{
  "abstract": "This study examines whether consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for ready-to-eat cereals differs between immersive virtual reality (IVR) and real-world (RW) environments. Real choice experiments were conducted with 227 respondents who selected reservation dates without knowing whether they corresponded to the IVR or RW setting. To derive consumers’ WTP, random parameter logit models were estimated primarily in WTP space, while preference-space models were used as a robustness check. The results show no significant differences in WTP between IVR and RW for any of the cereal products tested. This suggests that consumers’ product choices in IVR environments are based on monetary valuations, similar to those in real environments. When combined with real economic incentives, IVR-based choice experiments may therefore yield WTP estimates comparable to those obtained from conventional real choice experiments. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare WTP between IVR and RW environments using an incentive-compatible experimental design.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Data Science for Food Systems, Toyo University, Asaka, Saitama, Japan.",
    "Department of Sustainable Resource Sciences, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan."
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Toru Nakajima",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4358-9738"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mizuki Mukai"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/95g0qhqs52723.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361063",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13690231",
  "id": "95g0qhqs52723",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361063",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive science/Cognition/Decision making"
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Nutrition/Diet"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Nutrition/Diet/Food"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Decision making"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Computer architecture/User interfaces/Virtual reality"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Engineering and technology/Electronics engineering/Computer engineering/Man-computer interface/Virtual reality"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Nutrition/Diet"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Nutrition/Diet/Food"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical compounds/Organic compounds/Carbohydrates"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Organic chemistry/Organic compounds/Carbohydrates"
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      "/Social sciences/Economics/Commerce/Payment"
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      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Economics/Experimental economics"
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      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Decision making"
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  "openalex": "W7223241903",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13690231?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13690231",
  "pmid": "42911918",
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/95g0qhqs52723.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:23Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361063",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361063"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:10Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42911918",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42911918"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:nutrition",
      "subfield": "nutrition"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Can immersive virtual reality be an alternative world for eliciting consumer willingness to pay for food?",
  "title_text": "Can immersive virtual reality be an alternative world for eliciting consumer willingness to pay for food?",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/95g0qhqs52723",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}