The influence of scent on virtual reality experiences: The role of aroma-content congruence

Carlos Flavián (), Sergio Ibáñez-Sánchez and Carlos Orús

Journal of Business Research, 2021, vol. 123, issue C, 289-301

Abstract: We live in a multisensory world. Our experiences are constructed by the stimulation of all our senses. Nevertheless, digital interactions are mainly based on audiovisual elements, while other sensory stimuli have been less explored. Virtual reality (VR) is a sensory-enabling technology that facilitates the integration of sensory inputs to enhance multisensory digital experiences. This study analyzes how the addition of ambient scent to a VR experience affects digital pre-experiences in a service context (tourism). Results from a laboratory experiment confirmed that embodied VR devices, together with pleasant and congruent ambient scents, enhance sensory stimulation, which directly (and indirectly through ease of imagination) influence affective and behavioral reactions. These enriched multisensory experiences strengthen the link between the affective and conative images of destinations. We make recommendations for researchers and service providers with ambitions to deliver ambient scents, especially those congruent with displayed content, to enhance the sensorialization of digital VR experiences.

Keywords: Virtual reality; Smell; Congruence; User experience; Imagination; Destination image (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296320306093
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:123:y:2021:i:c:p:289-301

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.036

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Business Research is currently edited by A. G. Woodside

More articles in Journal of Business Research from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().