Making choices of food and non-food products: a comparison between virtual stores and online shopping

Abstract

While consumers are increasingly used to purchasing online, virtual reality (VR) is well acknowledged to enhance consumer experience via immersive and interaction systems. In our research, we recruited 160 participants (80 per experiment) to compare their consumer experiences of choosing Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) in a virtual store (via VR) and on an online webpage. Specifically, each participant was asked to choose four FMCGs (foods in Experiment 1 and non-foods in Experiment 2) for the next 4 weeks, and they filled out the Positive and Negative Affect Scale before and after completing choice tasks. Results of the anova showed that there was a significant decrease in negative affect scores following both food and non-food choices (Mbefore = 1.3 vs. Mafter = 1.2). Positive affect ratings were significantly higher for food choices in VR than online (MVR = 2.5 vs. Monline = 2.1), with no significant difference for non-food choices. This highlights the impact of VR on food choice and its potential to transform human–food interactions. The study reveals that VR can narrow the gap between consumers' expectations and actual perceptions by creating an immersive and interactive shopping experience, thus significantly influencing consumer behaviour.