How consumers shop in virtual reality? How it works?

Abstract

The tremendous development of technological wave, in particular to virtual technology, has brought shopping activities into a new era. Current research is keen to investigate the relationships between consumers and technology in diverse virtual environments. This article aims to discuss the future directions for shopping practices in virtual worlds. Based on the scope of utilizing virtual technology in shopping practices, our research team investigates how consumers use virtual technology in shopping activities from reviewing prior research of consumer behavior and technological development. Our team highlights the importance of interactivity between virtual technology and consumers. This paper triggers further investigations in the area of (1) the instrumental relationships between the technology and consumer, (2) the connectivity to consumers, and (3) the consumers' perception of shopping in virtual environments and the daily practices in bricks-and-mortar shopping. The research team urges the needs of investigating shopping experiences in virtual worlds for the mentioned areas.