Eye Tracking Technology (The Shopping Experience)

Eye tracking technology has been a big interest lately by different companies. Eye tracking technology has helped researchers and marketers understand consumer behavior while shopping, understand how people engage with products and store layouts visually, and how customers make their way throughout stores by their focus points. Since some things can’t be recorded just by relating experience, researchers decided to recreate the point of the consumers for themselves in order to better understand the process that goes on during a consumer’s shopping experience. Here are a few points of what eye tracking technology can measure.

Tobii Eye Tracking Glasses

Eye tracking is the measurement of pupil movements captured by a camera connected to a computer in order to calculate the direction of the gaze a person has on an object. The eye tracker will record several aspects, such as where people most commonly look, what objects are looked at, change in gaze, blinks, and the order objects are being looked at. The eye tracker also records fixation time, which is the amount of time a person spends looking at a specific object. These results are represented as heat maps. The technology allows for more heat based on a longer fixation time, so the redder a heat map is, the longer a person has been looking at a product.

Fixation time recorded by using heat maps

The information provided by the eye tracker can be used to analyze aspects of products, store layout, packaging, etc. The main findings come with sensations. More pleasant smells, light, color, or presentation could influence the customers first impression on products. Results show that visual stimuli and shopping habits are key elements to the choices made by consumers. Researchers find ways and strategies for companies to make their products stand out to be the first ones spotted by consumers. It was shown that it takes about two seconds for consumers to create a first impression with a product. This short window is the big interest for marketers to make the product stand out.

In conclusion, eye tracking technology can be a powerful tool and used to enhance shopper research and help companies get insights on consumer behavior. Measuring fixation time on different elements allows retailers to be more efficient when selling products. Eye tracking technology provides precise and detailed information on the visual behaviors of shoppers. Researchers can better understand how to lead more effective marketing strategies, change product layout, and enhance consumer shopping environments.

List of references:

1. Stekic, Katarina. “How Can Eye Tracking Be Used to Gain Shopper Insights.” Attention Insight. May 4, 2021. https://attentioninsight.com/eye-tracking-shopper-insights/#:~:text=How%20can%20eye%20tracking%20be%20used%20in%20shopper%20research%3F,are%20they%20looking%20at%20and
2. Schwab, Pierre-Nicolas. “The Interest of Eye Tracking in the Retail Sector.” Into the Minds. April 28, 2021. https://www.intotheminds.com/blog/en/eye-tracking-retail-sector/