Gaze behaviour in front-of-shelf orientation

Abstract

Purpose This study was predicated on gaze behaviour in front-of-shelf orientation. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of the presence (absence) of competing brands on consumer attention in front-of-shelf orientation. The effects on visual attention investigated on the shelf were eye scan path of the total available area, information acquisition in extremities and mental effort. Design/methodology/approach Two experiments were performed using eye-tracking technology. The first study was conducted in a closed and static environment. The second study was performed in an open and dynamic environment. In these studies, the authors used, as an independent variable, the arrangement of brands on shelves (presence vs absence of competing) and evaluated the variations in the visual attention through three dependent variables: eye scan path of the total available area, information acquisition in extremities and mental effort. Findings Three hypotheses were tested. The first hypothesis confirmed that scenarios of competitive brands are rather composed of natural complex scenes, so there is a greater number of eye fixations needed to identify and locate objects. In addition, the second hypothesis demonstrated that, in scenarios of competitive brands, there is an acceleration of information acquisitions causing an increase in peripheral vision at the ends of the shelf. Finally, the third hypothesis demonstrated that the presence of a greater attention effort in the scenario of competing brands was verified, since the mental effort variables (revisiting the shelf, noting and re-examining) were greater than in the scenario of non-competing brands. Research limitations/implications Limitations of this study may be associated with the absence of top-down factors and a lack of results associated with evaluation and verification phases. Originality/value Gaze behaviour is susceptible to the information derived from the absence and presence of competing brands.

In-store marketing of private labels: applying cue utilisation theory

“…Cue utilisation theory, as a framework, has been applied by various recent studies in the context of PLBs (Bodur et al , 2016; Kinney and Xia, 2017; Konuk, 2018; Yan et al , 2019). The cue utilisation process includes the cognitive process involved in obtaining and using the information to produce a particular behaviour (Clement, 2007; Ladeira et al , 2019). Marketing literature emphasises the importance of these cues in the formation and alteration of consumers' quality perception for brands (Dawar and Parker, 1994; Bao et al , 2011).…”

The effect of retail shelf position on private-label brand evaluations

“…Research has failed to identify a globally optimal shelf position (Valenzuela and Raghubir, 2009), possibly because several contextual factors, such as the presence of competing or copycat brands, influence positioning effects. For example, in the presence (vs absence) of competing brands, consumers' attention to and search for visual cues, including shelf positioning increase (Chandon et al, 2009;Ladeira et al, 2020). In addition, the presence (vs absence) of a copycat PLB in a shelf display enhanced choice ease and willingness to pay for the brand chosen from the display, especially among highly knowledgeable consumers and when the copycat PLB was positioned to the immediate right of the NB it was imitating (Kelting et al, 2017).…”

“…Borin and Farris, 1995;D€ usterh€ oft et al, 2020;Flamand et al, 2018;Hansen et al, 2010;H€ ubner, 2017;Murray et al, 2010;Urban, 1998;Van Nierop et al, 2008) and investigated the effects of retail shelf display characteristics on consumers' information processing, attitudes, and behaviors (e.g. Chandon et al, 2009;Dr eze et al, 1994;Grandi et al, 2021;Ladeira et al, 2020;Sample et al, 2020;Valenzuela and Raghubir, 2009;Wolgast et al, 2022). In an extension of the literature on retail shelf displays, this article examines to what extent and through what mechanism the shelf positioning of PLBs relative to NBs influences consumer responses toward PLBs.…”

Close-up “vs” long-shot images in advertising appeals: the role of objective temporality

“…When interpreting images, people use search efforts to identify features through fixations and saccades (W€ astlund et al, 2015). The set of fixations and saccades in visual attention helps the cognitive function of perceiving a stimulus or image (Lam et al, 2007;Ladeira et al, 2020). In this sense, visual attention helps to mentally process events giving meaning to the visualized images (Chandon et al, 2009).…”

“…The set of fixations and saccades in visual attention helps the cognitive function of perceiving a stimulus or image (Lam et al. , 2007; Ladeira et al. , 2020).…”