Touching the Void – Satisfying the consumer need for touch through auditory stimuli

Abstract

As we head into the next stage of the 21st century, with its 24/7 digital connectivity, mobile devices and the promise of online consumer nirvana, one can’t help but wonder if the need to touch, stroke or handle a product has died a very quick death. Or is it the case that, while consumers still crave their intimate moment with the product, the vehicles they’re using just don’t allow it to happen? Recent research across areas including neurology, psychology and psychophysics shows that people commonly use auditory cues to define the tactile properties of an object. Importantly, the auditory cues being employed are often speech sounds. One area of research that offers an interesting metaphor with insight into these cross-sensory associations, and how we might tap into them, is synaesthesia.