Exploring Determinants of Metaverse E-Commerce Purchase Intention Among Albanian University Students

Research purpose. This study investigates how metaverse knowledge, perceived value and perceived security risk relate to university students’ intention to engage in metaverse e-commerce in a developing-economy context. Focusing on Albanian students as an early-adopter cohort, it examines whether knowledge and value act as enablers and perceived security risk as a barrier to metaverse-based shopping.

Design / Methodology / Approach. A quantitative, cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 221 undergraduate and graduate students from universities in Albania. Knowledge of the metaverse, along with its perceived value, perceived security risk, and metaverse e-commerce purchase intention, were evaluated using multi-item five-point Likert scales based on privacy-calculus and technology-acceptance research. Descriptive statistics profiled respondents’ perceptions. Bivariate associations were examined using Spearman correlations, and hypotheses were evaluated using hierarchical regression (controls: gender, age) and PLS-SEM with bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples). Programme-group differences were explored using Mann-Whitney U tests. Reliability was excellent (Cronbach’s α = 0.911).

Findings. Students reported moderate but uneven metaverse knowledge, with greater familiarity with basic concepts and commercial applications and lower familiarity with VR/AR/XR technologies and ethics or privacy issues. Bivariate results supported both hypotheses: metaverse knowledge (ρ = .249, p < .001) and perceived value (ρ = .400, p < .001) were positively associated with metaverse e-commerce purchase intention, whereas perceived security risk was negatively associated (ρ = −.118, p = .040). Hierarchical regression showed a significant improvement from the control model to the full model (∆R² = .128, p < .001), and PLS-SEM showed comparable explanatory power (R² = .177).

Originality / Value / Practical implications. The study adds evidence from a developing-economy setting by jointly examining knowledge, value, and security risk as determinants of metaverse e-commerce intention. The results show a clear benefit-risk balance: knowledge and perceived value encourage intention, but high security concerns continue to hold students back, even among tech-savvy users. For universities and policymakers, this points to the need for metaverse-focused literacy on VR/AR/XR, data protection and digital rights, not just technical pilots. For firms and platform providers, the findings underline that successful metaverse offers must pair personalisation and rewards with transparent information, visible security-by-design measures, and real control over how students’ identities and avatars are used.