Transferring Trust: A Structural and Configurational Analysis of the Role of Brand Trust in Augmented Reality Adoption in Eyewear Industry

The inability to physically evaluate product fit and appearance creates a digital embodiment gap, increasing uncertainty in online eyewear purchases. Although augmented reality (AR)-enabled virtual try-on (VTO) offers new opportunities for virtual product evaluation, limited research explains how consumers develop trust in AR systems and how this trust relates to behavioral intention. Extending prior AR adoption research, this study explains the trust-transfer mechanism through which trust in an established eyewear brand is transferred to its AR-enabled VTO system and demonstrates how structural and configurational perspectives explain adoption. Drawing on trust-transfer theory and extended-valence framework, the study examines how brand trust and AR quality relate to AR trust and how AR trust is indirectly associated with behavioral intention through positive (hedonic value, fit confidence, and psychological ownership) and negative (perceived risk and technophobia) experiential evaluations. Data from 415 Indian eyewear shoppers were analyzed using PLS-SEM and fsQCA. The findings indicate that brand trust and AR quality are positively associated with AR trust. Furthermore, hedonic value, fit confidence, psychological ownership, and technophobia mediate the relationship between AR trust and behavioral intention, whereas perceived risk does not. The study advances immersive retail literature and provides actionable insights for designing trustworthy AR shopping experiences.