Creating mental imagery of cultural creative product with AR: a mixed-methods study of the affordances and consumer responses

Purpose Cultural and creative products is embracing augmented reality (AR) as a new opportunity to explain traditional culture and revitalize heritage marketing. However, effects and psychological mechanisms of this intersection remain underexplored. This study draws upon affordance perspective and develops a conceptual framework based on mental imagery theory, aiming to elucidate affordances and consumer responses of AR cultural creative products through a mixed-methods design. Design/methodology/approach Firstly, this study investigates affordances of AR (i.e. aesthetics, functionality, symbolism, interactivity and symbiosis) that enables cultural representation through interviews. Subsequently, a cross-sectional survey demonstrates the performance of AR. Findings The affordances of AR (i.e. aesthetics, functionality, symbolism, interactivity and symbiosis) help consumers to build mental imagery (i.e. elaboration and quality) of the culture and psychological proximity, contributing to positive outcome (i.e. consumer satisfaction, purchase intention and cultural identification). Originality/value These findings offer insights into AR research and provide practical guidance on how to deploy AR for cultural and creative products.