How changes in environmental colour hue affect taste expectations, perceptions, and product preferences at different levels of attention towards atmospheric cues: A mixed experimental design

Abstract

How does changes in environmental colour hue affect taste expectations, perceptions, and product preferences at different levels of attention toward atmospheric cues? Previous research has showed that environmental colour hue can influence taste experiences, however, the mechanisms behind this are not fully understood. In the present study, we aimed to study the effects of environmental colour hue hue on people’s taste expectations, perceptions, and product experiences. In addition, we evaluated attention as a potential mechanism for such crossmodal effects. In Experiment 1, we studied coffee perceptions by using virtual reality, considering that this is an increasingly attractive technology for marketers interested in immersive experiences. In Experiment 2, we studied coffee expectations by using another increasingly used visualization mode, namely 360-degree environments. In both studies, we followed a 2 (higher attention vs. lower attention) x 3 (red vs. green. vs. white) mixed between-within experimental design for both experiments, with the first factor being between participants and the second within participants. We evaluated how these factors would influence the sensory, hedonic, and market related aspects of the coffee tasting experience. The results of Experiment 1 suggested that environmental colour hue made the coffee seem more flavourful in the white atmosphere compared to the red atmosphere. There was also evidence of higher attention leading to higher flavourful and sweetness scores, as well as a greater immersion experience. Higher attention also made the coffee seem more balanced in the green atmosphere relative to the white and red atmospheres. The group that was instructed to pay attention to the atmospheres enjoyed the taste and liked the drink experience more in the green atmosphere compared to the red atmosphere. While the group that got no such instructions liked the drink experience more in the white atmosphere compared to the green atmosphere. In Experiment 2, the results showed that environmental colour hue affected how warm the coffee was expected to be and the expected drink experience likeability. The white 360- degree environment generated higher drink experience likeability and expected temperature of the coffee. The findings contribute to the managerial understanding of the role of environmental colour hue in the customer experience journey and also to the multisensory experience literature.

Keywords: Coffee, colour, crossmodality, expectation, perception, flavour, light, multisensory, taste, virtual reality, virtual environment, attention, experience, experiment