Simulated satiation through reality‐enhancing technology

Abstract

We define simulated satiation through reality‐enhancing technology as any attenuation in perceived benefits that occurs within or results from vicarious and simulated intermediary sources. We examine simulated satiation as a factor that underlies consumer experiences with reality‐enhancing technologies and presents nine testable propositions. Each proposition is aimed at determining how simulated satiation can unlock implications in terms of engaging consumers for the right amount of time to improve marketing outcomes. We further conduct a proof‐of‐concept study to test proposition 1, that physiological drivers and sensory overload increases simulated satiation. The empirical results show that shorter (vs. longer) exposure to virtual reality content raises perceived usefulness for virtual reality (VR), which in turn mediates stickiness for VR experiences alongside consumers’ subjective well‐being. Finally, we carry forward key theoretical contradictions and areas for future empirical testing based on simulated satiation in reality‐enhanced environments, including experiences, that are reshaping consumer decision making.

How to strategically choose or combine augmented and virtual reality for improved online experiential retailing

“…Supporting customers in product evaluation and enabling them to personally connect with products is vital to forming purchase intentions, and, accordingly, studies have more consistently implied positive effects of AR use on purchase intentions (e.g., Hilken et al, 2017; Poushneh & Vasquez‐Parraga, 2017; see Table 1). In contrast, VR users often find it difficult to evaluate specific products within the holistic virtual environment (e.g., due to “cue overload”), and research thus offers more equivocal results (e.g., Kang et al, 2020; Mishra et al, 2021), demonstrating in some cases that VR diminishes consumption intentions (Deng et al, 2019) due to simulated satiation (Pala et al, 2021). Consequently, we posit:…”

Strategic use of immersive media and narrative message in virtual marketing: Understanding the roles of telepresence and transportation

“…During a virtual experience, users draw upon spatial cues to construct mental models of the mediated world to feel "present" within it (Ahn, 2021;Ijsselsteijn & Riva, 2003;Wirth et al, 2007). While telepresence can be induced by all forms of media content, immersive VR displays create vivid telepresence through perceptual inputs, such as 3D vision, spatial audio, and interactive control (Cowan et al, 2021;Jang et al, 2019;Pala et al, 2021;Shin & Biocca, 2018;Tsai et al, 2020). Beyond a spatial presence activated by direct sensory inputs, VR further enhances telepresence by selfreferencing through virtual embodiment of the self (Ahn et al, 2016;Lee, 2004;Shin, 2021) and social presence (Shin, 2013(Shin, , 2017(Shin, , 2018.…”

Increasing donation intentions toward endangered species: An empirical study on the mediating role of psychological and technological elements of VR

“…marketing (Pala et al, 2021), and retail (Hilken et al, 2021), there has been little consideration of VR in nonprofit fundraising (see Kandaurova & Lee, 2019;Yoo & Drumwright, 2018). UNICEF used VR technologies in 2015 to raise much-needed funds for Syrian refugees (Kang, 2016) by seeking to close the gap between the social and emotional (Yoo & Drumwright, 2018).…”

“…Thus, through the use of VR, different types of land use (e.g., in culturally sensitive surroundings) can be visualized to inform stakeholders and to account for the perception of the landscape by the general public, and to predict the evolution of landscape based on management decisions (Bell, 2001). VR experiences were proposed as a solution to increase simulated satiation (Pala et al, 2021), and has also been shown to align online and offline experiences, which are key in improving attitudes and “form fluent context‐focused mental imagery” (Hilken et al, 2021, p.1).…”

“…While used in a range of fields, including tourism (Huang et al, 2016), education (Hu‐Au & Lee, 2017; Kavanagh et al, 2017), clinical research (Li et al, 2017), and pandemic responses (Singh et al, 2020), marketing (Pala et al, 2021), and retail (Hilken et al, 2021), there has been little consideration of VR in nonprofit fundraising (see Kandaurova & Lee, 2019; Yoo & Drumwright, 2018). UNICEF used VR technologies in 2015 to raise much‐needed funds for Syrian refugees (Kang, 2016) by seeking to close the gap between the social and emotional (Yoo & Drumwright, 2018).…”