Sensory Richness as a Pillar of Online Sensory Experience
(2025) 49th AMS Annual Conference 2025 — Location: Montréal (21.May.2025)
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- Abstract
- Delivering sensory experiences in online environments that approximate the richness and engagement of physical store interactions is a challenge, as online consumer interactions may suffer from a "sensory deficit." Given this context, this qualitative study aims to deepen the understanding of online sensory experience by focusing on online sensory richness. It explores potential sensory deficits encountered online and uncovers the mechanisms that consumers and retailers employ to mitigate these perceived deficits. Through in-depth interviews with 21 participants, our findings underscore the importance of a coherent, well-integrated multisensory experience that aligns sensory stimuli with brand identity to evoke a consistent and compelling digital atmosphere. Sensory experience in digital environments appears as a holistic construct, with multisensory stimulation, coherence, and congruence as its fundamental components. Though informants reported significant sensory deficits in online shopping, some mechanisms appear to enable a deeper experience through an embodied, sensory-rich digital experience. The study contributes to the literature by deepening sensory richness as a construct that shapes consumer experience, engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty. By examining sensory richness, this study aims to provide actionable insights for practitioners to help overcome sensory limitations, whether through congruent sensory design, mental imagery, or crossmodal interactions that enhance digital atmosphere.
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Baert, A., & Poncin, I. (2025). Sensory Richness as a Pillar of Online Sensory Experience. 49th AMS Annual Conference 2025, Montréal. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/279243