The Role of Presence and Experiential Quality in Driving Customer Engagement in VR Performances: Focusing on China's MZ Generation

With the growing application of virtual reality (VR) in cultural and performing arts, enhancing audience immersion and engagement has become a key issue in media experience and consumer behavior research. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, this study proposes a dual-perception model incorporating Social Presence and Telepresence to examine their influence on VR performance evaluation, memorable experience, and customer engagement. Using data from 258 Chinese Generation MZ users who have experienced VR performances, structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for analysis. Results indicate that Social Presence significantly enhances Telepresence, performance evaluation, and memorable experience. Telepresence, in turn, promotes both cognitive and emotional engagement, thereby increasing customer engagement. Furthermore, performance evaluation and memorable experience serve as key mediators between perceived stimuli and behavioral responses. This study contributes to the understanding of presence and customer engagement in immersive media and offers practical insights for optimizing VR performance design and audience interaction.