Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Sciences
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Apparel Merchandising and Product Development
Advisor/Mentor
Eunjoo Cho
Committee Member
Sarah Hixson
Second Committee Member
Isabel Whitehead-Adams
Abstract
Exploring the influence of virtual reality (VR) on consumer behavior highlights its potential as a powerful tool for facilitating sustainable fashion practices. The primary focus of this research is to examine how VR technology affects consumers’ hedonic (enjoyment-driven), utilitarian (function-driven), social (connection-driven), and symbolic (meaning-driven) values, and how these values impact consumer satisfaction. While VR can be used as a tool to enhance consumer engagement, its potential to create a more sustainable shopping experience in fashion makes it essential for facilitating eco-friendly fashion consumption.
To understand how VR impacts consumers’ shopping behaviors, this study explores how sustainable shopping shapes consumer experiences. This is tested by users shopping in 3D retail environments using a VR headset. This study examines how VR environments can create emotional connections that enhance pleasure-driven purchases, provide practical information that appeals to rational decision-making, and reinforce consumers’ social self-concept. This focus is essential for understanding how VR can effectively promote more sustainable consumer choices.
This study investigates the potential of VR as a sustainable shopping platform in the fashion industry. By offering a virtual shopping experience, VR can significantly reduce the environmental impact associated with physical retail, such as waste from physical displays and showrooms. This innovation can facilitate responsible consumption and transform perceptions of sustainable fashion practices. Ultimately, this research proposal aims to demonstrate how VR technology can serve as an influential tool for reshaping consumer behavior, creating a more sustainable approach to fashion. By elevating the shopping experience, VR has the potential to encourage more responsible consumption.
Keywords
Virtual Reality; Sustainable Fashion Consumption; Consumer Behavior; Experiential Marketing; Digital Transformation; Consumer Values
Citation
Stroud, K. G. (2026). The Future of Sustainable Fashion: How VR Can Transform Retail into an Eco-Friendly Shopping Experience. Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/ampduht/44
