How Immersive Technologies Shape Consumer Well-Being: A Review of Digital Consumer Experiences

Immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the metaverse are transforming contemporary consumer experiences. While prior research has largely emphasized their ability to enhance engagement, enjoyment, and decision-making, less is known about how these technologies shape consumer well-being through diverse experiential processes. Addressing this gap, this study systematically reviews 97 studies on immersive technologies and consumer well-being, drawing on the ADO-TCM framework and co-citation analysis. Moving beyond descriptive classification, the review conceptualizes consumer well-being as a distinct, multidimensional outcome and identifies the dominant antecedent–response–outcome pathways through which it is shaped. The findings reveal that immersive technologies rarely influence consumer well-being directly; rather, technological characteristics operate through interconnected cognitive, psychological, and social response mechanisms, generating both positive and negative consequences depending on technological and contextual conditions. Based on these insights, the study proposes a process-oriented conceptual framework and outlines a structured agenda for future consumer research. This review contributes to the consumer behavior literature by reconceptualizing well-being as a dynamic, multidimensional outcome of immersive consumption experiences and by offering implications for researchers and practitioners designing technology-mediated consumer environments.