Eye Tracking and Visual Attention in a Retail Context: Can Point-of-Sale Stickers Guide Customers?

Knowing how users navigate in a physical store is vital to facilitate the best experiences along their purchasing journey. A grocery store houses a variety of products, placed in different in-store locations. It is not always easy to spot products, due to location, labels, placement, and the store's physical premises. The present study examines the use of eye tracking glasses to investigate visual attention among consumers. We focus on the effect of using stickers on the floor that symbolize product categories and present the following research question: To what extent do customers pay visual attention to point-of-sale stickers on the floor in a buying situation? The findings show that customers notice such stickers to a small or no degree and that stickers (with color and a product symbol) attract attention to a low extent. The idea of how the floor can be used to guide consumers turns out not to have the effect that was first assumed. It appears this concept needs to be better established in physical stores before such stickers can be a useful and helpful way to facilitate efficient grocery shopping. Moreover, we conclude that eye tracking glasses as a method has worked in regard to the study context and what we intended to investigate. Additionally, the contribution is relevant for both academics and the retail industry itself, to gain a better understanding of user experiences in physical stores.