Marker versus Markerless Augmented Reality. Which Has More Impact on Users?

Augmented Reality (AR) platforms are being used for an extensive array of applications. One of the critical moments of online shopping is the choice of product. Ideally, consumers should be able to try the product before pressing on add to cart button. The experimental design discussed in the article compares two different optical tracking systems of ARa marker-based AR (MB) and a markerless AR (ML) for two types of interfaces: tangible and multimodal based on gesture recognition, respectively. Both AR technologies allow the consumer to virtually visualize sport shoes' features. Although the interface systems affect the facial/body expression of participants, the self-reported arousal does not change. In contrast with the literature, the usability of the MB (tangible) AR is considered better than the ML (gesture-based recognition) AR option. The probability of recommending the displayed brand is higher under ML (gesture-based recognition) AR than the MB (tangible) AR. Some covariates and factors such as positive/negative emotional traits, tendency to adopt innovation, and familiarity with the brand interfere with the impact of both AR technologies on the dependent variables.