Virtual reality and its impact on B2B marketing: A value-in-use perspective

The opportunities virtual reality provides for B2B marketing are increasingly recognized by the trade press in discussions of interesting examples from early adopters like GE, Siemens and Airbus. However, while there is growing recognition of its promise and potential, the specific impact of virtual reality on B2B marketing remains an unexplored research area. This paper provides an early theoretical consideration of the topic by developing a framework and offering propositions that describe the impact of virtual reality on B2B buyer perceptions of value-in-use during the post-purchase stage of the buyer's purchase journey. The paper also considers the moderating impact of several aspects of buyer-supplier relationships, including knowledge complexity, social complexity and task complexity, on virtual reality's contribution to value-in-use perceptions. The discussion provides B2B marketing scholars with several directions for future research and makes several recommendations for B2B marketers interested in leveraging the opportunities presented by virtual reality.