Immersive Technologies and Sensory Service Experiences: Redefining the Customer Journey and Value Creation in the Age of AI

CALL FOR PAPERS

Journal: Journal of Service Theory and Practice

Publisher: Emerald Publishing

Abstract Submission Deadline: 1 April 2026

Full Paper Submission Opens: 1 September 2026

Full Paper Submission Deadline: 15 December 2026

Introduction

Achieving effective sensory-enabled digital experiences — particularly those that integrate multiple sensory modalities — represents a significant step in the generation of service experiences. The arrival of immersive technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), along with Generative AI tools, marks a transformative era for reshaping how sensory-enabled service experiences are designed and delivered.

These technologies enable the generation of multisensory digital environments in which visual, auditory, haptic, olfactory, and gustatory cues interact to create rich and embodied service experiences. Beyond isolated encounters, immersive technologies increasingly operate as strategic touchpoints embedded within the customer journey — shaping how value is perceived, constructed, and realized over time.

Scope & Significance

From a service perspective, immersive technologies should not merely be understood as new digital touchpoints, but rather as sensory environments that can modify the perceptual processing of service experiences and reorganize how customers engage with service systems across multiple stages of interaction.

Research in sensory marketing and perception has consistently shown that consumers do not process sensory cues in isolation — instead, they rely on cross-modal interactions and congruence between sensory modalities. Yet existing research has mainly focused on audio-visual features of immersive technologies, while the integration of other sensory stimuli remains limited and fragmented.

This Special Issue seeks to address this gap by encouraging research that explicitly adopts a sensory-enabled perspective on immersive service experiences — with a particular emphasis on multisensory lenses — to examine immersive service experiences as interconnected touchpoints that redefine customer journeys and service value creation.

The widespread integration of AI into immersive technologies further offers new opportunities to rethink sensory-enabled service experiences, as AI systems can:

Augment, translate, or reconfigure sensory stimuli
Facilitate more inclusive service experiences
Dynamically adapt environments to the context, behavior, or internal state of users

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

Sensory-enabled immersive service experiences across the customer journey
Multisensory cue interaction and cross-modal congruence in immersive services
Role of immersive technologies — VR, AR, and MR — as strategic service touchpoints
AI-enabled adaptation, personalization, and orchestration of multisensory stimuli
Generative AI and learning systems in immersive service design and delivery
Customer perceptions, emotions, intentions, and real behaviors in immersive services
Value creation and value co-creation through multisensory immersive services

Guest Editors

Prof. Carlos Flavián University of Zaragoza, Spain 📧 cflavian@unizar.es

Prof. Carlos Velasco BI Norwegian Business School, Norway

Dr. Sergio Ibáñez-Sánchez University of Zaragoza, Spain

Dr. Olivia Petit KEDGE Business School, France

Key Deadlines

📝 Abstract Submission Deadline: 1 April 2026

📩 Author Notification & Invitation for Full Paper: After abstract review

📅 Full Paper Submission Opens: 1 September 2026

⏰ Full Paper Submission Deadline: 15 December 2026

Submission Guidelines

⚠️ Important — This Special Issue follows a TWO-STEP submission process:

Step 1 — Abstract Submission Authors must first submit an abstract to the guest editors for review. Abstracts will be assessed for alignment with the special issue theme. Authors of selected abstracts will then be invited to submit full manuscripts.

📧 Submit Abstracts to: cflavian@unizar.es 📅 Abstract Deadline: 1 April 2026

Step 2 — Full Manuscript Submission Once invited, authors should submit their full manuscripts through ScholarOne Manuscripts.

When submitting, select "Immersive Technologies and Sensory Service Experiences" from the special issue drop-down menu at the appropriate step in the submission process.

⚠️ Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

For author guidelines and to submit your full manuscript, visit the official Journal of Service Theory and Practice page on the Emerald Publishing website and access via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

About the Journal

The Journal of Service Theory and Practice (JSTP), published by Emerald Publishing, is a leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing theoretical and empirical knowledge in service research. It provides an international platform for scholars and practitioners exploring service design, customer experience, value creation, and service innovation across diverse industries and contexts.

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