Experiencing a Food Production Site Using Wearable Devices: The Indirect Impact of Immersion and Presence in VR Tours

Margherita Peruzzini,Elisa Martinelli,Francesca De Canio,Sara Cavallaro

doi:10.3390/su14053064

Margherita Peruzzini, Elisa Martinelli + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053064

Copy DOI

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is among the main technologies revolutionizing numerous sectors, including tourism. In the latter context, virtual tours (VTs) are finding increasing application. Providing an immersive and realistic human–machine interaction, VR tours can bring visitors to virtually experience destination areas. The proposed research presents a theoretical and empirical investigation of the role played by some technical VR features (i.e., presence, immersion, ease-of-use) on VR visitors’ enjoyment, satisfaction, and, accordingly, on the physical visit intention of the production site and neighboring areas. After having experienced a 360-degree VR tour of a food production site, created specifically for this study, 140 visitors were surveyed online. Results—emerging from a PLS structural equation model—show that immersion and presence both directly impact the enjoyment and indirectly the user’s VR tour satisfaction and visit intention. Further, if the VR tour is perceived as easy to use, it influences visitors’ satisfaction and physical visit intention. This study contributes to the novel VR literature, applied in the tourism sector, evidencing how immersive and enjoyable scenarios, experienced via widespread devices such as smartphones, may impact tourists’ choices. In food tourism, VR technologies can be fundamental in attracting new visitors to the production sites and neighboring areas.

Highlights

Innovative and wearable technologies are reshaping the way companies may interact with final consumers [1]
This study aims to overcome the limitations of the recent literature about the application of Virtual reality (VR) tours in food tourism by providing a more robust analysis of the impact of the 360-degree digital tours on people’s intention to visit the food production site
Due to the nature of the constructs used in the empirical analysis, and following previous studies’ approaches, we treat all items as reflective indicators

Summary

Introduction

Innovative and wearable technologies are reshaping the way companies may interact with final consumers [1]. New opportunities are emerging for businesses, allowing distant consumers to experience their product and/or services digitally. Popular technologies, such as smartphones, are becoming necessary to improve efficiency and effectiveness in many sectors, from tourism to retail, production to education and culture, to wellness and entertainment [2,3]. In addition to an increasingly widespread use of wearable devices, virtual and augmented realities are offering the opportunity to employ sustainable, immersive, and interactive solutions impacting on business operators’ performance and sector’s profitability, currently strongly constrained by the pandemic. Increasing restrictions to people’s mobility determined by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the related changes in people’s lifestyles and behaviors [6–8] have amplified the need for businesses to find new ways to be in contact with final customers remotely

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion