Mere Virtual Presence with Product Experience Affects Brand Attitude and Purchase Intention

Abstract

We investigated whether or not different contexts (mere virtual presence and mere virtual presence with product experience) led to different brand attitude and purchase intention. Participants were 193 users of an online brand community, and we employed a 2 (selfconstrual) × 2 (type of group) × 2 ( mere virtual presence and mere virtual presence with product experience) factorial experimental design. The results partly supported our predictions that in the context of mere virtual presence with product experience, consumers gained a more favorable brand attitude (nonsignificant) and stronger purchase intention (significant). In addition, self-construal and type of group moderated the relationship between brand attitude and purchase intention of mere virtual presence with product experience, which supports our hypotheses. Thus the 2 contexts of brand community satisfy consumers' different levels of demand in regard to fan traits and others' experience in using a product.