AVATARS AND YOUNG CONSUMERS’ INTERACTIONS WITH FASHION BRANDS IN THE METAVERSE

The increasing relevance of digital interactions, including virtual communication, metaverse and gaming, are stimulating the attention of consumers and companies. In particular, Generation Z and Alpha seem very attracted to these contexts and also seems to pay attention to the appearance and clothing of their avatar. The current research on the topic of identity and cultural identity in one's avatar is still limited, especially in the marketing field, but the growing trends in the manifestation of cultural identity that are spreading in the world of fashion suggest an increasing potential. This preliminary study aims at understanding the importance for young users to develop a virtual image of themselves and their identity in the metaverse. To address this objective, we collected semi-structured interviews with N=12 young consumers to investigate the ways and means of self-representation and whether young consumers would be interested in using or buying cultural or even folk clothing in the metaverse. The results provide managerial implications to the main metaverse platforms and also fashion brands.