Complexity or simplicity? Designing product pictures for advertising in online marketplaces

Abstract

a b s t r a c tIn online marketplaces, many sellers highlight product and service information directly within product pictures for advertising purposes. Such a strategy increases the visual complexity of the picture and provides more information to support buyers' judgment. However, when other sellers adopt the same method, a given picture will not be conspicuous enough to be noticed. To address this issue, the concept of complexity contrast is introduced. No prior attention has been paid in literature to the interplay between visual complexity and complexity contrast. This research proposes a theoretical model to explain the influences of visual complexity and complexity contrast on buyers' pleasantness in shopping, while perceptual and conceptual fluency act as mediators. Results from a lab experiment suggest an entangled effect of complexity contrast and visual complexity, indicating that buyers are influenced more by the conspicuousness of a product picture, rather than the information conveyed by a product picture when it is visually overwhelming.

One Vs. Many: who wins? An empirical investigation of online product display

“…Besides, we contributed to the stream of literature on online store layout and design, enhancing the findings of Eroglu, Machleit, and Davis (2003), Vrechopoulos et al (2004); Vrechopoulos (2009, 2011) who were exploring consumer reactions to online store environments. We have also contributed to retailing research (such as Wu et al 2016;Mosteller, Donthu, and Eroglu 2014;Orth and Crouch 2014) by application of complexity and processing fluency framework by explaining the effects of single versus multiple product displays in online retail settings. Our study also has an important methodological contribution.…”

“…In retailing, visual complexity is a critical input to customer information, capturing the richness or absence of product elaboration (Orth and Crouch 2014). Visual complexity of an image or a webpage is defined as the number of elements, and the amount of information about that element displayed on the page (Wu et al 2016). Complexity, is dependent on the number of elements and the variety of those elements (Nadal et al 2010;Nicki and Moss 1975), which on online grocery websites are depicted by the number of products visually displayed and the variety of those products.…”

“…Based on these findings Mosteller, Donthu, and Eroglu (2014) stated that for task-oriented situations such as online grocery shopping 'intensity of information presented within a predefined space influences person's cognition and affect' (287). Therefore, as reflected in the extant literature, retailers should be cognizant of the complexity of the product display on the webpage as it can influence consumers overall cognitive and emotional response (Wu et al 2016;Geissler et al 2006). Hence less complex single product display refers to an online store display with a single item of each product depicted, while more complex many product display refers to an online display of many items of products.…”

A Reputação Do Vendedor Dentro Do Modelo De E-Marketplaces B2c E Seu Impacto Na Intenção De Compra

“…Comparando a canais de varejo offlines, os consumidores ficam expostos a uma quantidade maior de informações e propagandas, podendo prejudicar tanto o prazer de navegação, quanto aumentar o custo cognitivo por conta do incremento de avaliações necessárias (YAN et al, 2016). Em se tratando de e-marketplaces, os desafios de tornar a experiência do usuário mais prazerosa começam a partir: da listagem dos produtos (COLUCCI et al, 2006), exibição de preços (WU et al, 2015), contraste de poluição visual (WU et al, 2016) e classificação de comentários (YOO; JEON; HAN, 2016). Hong e Cho (2011) ressaltam a vulnerabilidade deste modelo de negócio para a ocorrência de fraudes, uma vez que as lojas intermediárias não se responsabilizam pelo controle do envio das compras efetuadas.…”

“…O escopo de pesquisa mostra-se inédito por avaliar a percepção dos consumidores em relação à reputação de vendedores terceiros. Em outros estudos foram abordados apenas conceitos que envolveram a dispersão de preços (WU et al, 2015) e imagens de produtos (WU et al, 2016). O entendimento do comportamento dos efeitos desta ferramenta é relevante na medida em que se observa o crescente número de empresas dedicadas a tal atividade (GEFEN; PAVLOU, 2012).…”