An experiment investigating the effects of retail greenery and correlated color temperature in virtual reality fashion apparel stores

Abstract

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to understand the impacts of retail greeneryin biophilic design and correlated color temperature on consumers’ perceptions (pleasure, arousal, perceived merchandise quality) and responses (satisfaction and purchase intentions) in virtual reality fashion apparel stores. Design: This study is a 2x2 experimental design. In this study, retail greenery/non-retail greenery are a within-subjects design, while correlated color temperature (warm/cool) and shopping orientations (utilitarian/hedonic) are a between-subjects design. 295 undergraduate US female students participated in this study. Findings: The results showed that consumers prefer a retail greenery application over a non-retail greenery application. Cool lighting creates higher arousal than warm lighting. There are significant interaction effects between a retail greenery application and correlated color temperature. I have also found moderating effects of shopping orientations (utilitarian/hedonic). Originality: This study first measures the combined effects of retail greenery and correlated color temperature on consumers’ responses which has not been done in previous studies. This study also provides insights into how retailers strategically plan their use of biophilic design and lighting to improve the 3D Virtual Reality (VR) shopping experience. Keywords: 3D Virtual Reality, Retail Greenery, Correlated color temperature, Shopping Orientation, Biophilic Design.