EUBCE 2024 - Holger BRAUN - What is Seen and What is Perceived? Consumer Decisions on Potting Soil - An Eye-Tracking Experiment

What is Seen and What is Perceived? Consumer Decisions on Potting Soil - An Eye-Tracking Experiment

Short Introductive summary

Replacing peat with more sustainable biomass alternatives is an important action in climate protection. To utilize this potential, it is important to understand how consumers behave and make decisions when purchasing potting soils at the POS. While existing studies focus primarily on the supply side, especially nutrient contents of alternative biomass, our study explicitly focuses the demand side. We examined the purchasing behavior of 309 participants in a mixed-methods approach in Germany, combining an eye-tracking experiment with a qualitative interview and a quantitative survey. Theoretically, we draw on an approach combining visual attention theory and cue utilization theory. Our preliminary results indicating consumers progress through different behavioral stages in the purchase process at the POS. A contrast between the stated perception of specific product attributes and the visual inspection behavior of the packaging is indicated, as well as differences of the intensity of viewing between different cue types. We provide marketers and policy makers with insights into substrate consumer behavior at the POS, helping them develop targeted strategies to influence their actions.

H. Braun, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, GERMANY
B. Rilling, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, GERMANY
C. Herbes, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, GERMANY