Validation of a virtual reality tool to test consumer response in supermarket settings
Martin René Andersen, Philip Birk Brisson, Patrick Lehmann Hald, Dennis Godtfredsen, Stefania Serafin, Bent Egberg Mikkelsen · VBN Forskningsportal (Aalborg Universitet) · 2014
BackgroundNormally, when researchers want to do a study on consumers' behavior, the possibilities are limited to:• Doing a mockup -having a design either recreate a staging from pictures or create an entirely new stage, out of cardboard or similar (a model approach)• Building the stage -having to help build the actual stage completely and filling it with real objects (a food lab approach)• Using the actual location -using the actual location as a stage if possible (a living lab approach)Recently, researchers have been looking for other possibilities.For example, a team from Holland [1] has created a simulation of a supermarket with a traditional computer setup, meaning screen, mouse, and keyboard and virtual shopping is a growing field of research [2] With recent developments and availability of head mounted displays, such as the Oculus Rift, it is possible to create even more realistic simulations, where actual body movements are used to control the interaction with the computer instead of the mice and keyboard.The obvious advantage is that the food environments are developed virtually at no cost, other than time when creating and texturing the models.The aim of this study was to carry out a usability test of the virtual supermarket tool (VST) that simulate a real life check-out experience at the cash register in a supermarket and allows for studies of food consumption and food choice behaviour.