Shining in the Center: Central Gaze Cascade Effect on Product Choice

Selin Atalay (), H. Onur Bodur () and Dina Rasolofoarison ()
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Selin Atalay: GREGH - Groupement de Recherche et d'Etudes en Gestion à HEC - HEC Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Dina Rasolofoarison: Aston Business School - Aston University [Birmingham]

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Abstract: Consumers' tendency to choose the option in the center of an array and the process underlying this effect is explored. Findings from two eye-tracking studies suggest that brands in the horizontal center receive more visual attention. They are more likely to be chosen. Investigation of the attention process revealed an initial central fixation bias, a tendency to look first at the central option, and a central gaze cascade effect, progressively increasing attention focused on the central option right prior to decision. Only the central gaze cascade effect was related to choice. An offline study with tangible products demonstrated that the centrally located item within a product category is chosen more often, even when it is not placed in the center of the visual field. Despite widespread use, memory-based attention measures were not correlated with eye-tracking measures. They did not capture visual attention and were not related to choice.

Keywords: Central Gaze; Cascade Effect; Product Choice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-12
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (55)

Published in Journal of Consumer Research, 2012, 39 (4), pp.848-866. ⟨10.1086/665984⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00758534

DOI: 10.1086/665984

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