Psychophysiological Investigation of the Effects of Virtual Reality, the New Dimension of Retail Shopping, on Generation Z

Abstract

Virtual reality has begun to show itself in many areas of our lives as its accessibility becomes easier. Especially in recent years, it has been observed that investments have been made in this field in the retail sector and many brands have created virtual reality stores. The research emphasizes the need for new studies on consumer behavior in virtual reality stores, the new interface of the retail sector, in order to shed light on future investments. The attitude of Generation Z, who grew up with technology and is open to innovation, towards the virtual reality store is important because they are the consumers of today and the future. Given this situation, in the current study, the attitude of Generation Z towards the virtual reality store is examined psychophysiologically. The physiological outcomes of university students (n = 40) between the ages of 18–29 during the shopping experience in a virtual reality store were analyzed with electrodermal activity (EDA) and photoplethysmography (PPG) research techniques. Physiological data were analyzed by comparing them with the data obtained from the Socio-Demographic characteristics and the Hedonic and Utilitarian Consumption Behaviors Scale. In line with the findings in the study, the psychophysiological effects of the virtual reality store on Generation Z participants did not show significant differences in terms of demographic characteristics and hedonic and utilitarian consumption behaviors. However, the increase in the heart rate averages of the majority of the participants during the experience was significant. This is attributed to the fact that virtual reality adresses both hedonic and utilitarian consumption.