Effects of personality traits and context congruency on participant engagement in traditional central location tests and congruent versus incongruent digital immersive environments during affective product testing

Digital immersive environments (DIEs) are increasingly employed in sensory studies to create more ecologically valid settings for product testing. However, individual differences appear to influence participant level of engagement within product-(in)congruent DIEs. This investigation studied how environmental congruency and personality traits affect consumer engagement in DIEs compared to a traditional controlled environment. Data from two studies conducted in the Feast Lab (New Zealand) were analysed. Both studies included three contexts: congruent, incongruent (both DIEs), and a traditional central location test. Engagement scores were assessed alongside Big Five personality traits, technophilia levels, and Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) scores. Findings revealed that engagement levels were consistently higher in DIEs than in the traditional controlled environment across both studies. Interestingly, participants reported lower distraction in DIEs compared to the controlled context in both the studies. In study 1, personality traits such as agreeableness and neuroticism significantly influenced engagement dimensions. Participants with higher scores in agreeableness and neuroticism demonstrated greater involvement and sensory awareness. Additionally, those with high conscientiousness scores exhibited heightened sensory awareness specifically in congruent environments in both studies. In Study 2, participants with higher conscientiousness scores also reported greater environmental aesthetics, involvement, and perceived realism. Technophilia showed a negative association with immersion and perceived realism in Study 1, but no such effect was observed in Study 2. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual personality traits when designing and interpreting sensory studies using immersive technologies, to ensure more accurate and inclusive consumer insights. • Product-context congruency and certain personality traits significantly influenced consumer engagement. • Engagement was consistently higher in DIEs than in traditional environments. • Individual differences are critical for designing immersive sensory studies. • Agreeableness and neuroticism increase involvement and sensory awareness. • Conscientiousness enhanced sensory awareness and realism in congruent DIEs.