1. A method for creating a virtual reality simulation comprising: receiving, at a simulation system comprising one or more computing devices, a set of simulation data describing a real-world shopping environment, wherein the set of simulation data describes an indication of consumer product preferences provided by a simulation participant; generating, using the simulation system and from the set of simulation data, a plurality of smart objects, wherein: each smart object represents a respective element of the virtual shopping environment, comprising at least one of a floor, a shelf, a sign, and a product within the real-world shopping environment, each smart object is configured to be responsive to being viewed by the participant interacting with the virtual shopping environment, and one or more smart objects are generated in response to the consumer product preferences of the participant; generating, using the simulation system, the virtual shopping environment, wherein the virtual shopping environment is representative of the real-world shopping environment and includes the one or more smart objects; presenting the virtual shopping environment to the simulation participant on a virtual reality display platform, the virtual reality display platform comprising one or more display devices; each time the participant views one of the smart objects while interacting with the virtual shopping environment, generating, using the simulation system, a record describing the interaction; and storing each generated record in a memory.