1. A method for creating a virtual reality simulation comprising: receiving a set of simulation data describing a real-world shopping environment; generating, from the set of simulation data, a plurality of smart objects, wherein: (i) 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, and (ii) each smart object is configured to be responsive to being viewed by a simulation participant interacting with the virtual shopping environment; generating 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; each time the participant views one of the smart objects while interacting with the virtual shopping environment, generating a record describing the interaction; and storing each generated record.