Using a 3D virtual supermarket to measure food purchase behavior: a validation study

Area of Science:

• Health behavior research
• Consumer science
• Nutritional epidemiology

Background:

• Supermarkets are key environments for health interventions like fiscal policies and nutrition labeling.
• Real-world research on these interventions is limited by complexity and cost.
• The Virtual Supermarket offers a 3D computerized environment for experimental supermarket studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Virtual Supermarket by comparing virtual and real food purchasing behavior.
• To assess participants' sense of presence within the Virtual Supermarket environment.

Main Methods:

• 123 New Zealand adult shoppers completed three shopping trips in the Virtual Supermarket over three weeks.
• Participants also collected real-life grocery receipts for comparison.
• Purchasing data (expenditure and items) were analyzed using mixed-effects models.

Main Results:

• Shopping patterns in the Virtual Supermarket were comparable to real-life purchases.
• Expenditure and item proportions for major food groups showed similarities, though significant differences were noted for dairy and fresh fruit/vegetables.
• Participants reported a medium-to-high sense of presence, with no overspending observed in the virtual environment.

Conclusions:

• The Virtual Supermarket is a valid tool for measuring food purchasing behavior.
• Enhancements to virtual dairy and fruit/vegetable categories are recommended.
• This validation supports further development and optimization of the Virtual Supermarket methodology.