The Role of Augmented Reality in Sustainable Digital Consumer Behavior: Evidence from University Students in Turkey and Northern Cyprus

This study examines the relationships between technology readiness, Augmented Reality Consumer Experience Scale (ARCES), and purchase intention in digital retail environments. Unlike prior augmented reality studies that primarily focus on technology adoption or isolated experiential effects, this study integrates technology readiness, multidimensional AR-based consumer experience, and purchase intention within a single correlational framework. Data were collected from 385 university students using a correlational research design. The factor structure of the adapted measurement scale was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and the relationships among the variables were examined using correlation analysis. The findings indicate significant positive relationships: technology readiness is positively associated with AR-based consumer experience, and AR-based consumer experience is positively associated with purchase intention. From a sustainability-oriented perspective, these findings suggest that AR-enabled retail experiences may support more informed and reflective pre-purchase evaluation processes in digital environments.