Working Paper: Virtual Reality: Real Virtual? Consumer Decision Making, Structure, and Justification in Virtual Decision Environments
Type
working paper
Date Issued
2019-03-26
Author(s)
Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are presumed to affect the future of product customization architectures (PCAs). The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of virtual (relative to non-virtual) PCAs on consumer decision making, structure, and justification. In one laboratory experiment this research demonstrates that virtual relative to non-virtual PCAs increase consumers’ choice confidence with regard to the customized product due to two psychological mechanisms. First, this research shows that virtual relative to non-virtual PCAs increase consumers’ mental simulation of the customized product. Second, this research shows that virtual relative to non-virtual PCAs increase consumers’ immersion (control). Moreover, this research provides novel insights with regard to consumer decision making and structure in virtual relative to non-virtual PCAs. This research provides notable implications for theory and practice. First, this research exposes the effect of virtual relative to non-virtual PCAs on consumer decision making, structure, and justification. Second, this research fortifies most recent research on embodied cognition by demonstrating on how physical interactions within a decision environment affect consumer behavior. Third, this research supports marketing practitioners in designing virtual PCAs (VR interfaces) based on the psychological mechanisms and technical characteristics that are carved out in the laboratory experiment. Finally, this research establishes the theoretical and methodological antecedents for future consumer research studies in virtual decision environments.
Language
English
Keywords
Virtual Reality
Product Customization
Choice Architectures
Embodied Cognition
Immersion.
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SoM - Business Innovation
Publisher place
St.Gallen
Pages
36
Subject(s)
Additional Information
Working Paper (available via Institute for Customer Insight (University of St.Gallen) with prior permission by Daniel Boller)
Eprints ID
257114