How to design a virtual reality experience that impacts the consumer engagement: the case of the virtual supermarket

The paper examines the effect of the recent VR technologies on consumers behaviour providing guidelines to design a rich and immersive environment that is able to deliver high-impact and memorable experience and engage audiences and potential consumers anytime and anywhere. In order to study the impact, firstly, the paper has identified and described the technological characteristics of VR in terms of the ability of the VR devices to surround the user and the nature of simulation and the consumer engagement expressed through varying levels of cognitive, affective and behavioural manifestations. Then, a VR environment with technological characteristics of interactivity, hypertextuality, virtuality (presence of virtual elements), modality, location specificity, mobility and connectivity has been designed. VR environment shows a virtual supermarket in the form of 360 degree video able to create highly immersive sensory experiences that promote the subjective presence of consumers and impress their senses, touch their hearts, and stimulate their minds. The results obtained show that applying virtual technology to marketing activities allows marketers to identify and respond to opportunities through new technologies which are faster, more effective, and lower cost and to become more responsive to consumers’ needs providing virtual experience where they want it, how they want it and when they want it.