Engaging Brand Experiences for Gen Z Consumers: The Roles of Website Design and Social Interaction in Shaping Flow and Stickiness in Intellectual Property (IP) Character Stores

Given the growing importance of online stores in sustaining consumer engagement, intellectual property (IP) character store designs increasingly use varied interactive features that jointly influence consumer behavior. We develop a model grounded in stimulus–organism–response theory to examine how an IP character store’s visual design, visibility, and social interaction affect user flow and engagement, which in turn shape consumer stickiness. Data were collected through an online survey targeting users who had purchased IP characters from a popular branded online store. We reveal that social interaction and visual design significantly enhance flow and engagement, thereby strengthening stickiness. These findings offer actionable insights for IP character management and online retail strategy.