From virtual reality visuals to real food perception: Uncovering the link between food aesthetics and taste in Chinese female consumers

Previous research has shown that visual information presented in the digital space can influence consumers' perceptions and evaluations of real food. We conducted two experiments to examine how virtual food plating might influence participants' ratings of taste, pleasantness, and purchase intention for real food, as well as to pinpoint the boundary conditions of these cross-reality effects. In Experiment 1, forty participants tasted real food while simultaneously viewing either aesthetically or casually plated virtual food. The real and virtual food could be either of the same type or different types. Virtual food plating exerted an influence on the taste ratings of both types of real food. However, it only influenced the ratings of pleasantness and purchase intention for real food when the virtual and real food were of the same type. In Experiment 2, following the same experimental procedure, forty participants evaluated two types of food with distinct flavors, varying levels of familiarity, yet comparable preference ratings. Virtual food plating only affected the participants' taste ratings for food with delicate flavors. Moreover, the cross-reality effects on ratings of taste, pleasantness, and purchase intention emerged only when the participants were less familiar with the food. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that aesthetic cues from the digital space can be integrated with sensory experiences from the physical space, thereby influencing the evaluations of real food. These findings offer marketers insights into leveraging virtual reality technology to enhance consumers' dining experiences. • Aesthetically plated virtual food affects taste perception of mildly flavored food. • Cross-reality congruence underlies the effect of virtual plating on food ratings. • The effects of virtual plating wane when it comes to highly familiar foods. • Digital aesthetic cues have the potential to enrich real-world dining experiences.