To touch or not to touch? EEG correlates of an in-store sensory experience

Background: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the role of touch has been explored through a neuroscientific approach during an in-store consumer experience. Aims: This research examines the presence of distinct cortical brain oscillations in the brain of consumers while exploring a store, which offers a high degree of sensory stimulation, and using haptics (being allowed to touch or not to touch products). Methods: A 16-channel wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) was applied to 23 healthy participants (Mean age = 24.57y; Standard Deviation = 3.54), with an interest in cosmetics but naıve about the specific store explored. Subjects were assigned to two experimental conditions based on the chance of touching only or not touching the products. Cortical oscillations were explored by means of power spectral analysis of the following frequency bands: delta, theta, alpha, beta. Results: Findings underlined the presence of delta, theta, and beta bands within the frontal brain regions distinctly during these two sensory conditions. The absence of touch was marked by the presence of low-frequency bands (delta and theta) in the left hemisphere, compared to the non-touch condition and this result interpreted as a lack of perceptual experience that needs cognitive control. Whereas a significant presence of beta band characterized the touch compared to non-touch condition and it was associated with the sustained awareness of the sensory experience. Conclusion: Overall, EEG cortical oscillations functional interpretation could help to understand the neurophysiological implicit responses to tactile conditions and the significance of touch integration in consumers’ experience.