Psychological aspects of consumer decision making in online experiments with eye-tracking

Abstract

Sometimes we go to the supermarket and buy a product without checking its details, suggesting that we choose a product based on habit more than analyzing its attributes. Studying this phenomenon contributes to understand how choices are made due to habits rather than rational choice. This thesis investigates the decision process of consumers under stable environment conditions, focusing on the role of attention and attribute sensitivity. It addresses the hypothesis that once a participant has learned which products they prefer, they will ignore the attributes that define the product, making them insensitive to changes in them. This research uses a novel methodological framework that combines Discrete Choice Experiments with online webcam Eye-Tracking, to analyze the stochastic process of how choices are made. The main objective was to analyze changes in attention to attributes and sensitivity to their values following an intervention that alters the stability, specifically to understand how some products become perceived by their visuals. The experiment featured a consistent series of pairwise choices between four sodas, split into training and manipulation phase. The price structure was stable in training phase, and it was inverted at the midpoint. Participants were assigned to three groups performing pairwise choice tasks: a baseline group (Long-Trained), a group receiving prior familiarization (Pre-Trained), and a short-duration group (Short-Trained) restricted to half the trials. The inclusion of gaze data in a mathematical choice model resulted in a superior goodness of fit compared to a model without gaze. The results successfully demonstrated that habits, particularly reliance on watching product images, contributed significantly to utility, validating the hypothesis that decisions shift to visual product identity rather than continued price comparison, specifically with the Pre-Trained group.