PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between consumers' perceived media characteristics, telepresence, attitudes and adoption intention towards augmented reality (AR)-based virtual fitting rooms (VFRs). Additionally, the mediating effect of telepresence was examined.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 352 university students and analysed using structural equation modelling.FindingsEmpirical results suggest significant positive influences of media characteristics, including perceived interactivity and augmentation, on telepresence, which, in turn, influenced attitudes and adoption intention towards AR-based VFRs. Also, telepresence mediated the relationship between media characteristics and consumers' attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsData for this study were collected based on the subjects' one-time experience with a particular AR-based VFR. Therefore, the generalisation of the findings may be limited.Practical implicationsAn important implication is that the enhancement of rendering interactive and augmented features is crucial for adoption of AR-based VFRs considering the key role of interactivity and augmentation in inducing telepresence, attitudes and adoption intention.Originality/valueThe paper empirically tested the importance of unique media characteristics, telepresence and attitudes in consumers' adoption of AR-based VFRs through the lens of the theory of interactive media effects.