Using Virtual Reality to Demonstrate and Promote Products: The Effect of Gender, Product Contextualization and Presence on Purchase Intention and User Satisfaction

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) and its capability to replace real stimuli for synthesized ones as if they were real opened several research lines over the years. Many of those consist of trying to validate whether or not VR replicates the same user behaviours seen in reality. In this study, we investigated whether or not product contextualization and gender could influence users' intention to purchase as well as their satisfaction with the application and how presence levels correlate with purchase intention and user satisfaction. The product tested was a double door refrigerator with a touchscreen. We considered two independent variables: Contextualization (Context -The refrigerator was displayed in a kitchen and filled with food products and Neutral -The refrigerator was empty and displayed in an empty room) and gender (male and female). The results indicated that contextualization and gender had no effective impact on purchase intention, user satisfaction with the VR experience nor the sense of presence. A positive correlation was found between presence and user satisfaction. Evidence indicates that it is not necessary to represent products in their context, saving computational power and human resources.

Teaching EFL With Immersive Virtual Reality Technologies: A Comparison With the Conventional Listening Method

“…However, it should be noted that the correlations found may not be due to linear relationships. Presence and user satisfaction were correlated in various subscales, corroborating the literature [11] and indicating a connection between these two metrics. We speculate this happens as presence also seems to be linked to the state of flow [51], this is, an activity so enjoyable that users become so deeply focused on what they are doing that they lose awareness of time and their surroundings.…”

“…VR is being adopted to train professionals in several fields, offering a similar reality and yet safe environment where they can train [8], [9], [10]. Furthermore, other fields such as e-commerce and tourism [11], [12], [13] are also being researched in VR due to its potential to offer users to experience any environment from any place, with reduced logistics, costs and time constraints. These advantages of VR also motivated research in education, teaching and learning.…”

Correlational study on novelty factor, immersive tendencies, purchase intention and memory in immersive VR e-commerce applications

“…The product and virtual environment were the same as the ones in Meirinhos et al 41 and Gonçalves et al 42 . The product was a double-door refrigerator with a touchscreen, ice/water dispenser, and freezer.…”

“…The VR application was executed, and participants were transported into the virtual experience facing the refrigerator. Due to the methodology used to gather data for the hypotheses testing on Meirinhos et al 41 and Gonçalves et al 42 , half of the participants experimented with the product in a neutral context and the other half in a kitchen context, balanced by gender. Instructions to participants were given verbally in the order found in Table 2 .…”

“…This work is part of a larger study that included other other hypotheses testing 41 , 42 . In Meirinhos et al 41 we addressed whether contextualisation of products in IVR and gender would impact purchase intention and user satisfaction; verify if purchase intention was correlated with the presence and user satisfaction; and verify if there was a correlation between user satisfaction and presence). On Gonçalves et al 42 we considered two independent variables (Contextualization and Gender) and in a comparative study analysed weather they had an impact on the extent users are clarified about the product functionalities and size as well as if there was an effect on the extent users remember details of the product and on the users mental workload.…”