Virtual Store Visit Simulations

Static pictures as manipulations will not cut it anymore. If we want meaningful manipulations, Virtual Reality belongs in our methods toolbox. I do not mean another “cool demo.” I mean controlled, reproducible environments that feel real enough to study behavior with rigor. What changes in practice? ◾Whole environments, not single images. In consumer research, a virtual supermarket lets me vary layout, prices, shelf space, or crowding and isolate effects without touching a real store. Presence and product involvement can be tested directly in that setting. Great work by Sandra Loureiro and colleagues, see here: https://lnkd.in/eJchQvr3 ◾Ethics and safety for high-stakes questions. VR eyewitness and perpetrator scenes allowed Lilian Kloft-Heller and colleagues to show that THC acutely increases false-memory proneness in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Try doing that with a few pictures on a screen, or hiring expensive actors. VR offers opportunities: https://lnkd.in/eQQFzxvH ◾ Scripted social interactions. Virtual confederates let researchers control gaze, timing, and emotion precisely, while keeping the scene identical for every participant. This balances realism with experimental control, which classic lab set-ups rarely achieve. See this article: https://lnkd.in/e676gNrB Is VR a field study? Not yet. But it is a big step toward the contexts we actually care about, with data quality we need for causality. If you are still running picture-based manipulations, try one VR pilot this semester. Small step. Big upgrade. #VR #ResearchMethods #Psychology #Marketing #ResearchMatters #Academia #PhDLife #DEXLab #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

📊 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲? Microsoft is launching a new product that could massively scale human focus groups with the help of AI. Understanding how people interact—whether customers, employees, or stakeholders—is a vital yet complex challenge. Traditional methods like focus groups, surveys, or live experiments often come with high costs and logistical hurdles. Microsoft shares a new framework - TinyTroupe, an open-source tool that leverages AI agents to simulate human behavior in dynamic, interactive environments. TinyTroupe uses Large Language Models (LLMs) to power AI agents designed with distinct personalities, interests, and goals. These agents "live" in TinyWorlds, tiny virtual environments where they can interact, adapt, and make decentralized decisions (yes, this is 💯 the Matrix-like concept) The result is emergent behaviors that mirror real-world interactions, creating a scalable, cost-effective way to simulate and analyze complex social dynamics. Here are 3 main use cases: 1️⃣ Consumer Behavior Simulations: Companies can test marketing campaigns, product designs, or customer journeys by observing how agents respond. For example, launching a virtual product and tracking “consumer” preferences could reveal pain points before the actual launch. 2️⃣ Workplace Dynamics Analysis: Simulate team interactions to identify factors that enhance collaboration or lead to conflicts. This insight is invaluable for improving organizational behavior, onboarding, or leadership training. 3️⃣ Crisis and Strategy Testing: Agents in virtual environments can model responses to supply chain disruptions, policy changes, or customer service escalations, helping businesses refine strategies in low-risk conditions. While initially conceptualized for creative industries, tools like TinyTroupe hold transformative potential across various industrial sectors: Retail: Simulate shopper behaviors in virtual stores to optimize layouts or test product placements. Manufacturing: Model human-robot collaborations on factory floors to design safer, more efficient workflows. Healthcare: Train medical professionals in patient interactions by simulating diverse scenarios with empathetic AI agents. Looking ahead, innovations like TinyTroupe could serve as a bridge between human behavior and AI, offering businesses tools to experiment, learn, and innovate. Try it here, its easy to run: https://lnkd.in/eFMSXJVG 👉 Follow me for more in-depth insights on Industrial #AI applications across sectors. #ArtificialIntelligence #IndustrialAI #BusinessInsights #AIApplications #Simulation

I jumped into L’Occitane's new Christmas-themed digital store. Set in a cozy cabin in the French Alps, I strolled through the virtual store and was able to collect hidden items to unlock a discount code for my purchase. Such a great example of virtual branded experiences for better storytelling! Beyond customer engagement, we’re seeing virtual experiences evolve with use cases that bring real value for brands and consumers. My favourite examples from the last month: Balmain is using virtual experiences to personalise the online fitting experience for customers. - They partnered with BODS to allow customers to create personalised avatars and dress them in tailored Balmain pieces. - Improper fit accounts for ~70% of returned online fashion purchases. This experience aims to boost consumer confidence and reduce returns. E.L.F. BEAUTY is using virtual experiences to enable Gen Z to build new skills and express themselves authentically online. - They introduced a Roblox experience, focused on creating dream start-ups and gamifying the development of entrepreneurial skills.  - This is based on the insight that 50% of Roblox's Gen Z users prioritise expressing themselves through their in-game identity and 62% aspire to become entrepreneurs (Forbes, 2023). Porche spoke about it’s metaverse vision, with examples such as designers using the metaverse for virtual vehicle interior design, collaborative customer feedback before production and digital twins of factories. Have you visited a virtual storefront before? #customerexperience #digitaltransformation #branding