When Is Congruence Optimal? Impression-Dependent Effects of Product-Avatar Matching in VR Commerce

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used for product introduction, where virtual salespersons (avatars) guide users through products in immersive environments. Conventional design wisdom, grounded in schema congruity theory, assumes that visual congruence between product and salesperson impressions leads to more favorable evaluations. However, it remains unclear whether this “congruity advantage” always holds for affective impressions in VR commerce. In this study, we empirically examine how the relationship between product impressions and salesperson impressions, that is, congruent (similar) versus incongruent (contrasting), affects user experience in VR product introduction. In a preliminary study, we quantified eight affective impression features for products and avatars. We used a within-subjects VR experiment (N = 19; 304 observations per measure) to systematically combine each impression feature with congruent and incongruent avatar pairings. Participants rated perceived favorability, revisit intention, and purchase intention. Two-way analyses of variance indicated significant interactions between the impression feature and impression relationship for all three indicators. Cuteness and healthiness were evaluated more positively under congruent conditions, whereas interestingness yielded the opposite pattern: incongruent conditions led to higher favorability, revisit intention, and purchase intention. Other features yielded no reliable differences. These findings indicate that congruence is not universally optimal. Instead, the optimal configuration depends on the type of affective impression, suggesting impression-specific design guidelines for selecting VR salespersons in VR commerce.

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Sales Avatar, Product Introduction, Impression Matching, Affective Engineering, User Experience

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007298