Flow and Continuance Intention in Augmented Reality (AR) Shopping: A Systematic Literature Review
Abstract
ow theory has been increasingly applied to explain user behavior in augmented reality (AR) shopping, yet existing studies remain fragmented. Despite the rapid growth of the AR shopping market, low user retention rates highlight the need to understand how flow fosters sustained engagement. However, consensus on its conceptualization is lacking, dimensional measures are inconsistent, and its link with continuance intention (CI) remains unclear. To address this gap, this study systematically reviewed 17 peer-reviewed articles published between 2016 and 2024 using the PRISMA protocol. Five core dimensions of flow were identified—concentration, enjoyment, control, time distortion, and curiosity. Among these, enjoyment and concentration consistently predict CI, control and time distortion show context-dependent effects, while curiosity, though underexplored, demonstrates strong potential. This study highlights theoretical and methodological gaps and suggests that retailers and developers should enhance enjoyment (e.g., engaging interactions) and concentration (e.g., seamless use), optimize control (e.g., intuitive navigation), and leverage curiosity-driven exploration (e.g., novel features) to strengthen user retention.
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