Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • apa.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Unsold is unseen … or is it?: Examining the role of peripheral vision in the consumer choice process using eye-tracking methodology
Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Department of Social and Psychological Studies (from 2013). Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Service Research Center (from 2013).ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8102-8168
Karlstad University, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Communication and IT, Service Research Center. Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Karlstad Business School (from 2013).ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9751-6000
Aarhus University, Denmark.
2018 (English)In: Appetite, ISSN 0195-6663, E-ISSN 1095-8304, Vol. 120, p. 49-56Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In 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 eye-tracking 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.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2018. Vol. 120, p. 49-56
Keywords [en]
Decision making, eye tracking, grocery shopping, goal-directed attention, peripheral vision, retailing
National Category
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-63948DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.08.024ISI: 000416616400007OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-63948DiVA, id: diva2:1144071
Available from: 2017-09-25 Created: 2017-09-25 Last updated: 2019-11-06Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(1893 kB)743 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 1893 kBChecksum SHA-512
9ad61b2ceb2b59570f8f4db9b56b3715cf907fac187020c8d0b5efca0875f570b37f8a412d1a85789c009a09bf11a46bdf4359649aed2d7f0b6446a13718933a
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

Other links

Publisher's full text

Authority records

Wästlund, ErikShams, Poja

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Wästlund, ErikShams, Poja
By organisation
Department of Social and Psychological Studies (from 2013)Service Research Center (from 2013)Service Research CenterKarlstad Business School (from 2013)
In the same journal
Appetite
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 744 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 1260 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • apa.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf