A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY ON AVATARS AND YOUNG CONSUMERS’ INTERACTIONS WITH FASHION BRANDS IN THE METAVERSE

Metaverse and gaming platforms engage young consumers through digital identity creation, immersive experiences, and social connectivity. This study examines how Generation Z and Alpha build avatars, their motivations and cultural influences. Interviews with 39 young consumers from Italy and China offer insights for platforms and brands. The study findings confirm that the creation of the avatar is itself part of the metaverse experience, as it entails identity representation, manifestation of self-expression and one's state of mind, and also the liberation from social norms and limitations. For users, the intention to spend money to buy items, tools or accessories for their avatar is rather low and depends on the time spent on the single platform/game and their purchase power, rather than on the attitude towards the brand or the desire to stand out. Both Italian and Chinese view clothing artifacts as a means of self-expression in the metaverse. However, Chinese consumers exhibit a high level of enthusiasm for engaging with metaverse services and that guochao trend is a phenomenon that broadly affects Chinese consumers as a whole, irrespective of age or educational background. From a cross-cultural perspective, in line with previous studies, in online settings, Chinese/Eastern consumers are more driven by hedonic motivations as compared to Italian/Western consumers, who seem to be more motivated by utilitarian factors. Indeed, both groups show respect and interest in their own cultural heritage, but Chinese youth maintains a closer adherence to traditions than their Italian counterparts. This study constitutes a preliminary investigation into Gen Z and Alpha users' avatar customization, with the objective of furthering self-representation, communication and socialization, in conjunction with cultural dimensions. The results of this study yield original and valid managerial implications for future brand experiences in games and metaverses. It is imperative that future brand campaigns in the metaverse consider the cultural background of their targets. In particular, the motivations for avatar creation appear to be consistent across cultures, although there are subcultures that are particularly attentive to collecting and cultures that manifest greater or lower awareness and preference for cultural heritage. Future research development will extend the scope of the present study through the adoption of quantitative approaches to verify the relationships among the established dimensions.