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Virtual & Augmented Reality

Immersive Technologies

Promises and Challenges of Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Immersive technologies—such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR)—present a wide array of opportunities and challenges across diverse sectors. In business, for instance, VR and AR can enhance product development, support product launches, and revolutionize communication. These technologies also empower technicians to optimize production processes with greater precision and efficiency. While the potential is immense, their adoption is poised to disrupt numerous industries—including entertainment, tourism, and real estate—by diminishing the importance of physical location and reshaping how we experience and interact with the world.
Beyond business, VR and AR are increasingly becoming valuable tools in fields such as psychology, medicine, and education. In psychology and mental health, VR can facilitate controlled exposure therapy and help clinicians observe patient behavior in simulated scenarios. In medicine, AR holds promise for enhancing surgical precision by overlaying critical information during procedures. In the realm of education, VR offers immersive learning experiences—such as allowing students to rehearse speeches or presentations in realistic virtual settings—enhancing engagement and skill development.
The expert practice Immersive Technologies seeks to unite academic researchers from different disciplines (e.g., marketing, economics, operations and technology management, culture and communication, psychologists, and health care) and experts from practice (e.g., managers, psychologists, museum directors) to research the potential and effects these immersive technologies have on business, consumers, health care, and education. Our mission is to advance academic understanding of VR and AR, while equipping stakeholders with cutting-edge insights to make informed, strategic decisions about integrating these technologies into their daily operations—ultimately enhancing performance and value creation.

Research Projects

Research in this domain is focused on the following sub-themes:
The Development and Launch of New Products
  • Effects on outcomes of the NPD process if consumers interact in an early stage with new product prototypes in VR / AR.
  • Gaining insights into the best new product launch tactics by showing the new product in VR / AR before launch.
  • The influence on consumer acceptance (e.g., faster decision-making; faster takeoff) of new products launches with VR / AR.
Communication
  • Gaining insights into the VR / AR content that will be effective in creating new business
  • What are the psychological processes behind consumer responses towards VR / AR ads?
 (Online) retailing
  • The effect of virtual fitting rooms on business performance
  • Consumer responses to virtual stores
Logistics and operations management
  • Human-technology interaction in warehouses.
Clinical Psychology
  • Using VR to gain insights into the underlying learning mechanisms of anxiety- and fear-related disorders
  • Investigating behavioral responses in a VR setting to gain insight in (sub-clinical) pathological learning mechanisms
  • Using VR to investigate human approach and avoidance behavior in social interactions
  • Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)
  • VR and AR as a pain management tool
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Prof. Dr. Yvonne van Everdingen

Professor of Marketing and Innovation at RSM & Expert Practice Director of Virtual and Augmented Reality

Experts

Academic director:
  • Prof.dr. Yvonne van Everdingen, Professor of Marketing and Innovation (RSM)
Experts Immersive Technologies at Erasmus University Rotterdam:
  • Marketing and Organization Management
  • Stefan Stremersch, Professor of Marketing (ESE)
  • Xi Chen, Associate Professor of Marketing (RSM)
  • Ana Martinovici, Assistant Professor of Marketing (RSM)
  • Ana Scekic, Assistant Professor of Marketing (ESE)
  • Colin Lee, Assistant Professor of organization and Personnel Management (RSM)
  • Danial Hayati, PhD candidate (RSM)
  • Julia Esters, PhD candidate (RSM)
Technology and Operations Management
  • Ting Li, Professor of Digital Business (RSM)
  • René de Koster, Professor of Logistics and Operation Management (RSM)
  • Jelle de Vries, Associate Professor of Operations Management (RSM)
  • Mahsa Alirezaei, PhD candidate (RSM)
Culture & Communication
  • Vivian Chen, Associate Professor Media and Communication (ESHCC)
  • Trilce Navarrete, Assistant Professor Arts and Culture Studies (ESHCC)
Psychology & Mental Health Care
  • Matthias Wieser, Professor of Clinical and Biological Psychology (ESSB)
  • Josanne van Dongen,
Neurology & Dementia
  • Jackie Poos, Postdoctoral Researcher (Neurology, Erasmus MC)
  • Linde van Assendelft, PhD candidate (Neurology, Erasmus MC)
External experts:
  • Marta Andreatta, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (University of Würzburg, Germany)
  • Sha Yang, Professor of Marketing (USC Marshall School of Business, U.S)

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