BEYOND USABILITY: HOW ANXIETY AND STRESS SHAPE VR ADOPTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN A MAJOR DIGITAL MARKET
Keywords:
older consumers, UTAUT model, VR shopping, silver economy, technology acceptance, computer anxiety, ChinaAbstract
Abstract: As global population aging accelerates and digital technologies rapidly evolve, understanding older consumers' acceptance of emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) shopping becomes increasingly critical. China, with the world's largest and fastest-growing older consumer market, represents a pioneering case for examining how older adults navigate digital retail innovations in the context of its thriving "silver economy." Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework, this study examines factors influencing older Chinese consumers' VR shopping adoption. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) with data from 428 older adults (aged 60+) with online shopping experience, we tested an extended UTAUT model incorporating computer anxiety and perceived stress as key psychological factors. Effort expectancy and facilitating conditions emerged as primary determinants of VR shopping adoption intention, with performance expectancy showing moderate influence. Notably, social influence showed no significant effect. Computer anxiety negatively affected both effort expectancy and facilitating conditions perceptions. However, when anxiety transformed into perceived stress, it paradoxically enhanced positive expectations toward VR shopping technology. These findings challenge prevailing assumptions about older adults' technology resistance and reveal nuanced psychological mechanisms underlying their digital adoption. The study demonstrates that embracing new technologies is becoming normative among Chinese older consumers, suggesting significant opportunities for leveraging VR technology characteristics to expand the silver economy and unlock new economic growth potential.
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