Immersive Promotion Strategies for Purchase Intentions: Leveraging Operational AI and AR/VR for Enhanced Consumer Response in Paint Retail
Viral Bhatt, Ravi Rajai · Journal of Promotion Management · 2026
Augmented Reality enhances product visualization, catering to customer needs and significantly influencing decision-making through realistic interactions. The emergence of immersive technologies has significantly transformed the approach to retail promotions, establishing novel pathways for customer engagement. The research investigates the impact of Promotional Interfaces in AR/VR on consumer purchase intentions within the paint retail industry, which is rapidly transforming due to urbanization, increasing real estate investments, and digitally facilitated purchasing methods. This research, based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory and Mental Imagery Theory, perceives AR/VR stimuli as immersive sensory inputs that provoke cognitive and emotional consumer reactions, hence influencing purchase intentions and brand evaluations. Data were collected by purposive sampling from 1,065 respondents in various paint retail establishments, focusing on consumers engaged with AR/VR promotional interfaces like mobile applications or instore kisoks during their decision-making process. Research shows that implementing real-time color visualization through AR/VR experiences significantly enhances consumer trust, perceived value, and advertising effectiveness. Operational AI further predicts these effects by personalizing immersive experiences and boosting brand credibility. This work conceptually enhances SOR and Mental Imagery theories in immersive retail environments, allowing paint retailers to use advanced promotional technology for competitive advantage. AR/VR driven software simulations make shopping futuristic and establish the business as tech savvy and reliable.