EXPLORING ONLINE CUSTOMER ENJOYMENT AND ENGAGEMENT: THE ROLES OF STORE ATMOSPHERE, INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY, AND TECHNOLOGICAL READINESS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract The present study explores how digitally mediated retail environments shape consumer affect and engagement as online platforms increasingly operate as immersive experiential spaces. It examines how online store atmosphere and interactive screens foster engagement through customer enjoyment and evaluates how technology readiness conditions these effects. Utilizing a quantitative cross-sectional design, the research obtained survey data from 470 Saudi online shoppers and used structural equation modelling with validated multi-item scales to assess atmospherics, interactivity, enjoyment, engagement, and readiness. Results evidence that both atmospheric and interactive cues significantly heighten enjoyment, which in turn strongly predicts engagement, with partial mediation by enjoyment of both pathways. Technology readiness amplifies all relationships, demonstrating that individual technological predispositions critically shape affective and behavioral responses. These findings validate an integrated S–O–R/TRI framework and offer theoretically grounded and practically relevant insights for designing emotionally resonant, user-aligned online retail environments.