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. 2025 Oct 24:19:1635673.
doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1635673. eCollection 2025.

Neurophysiological study of consumer emotional reactions in a simulated multisensory retail environment

Julia Eremenko  1 , Vladimir Kosonogov  1 , Vladislav Aksiotis  2 , Victoria Moiseeva  1 , Anastasia Obukhova  3 , Alisa Godovanets  1 , Oksana Zinchenko  1 , Vasily Klucharev  4 , Anna Shestakova  1
Affiliations

Neurophysiological study of consumer emotional reactions in a simulated multisensory retail environment

Julia Eremenko et al. Front Hum Neurosci. .

Abstract

Introduction: Emotions play a crucial role in shaping consumer experiences and decisions. Neurophysiological tools offer objective markers of emotional reactions in multisensory environments, where positive valence promotes approach behavior and negative valence fosters avoidance.

Methods: We applied the Osgood semantic differential (SD) to establish correspondences between visual, auditory, and olfactory stimuli and target emotions relevant to retail zoning. Based on SD results, we selected stimuli to create multisensory environments. These were presented in immersive virtual reality (VR) to 27 participants. Emotional responses were assessed via heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and electrodermal activity (EDA).

Results: SD analysis identified cross-modal associations between sensory stimuli and retail zones, allowing refinement of semantic positioning. VR experiments revealed that HRV significantly increased in pleasant environments, indicating enhanced parasympathetic activation. HR and EDA showed no significant correlation with emotional valence, though both displayed trends toward reduction in pleasant conditions.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that HRV is a reliable physiological marker of consumers' approach behavior in multisensory retail environments, whereas HR and EDA are less sensitive. Combining SD with VR-based neurophysiological assessment enables objective evaluation of emotional zoning strategies, offering a scientifically grounded alternative to intuitive design practices for optimizing consumer experience.

Keywords: VR; electrodermal activity; heart rate variability; multisensory integration; retail space.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Corporate sensory incentives for testing (a) corporate visual sensory stimuli, (b) corporate auditory sensory stimuli, (c) corporate olfactory sensory stimuli.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Assessment of sensory stimuli based on the C. Osgood SD questionnaire.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Assessment of sensory stimuli by valence/arousal.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation analysis with repeated measurements between HRV (seconds) and hedonistic assessments (from −4 to +4) of virtual rooms by study participants.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Correlation analysis with repeated measurements between HR (beats per minute) and hedonistic assessment (Pleasantness) (from −4 to +4) of virtual rooms by study participants.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Correlation analysis with repeated measurements between EDA (μS) and hedonistic assessments (Pleasantness) (from −4 to +4) of virtual rooms by study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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