The effect of Augmented Reality on purchase intention of beauty products: The roles of consumers’ control

•AR experience stimulates purchase intention, cognitive control, and behavioral control.•Cognitive control mediates the AR experience and purchase intention.•AR experience overcomes the effect of negative information from peers. Augmented Reality (AR) has emerged as an effective, interactive technology for providing visual product information. Using consumers’ control, this study attempts to identify the possible mediators of the relationship between AR experience and consumers’ purchase intention, and the boundary conditions of AR experience. Studies 1a and 1b show that an AR experience in a shopping environment stimulates purchase intention, cognitive control, and behavioral control. Mediation analysis is conducted since consumers’ control affects purchase intention. Using Hayes’ mediation analysis, we found that only cognitive control subsequently increases a customer’s purchase intention. Study 2 suggests that communication with peers affects cognitive control. In other words, peers’ opinions moderate the effect of an AR experience on cognitive control, and consequently, affect purchase intention. This study contributes to the literature on AR by testing the concept of consumer control in the new media environment. The results provide insight for marketers and mobile service providers on how to utilize AR technologies.