Background: With the passage of time and the increase in market competition, the use of technology in business management and marketing has facilitated operations for businesses and consumers. Among various technologies, augmented reality, due to its immersive features, assists users in examining their desired product without the need to be physically present in a store, through their digital device, adapting to their physical and environmental conditions, and performing the purchasing process with better insight, understanding, and a more natural shopping experience. Due to the beneficial features of augmented reality technology in online retail, it seems essential to pay attention to the differences between the species of this technology.
Aim: The aim of this study is to discover and compare consumer reactions to these two types of augmented reality technology, namely "Overlay" and "Contour Based" in online retailing, and to provide a classification for the identified consumer responses
Methodology: The present study is qualitative in nature and adopts a fundamental and applied approach. Descriptive data collection method was used, employing interviews as the data collection tool. For data analysis, the thematic analysis method was utilized. The target population of this research consists of Iranian consumers who have experience purchasing from online retailers. The sampling method used in this study is purposive and accessible. After determining the structured and semi-structured questions based on the research background, interviews were conducted with a total of 26 participants, categorized into three groups: experienced individuals in the field of augmented reality, individuals with limited experience, and individuals with no experience who meet the criteria of the target population. Interviews were conducted in person with all participants who had no or limited experience using augmented reality. Prior to the interviews, to create a hands-on experience with O