Avatar Identification and Psychological Ownership of Virtual Items: Key Drivers of Post-Purchase Intention in Online Games

Post-purchase behavioral intentions for virtual goods are a critical yet underexplored aspect of the customer journey, particularly in avatar-mediated environments like video games. Building on avatar identification and psychological ownership theories, this study investigates how the perception of key in-game elements—avatars and virtual items—influences consumer satisfaction, repurchase intention, and positive word-of-mouth. We collected and analyzed survey data from 439 online gamers using structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that avatar identification significantly boosts consumer satisfaction, repurchase intention, and word-of-mouth through the psychological ownership of virtual items. These results emphasize the importance of fostering strong associations between players, avatars, and virtual items to encourage post-purchase behaviors. For game developers, focusing on enhancing these associations can lead to increased player retention and revenue.