Journey into meta-commerce: unveiling the driving forces of consumer adoption

Purpose This study aims to investigate the determinants of meta-commerce (metaverse commerce) adoption intention from the consumer perspective. Design/methodology/approach This research conducted a quantitative cross-sectional field survey to gather primary data from consumers in Jordan. The study aimed to analyze the adoption of meta-commerce from the consumer perspective. The survey collected responses from 574 participants, and the obtained data set was subjected to rigorous analysis using SmartPLS4 to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings While perceived herd behavior, consumer innovativeness, perceived ease of use, hedonic motivation and perceived usefulness positively influence consumers’ meta-commerce adoption intention, perceived cyber risks negatively influence it. Furthermore, perceived herd behavior and consumer innovativeness positively affect ease of use and usefulness perceptions. Originality/value This study presents a significant theoretical contribution by examining meta-commerce adoption from the consumer’s perspective, addressing a gap in the literature. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first empirical investigations to explore meta-commerce adoption intentions from the consumer standpoint. Furthermore, it provides a novel extension of the “Technology Acceptance Model” for understanding meta-commerce adoption intention that captures the interplay between enablers (perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness), barriers (perceived cyber risks), intrinsic motivation (hedonic motivation), social factors (perceived herd behavior) and personal characteristics (consumer innovativeness), thereby extending previous research on the effects of these factors on the adoption of meta-commerce.