The Effects of Store Layout on Consumer Buying Behavioral Parameters with Visual Technology

In this project, the research team developed a new research methodology that allows the objective measurement of the cognitive and psychophysical reactions of individual consumers to structural changes in realistic store settings. The research methodology combines a new tool for immersive virtual reality display, built recently in the Purdue Envision Center, with a set of objective and subjective measurements of the consumer experience. The virtual display is a photorealistic rendering of a virtual mall and store developed through stereoscopic rendering technology. Participants can navigate through the mall and into the store to engage in various shopping tasks (e.g., purchasing items from a predetermined list, browsing, comparing brands and prices, etc.) within a fully immersive environment. During store exploration, measures of a set of objective variables are taken, including navigational path, type, and accuracy of intended purchases; time of purchase deliberation; and biases in purchase decisions. Afterward, participants are surveyed regarding details of their usual shopping habits and their recent experience within the virtual store. Together, the objective and