Virtual reality internet retailing: experimental examination of interactive shopping interface – Store atmosphere effects on user-consumer behaviour

The objective of the present dissertation is to explore Virtual Reality as a new retailing channel through an interdisciplinary approach; Information Systems and Marketing. It is attempted to explore how new IS environments create new challenges for marketing and understanding online consumer behavior. The expected final outcome will be twofold. Primary, to provide evidence regarding causal relationships between Virtual Reality Retailing Store Atmosphere (VRRSA) components and Consumer Behaviour. Second, to provide evidence about how various types of store layout affect the shopping process. There is a great research interest on this new environment and is important to identify the components that constitute this environment as well as investigate consumers’ habits in relation to the others retailing channels (traditional, Web)

Does the online commerce medium matter? The moderating role of habit and social presence

Recent studies raise the possibility that different commerce media invite different product purchase decisions. We follow an interdisciplinary approach by applying the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory in the marketing context in order to understand the specific reasons why consumers turn to desktop and mobile devices for conducting purchases. The results from two laboratory experiments involving an actual purchase demonstrate that consumers find different value in the distinctive characteristics of the media in question. Although there is a positive relationship between the intention to buy and product purchase in online environments, the habitual use of the medium moderates this relationship. Purchase intention x habitual use of the medium interactions are related to purchase behavior when habit is strong. Similarly, the presence of other people while the purchase is being made via desktop and mobile devices has a normative influence on purchase behavior

Setting the Research Agenda for Store Atmosphere Studies in Virtual Reality Retailing: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Virtual Reality Retailing (VRR) has proved to be an emerging retailing channel with an ongoing economic activity in recent years. There are plenty of virtual worlds where businesses develop, some of which have developed a self-governing economy retaining its own currency. While there has been considerable amount of research as far as store atmosphere is concerned in brick-and-mortar and web retailing, research in the new retailing channel is generally deficient. The growing virtual retailing environment (VRE) resembles but also differs in terms of store atmosphere characteristics both with the traditional and Web environment. The present paper reviews current business practice in virtual worlds and sets the research agenda as far as virtual store atmosphere studies is concerned. To that end, it is attempted to justify the need for adopting interdisciplinary research initiatives when studying store atmosphere effects on consumer behavior in the context of VRR. Specifically, the paper calls for employing established knowledge derived through the Information Systems and Marketing disciplines