A window of opportunities: Experimental study on VR and haptic feedback devices in high-involvement consumer decision-making

Pre-purchase evaluations of custom-made, high-involvement goods are challenging when physical sensory information is limited. Drawing on mental imagery and embodied cognition theories, this research examines whether Virtual Reality (VR) and haptic feedback enhance these evaluations, focusing on their effects on sensory-specific mental imagery, perceived informativeness, and product preference. In a laboratory experiment (N = 159), participants evaluated sliding windows across two distinct use cases (operating smoothness and thermal insulation, both difficult to anticipate). We manipulated visual input (VR vs. 2D video) and haptic feedback (present vs. absent) to test how these technologies support evaluations under varying levels of task complexity. Additionally, head-mounted eye-tracking was utilized to capture objective visual attention allocation during the process. Results show that both technologies have independent positive effects on pre-purchase evaluations, with no synergistic interaction between them. Specifically, VR enhances mental imagery and perceived informativeness. Separately, haptic feedback increases haptic imagery and preference for the high-quality option, particularly for attributes directly conveyed through touch. Eye-tracking analyses indicate that haptic feedback directs visual attention toward task-relevant areas and away from peripheral information. The effect of haptic feedback on perceived informativeness is moderated by task complexity: benefits are strongest under low-to-moderate complexity and diminish under high complexity. In contrast, mental imagery, haptic imagery, and product preference effects remain robust across complexity levels. These findings advance multisensory consumer research by clarifying when and how immersive VR and haptic technologies enhance evaluation and decision-making for custom-made, high-involvement goods, offering actionable insights for their integration in physical and digital pre-purchase contexts.

Recommended citation: Doucé, L., Thys, J., van de Sanden, S., Willems, K., Frémann, S., Vanacken, D., & Rovelo Ruiz, G. (2027). A window of opportunities: Experimental study on VR and haptic feedback devices in high-involvement consumer decision-making. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 95, 105192.
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