Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

Sales Skills Training in Virtual Reality: An evaluation utilizing CAVE and Virtual Avatars

Francesco Vona, Michael Stern, Navid Ashrafi, Julia Schorlemmer, Jessica Stemann, Jan-Niklas Voigt-Antons

TL;DR

This study evaluates the potential of Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVEs) for sales and negotiation training by exposing 20 students to four randomized, avatar-guided scenarios in a virtual dealership. Using a within-subjects design, the researchers employed validated presence and usability measures (IPQ, SPQ, UEQ-S) plus custom questions to assess user experience, presence, and realism, finding no significant differences across conditions. Descriptive trends suggested friendly contexts may improve pragmatic and hedonic quality, while qualitative feedback highlighted realism and avatar responsiveness as key improvement areas, along with technical reliability concerns. The work demonstrates the feasibility and engagement of semi-immersive VR for collaborative learning and provides concrete guidance for enhancing realism, avatar dynamics, and system performance to maximize transfer to real-world sales skills. Future work should explore dynamic dialogue via large language models and richer multimodal feedback to boost skills transfer and engagement.

Abstract

This study investigates the potential of virtual reality (VR) for enhancing sales skills training using a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). VR technology enables users to practice interpersonal and negotiation skills in controlled, immersive environments that mimic real-world scenarios. In this study, participants engaged in sales simulations set in a virtual dealership, interacting with avatars in different work settings and with various communication styles. The research employed a within-subjects experimental design involving 20 university students. Each participant experienced four distinct sales scenarios randomized for environmental and customer conditions. Training effectiveness was assessed using validated metrics alongside custom experience questions. Findings revealed consistent user experience and presence across all scenarios, with no significant differences detected based on communication styles or environmental conditions. The study highlights the advantages of semi-immersive VR systems for collaborative learning, peer feedback, and realistic training environments. However, further research is recommended to refine VR designs, improve engagement, and maximize skills transfer to real-world applications.

Sales Skills Training in Virtual Reality: An evaluation utilizing CAVE and Virtual Avatars

TL;DR

This study evaluates the potential of Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVEs) for sales and negotiation training by exposing 20 students to four randomized, avatar-guided scenarios in a virtual dealership. Using a within-subjects design, the researchers employed validated presence and usability measures (IPQ, SPQ, UEQ-S) plus custom questions to assess user experience, presence, and realism, finding no significant differences across conditions. Descriptive trends suggested friendly contexts may improve pragmatic and hedonic quality, while qualitative feedback highlighted realism and avatar responsiveness as key improvement areas, along with technical reliability concerns. The work demonstrates the feasibility and engagement of semi-immersive VR for collaborative learning and provides concrete guidance for enhancing realism, avatar dynamics, and system performance to maximize transfer to real-world sales skills. Future work should explore dynamic dialogue via large language models and richer multimodal feedback to boost skills transfer and engagement.

Abstract

This study investigates the potential of virtual reality (VR) for enhancing sales skills training using a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). VR technology enables users to practice interpersonal and negotiation skills in controlled, immersive environments that mimic real-world scenarios. In this study, participants engaged in sales simulations set in a virtual dealership, interacting with avatars in different work settings and with various communication styles. The research employed a within-subjects experimental design involving 20 university students. Each participant experienced four distinct sales scenarios randomized for environmental and customer conditions. Training effectiveness was assessed using validated metrics alongside custom experience questions. Findings revealed consistent user experience and presence across all scenarios, with no significant differences detected based on communication styles or environmental conditions. The study highlights the advantages of semi-immersive VR systems for collaborative learning, peer feedback, and realistic training environments. However, further research is recommended to refine VR designs, improve engagement, and maximize skills transfer to real-world applications.
Paper Structure (32 sections, 2 figures, 2 tables)

This paper contains 32 sections, 2 figures, 2 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Methods
  4. Study Design
  5. Participants
  6. Measures
  7. Procedure
  8. Results
  9. Descriptive statistics
  10. User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ-S).
  11. Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ).
  12. Social Presence Questionnaire (SPQ).
  13. Custom questions (CUSQ).
  14. Repeated-measures ANOVA
  15. Repeated-Measures ANOVA: Pragmatic Quality (UEQ-S).
  16. ...and 17 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: The four conditions that were tested during the experiment: Condition 1 = Friendly User x Friendly Environment (bottom left), Condition 2 = Friendly User x Unfriendly Environment (top left), Condition 3 = Unfriendly User x Friendly Environment (bottom right), and Condition 4 = Unfriendly User x Unfriendly Environment (top right).
  • Figure 2: A participant was photographed during the study, sitting on a chair in the CAVE system. Between him and the avatar, a table was placed to enhance the realism of the setting.