A Study on the Consumers’ Perception of Agricultural Product Sales Using Metaverse－The Case of Virtual Reality－

This study investigated consumers’ perception of agricultural product sales using the metaverse to provide basic data for establishing marketing strategies aimed at revitalizing agricultural product sales through the metaverse. To this end, a survey was conducted on 500 consumers residing in the metropolitan area and six metropolitan cities. The main results are as follows. First, most respondents tended to perceive the “metaverse” primarily as a “virtual reality,” but cases of promoting or selling agricultural products through such virtual reality remain limited. To vitalize agricultural product sales using the metaverse, it is important to develop virtual reality-based promotion strategies and related technologies and content that reflect consumer perceptions. Second, the main inconveniences and difficulties reported in using the metaverse were technical limitations and the lack of benefits beyond user interaction. Among non-users, the primary reasons for not using the metaverse were a lack of perceived necessity and unfamiliarity with how to use it. Third, 42.4% of respondents responded that they would be willing to use a metaverse for agricultural product sales in the future, and a considerable number of respondents willing to use the metaverse expressed a desire to engage in agricultural product promotion activities and obtain related information. This indicates that the metaverse can be a useful tool for promoting agricultural products. Fourth, the most significant concern when purchasing agricultural products through the metaverse was the inability to verify product conditions such as quality and freshness. This indicates the need to establish a grading and standardization system and develop related technologies suitable for metaverse applications. Finally, an analysis of the factors affecting willingness to pay(WTP) for agricultural products sold in the metaverse compared with traditional online and offline retail channels showed that WTP was lower among respondents with prior experience in using the metaverse for virtual reality or agricultural secotor. Furthermore, those with higher levels of trust in the quality, safety, and freshness of agricultural products sold in the metaverse compared to existing retailers showed a higher willingness to pay. This suggests that to leverage the metaverse as a useful agricultural product sales channel, measures are needed to enhance positive user experiences and enhance trust in the quality, safety, and freshness of agricultural products sold.