Title: Does presence matter? Impact of telepresence and social presence on purchase intention from VR shopping sites: empirical examination

Authors: Lalit Kumar; Saurabh Verma; Ruchi Srivastava; Bhoopendra Bharti

Addresses: Department of Management Studies, Guru Nanak College, Jhajhra, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India ' Department of Business Administration, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly Uttar Pradesh 243006, India ' Jagannath International Management School (JIMS), Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India ' Department of Management Studies, Guru Nanak College, Jhajhra, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India

Abstract: This research examines the impact of telepresence and social presence on the intention to purchase from virtual reality (VR) shopping platforms, presenting empirical evidence derived from descriptive and cross-sectional methodologies. Data was gathered through a survey utilising adapted scales from previous investigations, consisting of 43 scale items that evaluate ten variables associated with social presence, telepresence and purchase intention. A purposive sampling strategy was employed to collect responses from 525 participants. The results indicate that involvement and spatial presence significantly and positively influence social presence. Moreover, spatial presence, physical immersion, and experiential realism have a substantial and affirmative effect on telepresence. In addition, social presence exhibits a positive and significant relationship with purchase intention. Conversely, telepresence reflects a positive yet statistically insignificant relationship with purchase intention. These findings enhance the comprehension of consumer behaviour dynamics within VR shopping settings, providing valuable implications for VR commercial platforms.

Keywords: virtual reality; social presence; telepresence; purchase intention; spatial presence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2025.147566

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2025 Vol.19 No.3, pp.247 - 270

Received: 12 Oct 2024
Accepted: 10 Jan 2025
Published online: 21 Jul 2025 *

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