Visual attention and hand-product interaction in virtual reality shelves

Proceedings of the 33rd International Marketing Conference AEMARK 2022

Virtual reality (VR) is challenging retailers in two directions: as a new distribution channel and as a complementary channel. In this paper, we investigate gaze and hand-interaction directed to products of two product categories across shelf levels. An experimental study was conducted using an immersive VR shopping environment that recreated a store with different sections. Sixty participants completed two forced purchase tasks using a head-mounted display with a visual and motor tracking system. In general, we demonstrated that the middle shelf attracts more visual attention and hand-product interaction, followed by the top and bottom shelves. Our findings might indicate that shopping behavior in VR does not differ from physical environments. Implications and future directions are discussed.