Abstract:
The haptic interaction with products, people, and components in shopping environments involves,
besides the physical response, a physiological response. Both academia and marketers show
increasing interest in the sense of touch and its particularities and impacts on consumer behavior.
Although present since the 1980s, studies related to the sense of touch and its consequences and
applications for marketing began to increase in volume and demonstrate better understanding of
its characteristics in the last ten years – it is therefore a subject still in its infancy from the
standpoint of theoretical construction. This article aims to analyze the development of the theory
of touch in marketing, developing a brief description of the evolution of findings on the subject
and presenting a critical analysis of the theoretical evolution, using the six criteria proposed by
Sheth, Gardner and Garrett (1988): structure, specification, testability, empirical support, richness,
and simplicity. The theory of touch in marketing received a positive evaluation. This research may
contribute: (1) to practitioners, as a summary of existing knowledge on the subject, and (2) to
researchers interested in the subject, as a broad overview on the theory development, as well as a
guide to the main available literature and a mapping on the findings and possible gaps for
research.
