Marketing in the metaverse: Consumer engagement, immersive experiences, and future research directions
Keywords
Marketing
Abstract
The metaverse is a groundbreaking advancement in digital technology and experiences. It is a virtual, interconnected universe where individuals can seamlessly work, play and socialize. In this expansive domain the physical and digital realms overlap, enabling people, avatars and digital personas to engage in a wide range of activities. Powered by Web3 and built on artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging 3D visual technologies, the metaverse’s unique blend of the physical and digital realms is known as the Internet of Place. Using technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the metaverse also seamlessly generates digital replicas of real spaces called digital twins, which can be used to simulate scenarios and optimizations before implementing them in the real world.
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Marketing in the metaverse: Consumer engagement, immersive experiences, and … 10
marketing-enhancing-product-visualization-interactive-advertisings-vishwas-chakranarayan-girishtaneja
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https://doi.org/10.22105/riej.2025.504969.1537
[2] Kumar, R., Aneja, P., Jadaun, R., Kiran, P. B. N., Saxena, N., Saxena, S., … & Painoli, A. K. (2026). Metaverse
marketing: A review and future research agenda. Information discovery and delivery, 54(1), 35–49.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IDD-05-2024-0066
[3] Pavón Delgado, A., Arteaga Sánchez, R., & Suárez Redondo, E. (2026). The metaverse revolutionises
tourism marketing: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of hospitality and tourism insights, 9(1),
355–374. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-01-2025-0161
[4] Barari, M., Ngo, L. V., Quach, S., & Thaichon, P. (2026). Meta-analysis of augmented reality and virtual
reality in marketing. European journal of marketing, 60(4), 932–964. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-08-2023-
0659
[5] Chakranarayan, V., & Taneja, G. (2026). AI and augmented reality (AR) marketing: Enhancing product
visualization and interactive advertisings. In Sustainable innovations in management in the digital
transformation era (pp. 189–193). CRC Press.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003684497-32/ai-augmented-reality-ar-
Marketing in the metaverse: Consumer engagement, immersive experiences, and … 10
marketing-enhancing-product-visualization-interactive-advertisings-vishwas-chakranarayan-girishtaneja
[6] Minton, E. A., Kaplan, B., & Cabano, F. G. (2022). The influence of religiosity on consumers’ evaluations
of brands using artificial intelligence. Psychology & marketing, 39(11), 2055–2071.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21727
[7] Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Wang, Y., Alalwan, A. A., Ahn, S. J., Balakrishnan, J., ... & Wirtz, J. (2023).
Metaverse marketing: How the metaverse will shape the future of consumer research and practice.
Psychology & marketing, 40(4), 750–776. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21767
[8] Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious!
Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business horizons, 54(3), 241–251.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005
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https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/Matthew-Ball-ebook/dp/B09KMWYHX8
[10] Slater, M., & Sanchez-Vives, M. V. (2016). Enhancing our lives with immersive virtual reality. Frontiers in
robotics and ai, 3, 74. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2016.00074
[11] Cummings, J. J., Tsay-Vogel, M., Cahill, T. J., & Zhang, L. (2022). Effects of immersive storytelling on
affective, cognitive, and associative empathy: The mediating role of presence. New media & society, 24(9),
2003–2026. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820986816
[12] Gao, Y., & Spence, C. (2025). Enhancing presence, immersion, and interaction in multisensory
experiences through touch and haptic feedback. In Virtual worlds (Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 3). MDPI.
https://doi.org/10.3390/virtualworlds4010003
[13] Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). The future of competition: Co-creating unique value with customers.
Harvard Business Press. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Future-Competition-Co-Creating-UniqueCustomers/dp/1578519535
[14] Huang, M. H., & Rust, R. T. (2021). A strategic framework for artificial intelligence in marketing. Journal
of the academy of marketing science, 49(1), 30–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-020-00749-9
[15] Andreoletti, D., Leidi, T., Peternier, A., & Giordano, S. (2026). Emotion recognition in virtual reality:
Toward adaptive and responsible technologies. Empathic computing, 2(2), 202538.
https://doi.org/10.70401/ec.2026.0019
[16] Xi, N., & Hamari, J. (2021). Shopping in virtual reality: A literature review and future agenda. Journal of
business research, 134, 37–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.075
[17] Mystakidis, S. (2022). Metaverse. Encyclopedia, 2(1), 486–497. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2010031
[18] Mora, C., Rollins, R. L., Taladay, K., Kantar, M. B., Chock, M. K., Shimada, M., & Franklin, E. C. (2018).
Bitcoin emissions alone could push global warming above 2 C. Nature climate change, 8(11), 931–933.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0321-8
[19] Ismail, L., & Buyya, R. (2023). Metaverse: A vision, architectural elements, and future directions for scalable and
realtime virtual worlds. https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.10559
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https://sinhvien.dinhtienminh.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Marketing-Management-Global-EditionPhilip-Kotler-Kevin-Lane-Keller-16th-2021_compressed-1.pdf
[21] Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social
Media. Business horizons, 53(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
[22] Boztas, C., Ghadafi, E., & Ibrahim, R. (2025). Metaverse architectures: A comprehensive systematic review
of definitions and frameworks. Future internet, 17(7), 283. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi17070283
[23] Jang, J., & Choo, H. J. (2025). Immersive VR fashion shopping: when and how mental imagery shapes
consumer information processing. Fashion and textiles, 12(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-025-00450-
x
[24] Ramadan, Z., & Ramadan, J. (2025). AI avatars and co-creation in the metaverse. Consumer behavior in
tourism and hospitality, 20(1), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-07-2024-0246
11 Punia and Singh|Metaverse. 3(1) (2026) 1-11
[25] Muneesawang, P., Yawised, K., & Apasrawirote, D. (2025). From digital marketing to immersive
marketing strategies: Key enablers for effective immersive marketing abstract. International journal of
quality and service sciences, 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQSS-07-2025-0158
[26] Asif, M., Fazel, H., & Alghamdi, F. S. (2025). The ethical landscape of immersive marketing: virtual and
augmented reality in advertising. Marketing intelligence & planning, 43(7), 1515–1533.
https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-07-2024-0519
[27] Mondal, H., & Mondal, S. (2025). Adopting augmented reality and virtual reality in medical education in
resource-limited settings: Constraints and the way forward. Advances in physiology education, 49(2), 503-
507. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00027.2025
[28] Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard Business Review Press
Cambridge, MA, USA. https://enlillebid.dk/mmd/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Welcome-to-theExperience-Economy-Pine-and-Gilmore.pdf
[29] Xi, N., Chen, J., Gama, F., Korkeila, H., & Hamari, J. (2024). Acceptance of the metaverse: A laboratory
experiment on augmented and virtual reality shopping. Internet research, 34(7), 82–117.
https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-05-2022-0334
[30] Tam, F. Y., & Lung, J. (2025). Luxury fashion brands in metaverse retailing--a review of literature and
practice. Foresight, 27(1), 169–199. https://doi.org/10.1108/FS-07-2023-0132
[31] Javornik, A. (2016). ‘It’s an illusion, but it looks real!’Consumer affective, cognitive and behavioural
responses to augmented reality applications. Journal of marketing management, 32(9–10), 987–1011.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2016.1174726
[32] Anwar, N., Gunawan, H., Sekti, B. A., Ichwani, A., Erzed, N., Laksana, R. P., ... & Yuhefizar, Y. (2025).
Exploring the metaverse: Foundations of social interaction and community building. In Unveiling social
dynamics and community interaction in the metaverse (pp. 1-26). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
[33] Tran, T. (2026). From generativity to governance: Reframing co-creation in the artificial intelligencemetaverse era. Social sciences & humanities open, 13, 102966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.102966
[34] Belk, R. W. (2013). Extended self in a digital world. Journal of consumer research, 40(3), 477–500.
https://doi.org/10.1086/671052
Publication status
Accepted — production in progress