loyalty in the Metaverse : An Empirical Analysis Based on VR Brand User Reviews

국문 초록 (Abstract)

메타버스 기술의 급속한 발전은 몰입형 가상 브랜드 경험을 사용자–브랜드 관계 구축 및 브랜드 충성도 제고의 핵심 경로로 부상시켰다. 본 연구는 Meta Quest、HTC Vive 와 PICO 브랜드를 사례로 선정하여, 온라인 텍스트 마이닝과 구조방정식모형(SEM)을 결합한 혼합 연구 방법을 통해 몰입형 가상 브랜드 경험(Immersive Virtual Brand Experience, IVBE)이가상 상호작용(Virtual Interaction, VI)을 매개로 브랜드 신뢰(Brand Trust, BT)와 브랜드 충성도(Brand Loyalty, BL)에 미치는 영향을 체계적으로 검증하였다.
우선, Amazon 와 JD.com 플랫폼의 사용자 리뷰를 대상으로 의미론적 텍스트 마이닝 및 감성 분석을 실시하여 제품 경험에 내재된 감정적 특성과 핵심 관심 요인을 도출하였다. 이후, IVBE–VI–BT–BL 경로모형을 구축하고 설문조사를 통해 일곱 개의 연구가설을 검증하였다. 분석 결과, IVBE는 BT와 BL 모두에 유의한 긍정적 영향을 미치며, VI는 부분 매개효과를 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 가상 환경에서의 활발한 사용자 상호작용은 브랜드에 대한 신뢰를 강화할 뿐만 아니라 충성적 행동을 촉진하는 데 중요한 역할을 한다. 또한 사용자들은 VR 제품의 몰입감, 조작성, 착용 편의성 등에 대해 높은 평가를 내렸으나, ‘멀미'와 ‘기기 무게'에 대한 우려 또한 표현하였다.
이론적으로 본 연구는 몰입형 브랜드 경험과 가상 상호작용의 연구 틀을 확장하였으며, 실무적으로는 VR 브랜드의 제품 최적화, 사용자 참여 활성화, 플랫폼 전략 수립을 위한 구체적 관리 시사점을 제공한다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

With the rapid advancement of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) technologies and the continuous evolution of the metaverse, immersive experience has become a critical form of interaction between brands and consumers. In this emerging digital ecosystem, brands are no longer unilateral value transmitters; instead, they engage with consumers in the co-creation of virtual experiences. Such immersive virtual experiences transcend the logic of traditional branding and open new pathways for the formation of brand trust and brand loyalty. However, although immersive experience has been widely applied in digital marketing practice, existing academic research still predominantly focuses on the mechanisms of brand relationship formation in conventional contexts. Insufficient attention has been devoted to how immersive brand experience in metaverse environments shapes brand relationships through virtual interaction. To address this gap, this study aims to uncover the pathway through which Immersive Virtual Brand Experience (IVBE) influences Brand Trust (BT) and Brand Loyalty (BL), thereby offering theoretical and practical implications for marketing decision-making in the metaverse.
Grounded in brand relationship theory, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework, this study develops an integrated model of “Immersive Virtual Brand Experience → Virtual Interaction → Brand Trust → Brand Loyalty.” The model incorporates four core constructs—Immersive Virtual Brand Experience (IVBE), Virtual Interaction (VI), Brand Trust (BT), and Brand Loyalty (BL)—and conceptualizes virtual interaction as a critical mediating mechanism linking immersive experience to brand relationship outcomes.
Methodologically, this study adopts a triangulated approach combining literature review, online text analytics, questionnaire survey, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A comprehensive literature review was conducted to systematically synthesize theoretical progress in brand trust, brand loyalty, virtual brand experience, and virtual interaction, thereby clarifying the theoretical foundation of the research model and highlighting the pivotal role of immersion and interactivity in shaping brand experience.
User-generated reviews of Meta Quest, HTC Vive, and PICO product lines on Amazon and JD.com were selected as the empirical corpus for online text analytics. Through Natural Language Processing (NLP), including tokenization, word frequency analysis, keyword extraction, sentiment analysis, and word cloud visualization, this study identifies users’ experiential concerns, emotional tendencies, and perceived product functions. These semantic features reflect consumers’ authentic immersive experiences and provide content-based support for subsequent model construction, thereby enhancing the ecological validity and explanatory power of the research.
Based on the experiential dimensions extracted from text analytics, a structured questionnaire measuring IVBE, VI, BT, and BL was developed using a five-point Likert scale and distributed online to participants with VR usage experience. Data collection was conducted from July 2 to August 20, 2025. A total of 512 questionnaires were collected, and after removing invalid submissions (e.g., abnormally short completion time), 505 valid questionnaires remained for analysis, covering users of different genders, ages, educational backgrounds, and income levels.
To empirically validate the formation mechanism of brand trust and brand loyalty, a series of analyses were conducted using SPSS and AMOS, including descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), SEM path analysis, and mediation effect testing. The empirical results reveal three key findings: (1) immersive virtual brand experience significantly enhances both brand trust and brand loyalty; (2) virtual interaction plays a significant facilitating role in the relationship between immersive brand experience and brand trust; and (3) brand trust further strengthens user loyalty, with virtual interaction exerting a partial mediating effect. These findings collectively indicate that immersive experience shapes loyalty by enhancing users’ sense of interaction and participation within virtual environments, thereby reinforcing brand trust and ultimately encouraging loyal behavioral intentions.
Theoretically, this study extends digital consumer behavior and brand relationship research from a metaverse perspective and provides a conceptual framework for understanding the mechanism of immersive brand experience. Practically, the findings offer implications for enterprises engaging in metaverse marketing and virtual brand construction: (1) Immersion serves as the core entry point for virtual brand relationship building. Besides virtual display, brands should emphasize immersion, interactivity, and participation to strengthen emotional engagement and brand stickiness. (2) Virtual interaction is an important mechanism that enhances trust and loyalty. Multi-user interaction, scenario-based tasks, virtual social activities, and digital goods can stimulate user participation and emotional bonding. (3) Brand trust remains critical to loyalty formation. Even within virtual environments, users’ trust in brands continues to determine sustained usage, word-of-mouth recommendation, and willingness to pay.
This study also provides managerial implications for brand managers, product developers, and platform operators. For brand managers, creating immersive marketing experiences improves consumer interaction and reinforces trust. For product developers, greater attention should be paid to interaction fluency and ergonomic comfort to increase user stickiness. For platform operators, establishing a complete virtual content ecosystem supported by data analytics enables more effective user engagement.
In summary, taking the metaverse as the research context, this study constructs and validates the mechanism by which immersive virtual brand experience influences brand trust and brand loyalty. It contributes to theoretical advancement in digital consumer behavior and offers practical guidance for enterprises seeking to build virtual brand ecosystems and cultivate long-term user relationships in immersive environments.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. Introduction 1
• 1. Research Background 1
• 1) Development of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Technologies and Policy Support 1
• 2) The Connotation and Evolution of the Metaverse 2
• 3) The Rise and Communication Mechanism of Immersive Brand Experience 3
• 4) The Deep Integration of the Metaverse and Brand Marketing 4
• 5) The Practical Value of Brand Trust and Brand Loyalty 5
• 2. Research Significance 7
• 3. Research Objectives 8
• 4. Research Content and Methods 10
• 1) Research Content 10
• 2) Research Methods 11
• Ⅱ. Literature Review 13
• 1. Related Concepts 13
• 1) Immersive Virtual Brand Experience (IVBE) 13
• 2) The Metaverse and Virtual Interaction 16
• 3) Overview of VR Products 20
• 2. Related Theoretical Studies 23
• 1) Research on Brand Trust 23
• 2) Research on Brand Loyalty 26
• 3) Virtual Interaction and Emotional Bonding 30
• 4) Current Applications of User Reviews in Brand Research 33
• 5) Integrated Analysis and Research Gaps 36
• Ⅲ. Online Text Analysis of VR User Reviews 40
• 1. Data Collection Methods, Procedures, and Processing 40
• 2. Online Word-of-Mouth Text Analysis 43
• 1) Word Segmentation 43
• 2) Keyword Extraction 44
• 3) Word Cloud Visualization 46
• 3. Research Summary 57
• Ⅳ. Research Model Construction and Hypothesis Development 60
• 1. Research Model 60
• 2. Research Hypotheses 63
• 3. Variable Definitions 66
• 4. Questionnaire Design 70
• 5. Data Collection 71
• Ⅴ. Data Collection and Empirical Analysis 73
• 1. Descriptive Statistical Analysis 73
• 2. Reliability Analysis 78
• 3. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) 79
• 4. Correlation Analysis 83
• 5. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Testing 85
• 6. Mediation Effect of Virtual Interaction 89
• 7. Research Summary 93
• Ⅵ. Research Conclusions, Managerial Implications, and Research Prospects 94
• 1. Research Conclusions 94
• 2. Research Contributions 95
• 1) Theoretical Contributions 96
• 2) Practical Contributions 97
• 3. Managerial Implications 98
• 1) Brand Owners: Designing Immersive Marketing and Trust-Building Strategies 98
• 2) Product Developers: Enhancing Interaction and Ergonomic Adaptation 99
• 3) Platform Providers: Building Content Ecosystems and Data-Driven Insights 100
• 4. Research Prospects 101
• 1) Diversification and Deepening of Research Methods 101
• 2) Multi-Platform and Multimodal Data Integration 101
• 3) Expansion of Variable Structures and Interaction Mechanisms 102
• 4) Expansion of Research Contexts and Industries 102
• References 103
• Appendix 117
• 국문요지 121