Unsold is unseen … or is it? Examining the role of peripheral vision in the consumer choice process using eye-tracking methodology

Abstract

a b s t r a c tIn visual marketing, the truism that "unseen is unsold" means that products that are not noticed will not be sold. This truism rests on the idea that the consumer choice process is heavily influenced by visual search. However, given that the majority of available products are not seen by consumers, this article examines the role of peripheral vision in guiding attention during the consumer choice process. In two eye-tracking studies, one conducted in a lab facility and the other conducted in a supermarket, the authors investigate the role and limitations of peripheral vision. The results show that peripheral vision is used to direct visual attention when discriminating between target and non-target objects in an eyetracking laboratory. Target and non-target similarity, as well as visual saliency of non-targets, constitute the boundary conditions for this effect, which generalizes from instruction-based laboratory tasks to preference-based choice tasks in a real supermarket setting. Thus, peripheral vision helps customers to devote a larger share of attention to relevant products during the consumer choice process. Taken together, the results show how the creation of consideration set (sets of possible choice options) relies on both goal-directed attention and peripheral vision. These results could explain how visually similar packaging positively influences market leaders, while making novel brands almost invisible on supermarket shelves. The findings show that even though unsold products might be unseen, in the sense that they have not been directly observed, they might still have been evaluated and excluded by means of peripheral vision. This article is based on controlled lab experiments as well as a field study conducted in a complex retail environment. Thus, the findings are valid both under controlled and ecologically valid conditions.

The Use of Eye Tracking to Discern the Threshold at Which Metopic Orbitofrontal Deformity Attracts Attention

“…A shape counting experiment showed the effect of saliency, how a specific part of a picture is eye-catching or noticeable, in the context of eye tracking (Wastlund et al, 2018). Participants did not look at nontarget shapes when counting shapes but later looked at the nontarget shape when it was a different color.…”

Seeing through the forest: The gaze path to purchase

“…Gaze centrality is the area to which the eyes are fixed and indicate selective attention directed to a visual cue [50,60]. On the other hand, peripheral vision is the visual area lying outside the central gaze, or narrow foveal angle, with a limited perception of shapes and colors [61,62]. Scant literature about peripheral vision and product choice provide evidence that consumers can engage their vision peripherally to eliminate non-relevant visual cues from active consideration [61].…”

“…On the other hand, peripheral vision is the visual area lying outside the central gaze, or narrow foveal angle, with a limited perception of shapes and colors [61,62]. Scant literature about peripheral vision and product choice provide evidence that consumers can engage their vision peripherally to eliminate non-relevant visual cues from active consideration [61]. The opposite happens when consumers engage in LATD, they redirect their central gaze either to visually process non-relevant cues instead, such as the store ceiling, the floor, or a product display background to reduce or eliminate stimulus input for the moment.…”

“…Future studies should explore the effect of larger and more elaborate displays on gaze sequence and LATD. Additionally, more extensive research is needed to understand the differential functions and the interplay of centrally (LATD) and peripherally [61] gazing at non-relevant visual cues.…”

Spotlighting Customers' Visual Attention at the Stock, Shelf and Store Levels with the 3S Model

“…The dependent variable was the number of observations on the areas of interest (AOIs), with the AOIs defined for all relevant portions of the store (parts of the store that was not of interest for the analysis were not coded). The number of observations on an area is a frequently used measure in eye-tracking studies and serves as an indicator of interest 28,29 . A 2 (Task Specificity: Specific, Non-Specific) x 2 (Choice Task: First, Second) mixed ANOVA with the number of observations on AOIs as dependent variable, choice task as the repeated measure, and task specificity as the between-subjects factor.…”