Virtual reality-based product displays to inspire consumers’ purchase intentions: An experimental study

The rapid growth of technology and its perfect utilization by marketers in their product displays transform consumers’ purchasing patterns across the globe. Previous literature suggests that in-store product displays are critical in boosting customers' shopping experiences and purchasing decisions. However, they fail to provide enough evidence for using virtual reality-based visual product displays to attract them. Therefore, the purpose of this research is twofold: first is to explore the influence of imaginative and contextual product displays on inspiration and purchase intentions through local and foreign brands, and second is to identify the differential impact of foreign product categories on inspiration and purchase intentions. The need for uniqueness is also tested as a boundary condition in the relationship between inspiration and purchase intention. Using an experimental design, the data from 174 consumers for Study 1A and 154 data for Study 1B, while 301 responses were collected for Study 2 and analyzed using MANOVA and SPSS Hayes’ PROCESS method. The results revealed that virtual reality-based contextual displays have a more significant impact on inspiring consumers and leading them to positive purchase intention than virtual reality-based imaginative displays. The results of Study 2 endorsed the significant indirect impact of product displays on purchase intention via inspiration. Also, the need for uniqueness moderates the relationship between inspiration and purchase intentions.