The Role of Visual Attention and Eye Movements in Product Purchases on Online Websites

Abstract

Summary thesis In this study we investigated the role of eye movement behavior when making a purchase online by choosing between four products. Two groups were created: one that saw a stimulus in which one of the products was labeled as the most sold, and the other group who saw the same stimulus without the label. Eye movements were measured with a Tobii X3-120 eye tracker. The objectives were (1) to see if the product more fixated would be in the end the chosen one, (2) to understand if, due to the added label, there was a difference in the looking behavior between the two groups, (3) to see if by manipulating the visual scene there could be an influence in the final product choice, and (4) to understand through a questionnaire differences and trends in the participants’ purchasing behavior on e-commerce websites. The results partially confirm the initial hypotheses. Although an influence in the final choice wasn’t found by adding the label, the findings align with previous researches (Pieters, R., & Warlop, L., 1999; Van der Laan et al., 2015) in the possibility to infer someone’s preference by looking at the eye movements. The results explain and show the importance of this type of study to further investigate online consumer behavior, especially for marketing purposes, by using eye tracking technology.