Who embraces augmented reality in fashion retail? Generational and gendered adoption pathways

This study examines how Spanish consumers perceive and adopt augmented reality (AR) in fashion retail, focusing on awareness, adoption, trust and perceived usefulness across generational cohorts and gender. To address this objective, the research combines a systematic literature review covering the period 2015–2024 with a cross-sectional online survey of 203 Spanish consumers aged 18–65. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, two-proportion Z-tests and Spearman correlations were used to analyse differences across segments. The findings show high overall awareness of AR, but substantial differences in adoption, trust and perceived usefulness. Generation Z and Millennials report higher levels of AR adoption, trust and usefulness than Generation X and Baby Boomers, while women show greater intention to use AR in fashion and beauty contexts and higher trust in AR-based experiences. The main barriers identified are limited access to compatible devices, doubts about technological accuracy in terms of fit, colour and realism, and privacy concerns regarding camera and biometric data. The study concludes that AR adoption in fashion follows segmented pathways rather than a uniform diffusion pattern. Fashion retailers should therefore tailor AR strategies to generational and gender segments, improve realism, simplify access and communicate data practices transparently to support more inclusive, trustworthy and sustainable retail experiences.