Beyond Attention: The Use of Distractors in Webshops

This study used eye-tracking technology. The study focused on how visual distractors affect the purchase behaviour of shoppers in online stores. The theoretical foundations were attention economy, visual framing, referral marketing and colour theory. After a pre-test, an A/B test was conducted with a total of 24 participants. Key eye-tracking metrics of visual attention were analysed, including dwell time, time to first fixation and revisits. Heatmaps were also used to visualise the distribution of visual attention across the websites. Subjects were then interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results showed that eye-catching visual elements clearly attracted the attention of the test subjects. However, it also became clear that attention alone is not an indication of purchase intent. Personal preferences such as colour, taste, experience or price were ultimately more important and more decisive for purchase than increased attention. It is clear that attention and purchase are not necessarily related. The effect of disruptors is undisputed, namely attention generation. The strengths could therefore also lie in the non-monetary area, for example in the education sector in learning environments for online learning courses. Getting to the heart of important elements, concise statements with disruptors could be an effective method.