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Abstract

The research purpose is to develop a better understanding on how two claim characteristics, surface size and distance-to-center, affect customers’ attention and emotional responses.The study is based on information obtained from 42 shoppers from a retail chain in Great Britain. Visual attention is measured using an eye-tracking methodology and customers’ emotions by electrodermal activity (EDA), a common indicator of autonomic nervous system (ANS). Our research reveals that, for claims located close to the center of the label, increases in surface size compensate for the attention loss associated with moving the claim further off the center. However, for peripheral product claims, surface size increases will not compensate for attention loss resulting from a decision to move the claims further away from its position. In relation to customer emotions, this study reveal more positive emotional responses for smaller but relatively central claims compared to larger but relatively distant-to-the-center claims. Based on our findings, it is recommended that companies insert claims about new or distinctive product attributes near the central position of a label (not too far from the ingredients), even if this requires having a smaller surface size for such claim. Larger claims displayed in non-central positions are likely to elicit less visual attention and less positive emotional responses. This work adds value to the literature by studying the joint effect of surface size and distance-to-center of front-label claims using an eye-tracking methodology to measure visual attention and nonconscious measure of customers’ emotions.

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