20/20 launches virtual reality for researchers

The program is a computer-simulated environment experienced through VR headsets worn by respondents and displaying visuals replicating in-store environments such as grocery, retail and car dealerships, or customer experiences such as restaurants, cruise ships and hotels. It can track the eye movement of participants to see what attracts the most attention and includes a display process to help clients follow respondents as they navigate the experience. 

Changes to the environment can be made such as different store settings, shopping conditions and pricing, depending upon the user.

Jim Bryson founder and CEO of 20|20 Research said:  “This innovation will yield important new insights to how people respond and behave in different environments and to different environmental configurations. Uses of this platform will be almost limitless, but one application is customer satisfaction.  With virtual reality, a shopping experience can be re-created so consumers can ‘re-live’ the encounter, visually tripping emotional and cognitive triggers that provide much more nuanced feedback than other post-experience satisfaction studies.”