Seeing is believing, owning is engaging: how augmented reality enhances psychological ownership and brand connection.

Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology with the potential to influence consumer behaviour in retail. Despite growing attention, the psychological mechanisms underlying AR's impact on brand engagement remain underexplored in both academic research and practical applications. This study aims to address this gap by adopting the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory. It identifies two key pathways -sensory stimulation and mental imagery – that foster brand psychological ownership (BPO) and brand engagement, while comparing the effects of AR and non-AR experiences. Data were collected from 313 Gucci consumers in Turkey who interacted with the Gucci AR or non-AR app. Findings indicate that AR is associated with significantly higher levels of mental imagery and BPO than non-AR apps. In contrast, perceived sensory stimulation does not differ significantly between the two conditions. AR-driven mental imagery plays a crucial role in enhancing BPO and consumer engagement. The findings further highlight the role of ‘inspired by’ and ‘inspired to’ as boundary conditions, strengthening the effects of mental imagery and sensory stimulation on BPO. These findings contribute to the theoretical framework of AR marketing by highlighting the psychological processes through which AR drives brand engagement.