Presenting Your Products in Virtual Reality: Do not Underestimate Cybersickness

The influence of cybersickness and the media devices’ mobility on the persuasive effects of 360° commercials

“…One reason for this might be the misperception of motion during the reception of 360°videos, which could trigger side effects of VR technology, such as increased cognitive load, headaches, dizziness, or nausea, and interfere with the media experience. All of these negative sensations are symptoms of cybersickness, which may decrease the positive affect elicited by spatial presence because of its unpleasant nature, thus reducing persuasive effectiveness [40].…”

“…Cybersickness can be considered an irritation that may diminish or neutralize the positive effects of 360°commercials [1,24,25,85]. Only a few previous studies on immersive advertising have considered the level of cybersickness and analyzed its negative impact [40,85]. For instance, Yim et al [85] reported that 3D commercials that were experienced using 3D glasses could give rise to cybersickness for some individuals, who consequently reported lower levels of spatial presence.…”

“…For instance, Yim et al [85] reported that 3D commercials that were experienced using 3D glasses could give rise to cybersickness for some individuals, who consequently reported lower levels of spatial presence. However, cybersickness might not only affect spatial presence, but also decrease persuasive effectiveness because of reduced media enjoyment [40,69]. In the context of e-commerce, Israel et al [40] even suggested that minimizing the negative effects of cybersickness should be the primary focus of retailers when using HMDs for product presentations.…”

“…However, cybersickness might not only affect spatial presence, but also decrease persuasive effectiveness because of reduced media enjoyment [40,69]. In the context of e-commerce, Israel et al [40] even suggested that minimizing the negative effects of cybersickness should be the primary focus of retailers when using HMDs for product presentations. However, these authors did not measure persuasive effectiveness and thus did not connect it to the level of cybersickness [40].…”

“…In the context of e-commerce, Israel et al [40] even suggested that minimizing the negative effects of cybersickness should be the primary focus of retailers when using HMDs for product presentations. However, these authors did not measure persuasive effectiveness and thus did not connect it to the level of cybersickness [40]. To the best of our knowledge, no research to date has analyzed the impact of cybersickness on the persuasive effectiveness of 360°commercials experienced with HMDs.…”