PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between consumers' perceived media characteristics, telepresence, attitudes and adoption intention towards augmented reality (AR)-based virtual fitting rooms (VFRs). Additionally, the mediating effect of telepresence was examined.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 352 university students and analysed using structural equation modelling.FindingsEmpirical results suggest significant positive influences of media characteristics, including perceived interactivity and augmentation, on telepresence, which, in turn, influenced attitudes and adoption intention towards AR-based VFRs. Also, telepresence mediated the relationship between media characteristics and consumers' attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsData for this study were collected based on the subjects' one-time experience with a particular AR-based VFR. Therefore, the generalisation of the findings may be limited.Practical implicationsAn important implication is that the enhancement of rendering interactive and augmented features is crucial for adoption of AR-based VFRs considering the key role of interactivity and augmentation in inducing telepresence, attitudes and adoption intention.Originality/valueThe paper empirically tested the importance of unique media characteristics, telepresence and attitudes in consumers' adoption of AR-based VFRs through the lens of the theory of interactive media effects.

This study aimed to investigate consumers’ adoption intention toward augmented reality (AR)‐enhanced virtual try‐ons (VTOs) by examining the effects of consumers’ evaluations of technology attributes on their immersive experiences, perceived value, and adoption intention based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework. To explain variations in consumers’ evaluations and adoption of AR‐enhanced VTOs, two important personality traits that pertain to the use of AR‐enhanced VTOs, sensation‐seeking tendency and technology anxiety, were incorporated into the model as moderators. Data for this study were collected via a self‐administered survey of students enrolled in 13 classes of a southeastern university in the United States. A total of 398 respondents were recruited to participate in this study via a convenience sampling approach. A sample of 352 was retained for data analysis. Structural equation modeling and multigroup comparisons were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. The finding revealed that the two salient technology attributes of AR‐enhanced VTOs exerted significant positive influences on telepresence, which, in turn, influenced consumers’ perceived values and adoption intention toward AR‐enhanced VTOs. Also, the two personality traits moderated the proposed relationships among technology attributes, perceived values, and adoption intentions. The findings add to empirical support for the relationship proposed in the SOR framework. Further, the results of this study provide insights that can guide companies in improving and marketing VTOs.

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Neurogenesis is a complex process encompassing neuronal progenitor cell expansion/proliferation and differentiation, followed by neuron maturation. In vivo models are most commonly used to study neurogenesis; however, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (iPSC) neurons are increasingly used to establish cellular models of human neurological processes. Unfortunately, the differentiation and maturation of iPSC-derived neurons varies in methodology, is asynchronous, and has restricted experimental utility because of extended differentiation/maturation times. To accelerate and standardize iPS neuronal maturation, we differentiated and matured feeder layer-free iPSC-derived neuronal cultures under physiological oxygen levels (5%), and modified the underlying extracellular matrix and medium composition. Our results demonstrate that calretinin gene expression occurred earlier under our optimized iPS conditions and the corresponding neurogenesis burst associated with proliferative expansion occurred more synchronously, reliably emerging two and three weeks after differentiation. As expected, the expression of mature neuronal markers (i.e., NeuN+/Calbindin+) started at 4-weeks post-differentiation. qPCR microarray, western blot and single cell analyses using high content imaging indicated that 4-week iPS neuronal cultures were non-cycling with decreased expression of cyclin D1 and Ki67. Our data demonstrate that extracellular cues influence the kinetics of neurogenesis models and that feeder layer-free iPSC-derived neurogenesis can be reproducibly miniaturized.