To successfully introduce a new product to the consumer market, the company needs to effectively communicate with target customers. In new product marketing practices, a widely used communication strategy is to encourage consumers to mentally simulate the interaction with new products, in order to influence and strengthen their positive cognition and attitude towards new products. In recent years, the effect of mental simulation two-way exchanging new products’ information becomes a hot topic in the field of marketing communication, and foreign scholars have made great efforts on it. This paper systematically sorts out the relevant literature, aiming to provide an overview and in-depth understanding of this research topic.

Firstly, we introduce the concept of mental simulation from cognitive psychology, and define it in the anticipatory perspective as consumers imagine themselves interacting with new products that they never use or experience before for new product marketing research. Then we explain its types, which have been classified into process-focused and outcome-focused in the most relevant literature, and self-relevant and other-relevant, imagination-focused and memory-focused in the new product marketing field. Its features and functions are also specified.

Secondly, the roles of mental simulation in marketing communication and new product marketing are discussed. Evoking consumers’ mental simulation has been proven as an effective way to communicate business information in many studies, which in turn affects consumers’ cognition, attitude and behaviour. In the field of new product marketing, it finds that consumers may use mental simulation to process the information of new products and to evaluate the products, based on which their preferences are shaped.

Thirdly, we analyze the influential factors affecting the mental simulation strategy in new product marketing from three perspectives—the types of mental simulation, advertising information and individuals’ differences. According to the existing literature, the way that how consumers mentally imagine using new products, and the format of new products’ information, directly affect consumers’ response to new products. Consumers’ capability of generating mental imagery and their internal focus tendency are two major personal characteristics influencing mental simulation’s functions.

Lastly, the directions of future research are pointed out. We believe that the mechanism of mental simulation in new product marketing needs to be investigated, as well as the role and functions of meta-cognitive experiences. The negative effect of mental simulation should not be ignored in future research, and more attention should be paid to the other types of mental simulation rather than visual imagery.