From Immersion to Identity: A Systematic Review and Framework for Understanding Metaverse Consumers
Date
Authors
Jiang, Xiyuan
Richter, Shahper
Kadirova, Djavlonbek
Laufer, Daniel
Hooper, Val
Du, Xinke
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
Metaverse marketing has emerged as a rapidly expanding research domain, yet scholarship on consumer behaviour within this context remains fragmented and often embedded within broader marketing or technology reviews. This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review (SLR) of 84 peer-reviewed journal articles explicitly situated at the intersection of consumer behaviour and marketing in the Metaverse. The review synthesises insights into four thematic domains: (1). consumer engagement, (2). technology adoption, (3). avatar dynamics, and (4). fashion/luxury branding. The review maps three theoretical foundations: motivational, identity-based, and design-oriented perspectives. By integrating these strands, the paper develops a novel conceptual framework that captures how immersive, multisensory, and identity-driven experiences in the metaverse shape consumer–brand interactions and extend into real-world consumption. The analysis highlights the need for metaverse-specific behavioural theorisation and outlines key research gaps, offering a targeted agenda to advance understanding in this evolving field.Description
Keywords
1503 Business and Management, 3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour, Marketing, metaverse, consumer behaviours, systematic literature review, conceptual framework
Source
Cogent Business & Management, ISSN: 2331-1975 (Print), 13(1). doi: 10.1080/23311975.2026.2616547
Publisher's version
Rights statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.