Attention hijacked: How retailers use neuroscience to drive your buying decisions

What drives us to buy products we had not considered before entering a store? This is a question that has intrigued marketers and neuroscientists for years. A recent study by Mathias C. Streicher, Zachary Estes, and Oliver B. Büttner, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, investigated the role of visual attention in shopping behavior, revealing that attention width directly impacts how many products we explore and, consequently, how many unplanned purchases we make.

The role of attention in retail

Retailers aim to expose consumers to products that may activate latent needs. Research has shown that two types of visual attention influence in-store behavior:

1. Broad attention: Leads consumers to visually and physically explore more of the store environment, increasing the likelihood of unplanned purchases.

2. Narrow attention: Causes a more selective focus on fewer products, reducing store exploration and impulse purchases.

Experiments: From eye-tracking to pedometers

To test these hypotheses, researchers conducted various studies in both laboratory and real-world retail environments:

- Study 1: Participants were intercepted before entering a supermarket, their attention width was manipulated, and their purchases were tracked. Results showed that those with broader attention made significantly more unplanned purchases.

- Study 2: Using eye-tracking, it was found that consumers with broader attention visually explored more shelf areas compared to those with narrow attention.

- Study 3: By using pedometers, researchers observed that those with broader attention covered more distance within the store, visited more sections, and made more unexpected purchases.

- Study 4 and 5: It was shown that impulsive buyers are particularly susceptible to these dynamics, making them the most influenced by retail strategies that expand visual attention.

Our research: Insights and confirmations

From our own neuroscientific and behavioral studies, conducted on a large sample of consumers in physical retail environments, we found that:

- The use of colors and visual contrasts in retail settings increases consumer attraction to specific shelves by 32%, enhancing product visibility and purchase likelihood. This effect is mediated by the amygdala, which processes emotionally salient stimuli, and the visual cortex, which analyzes color and contrast details.

- The strategic arrangement of products on shelves impacts perceived variety and can increase dwell time in a store section by up to 28%. The brain interprets variety as a sign of abundance and choice, activating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision evaluation, and the nucleus accumbens, which is linked to reward anticipation and exploration.

- Guided visual cues and layout strategies can unconsciously influence consumer behavior, increasing spontaneous purchases by 21%. This effect involves the anterior cingulate cortex, which regulates attention and responsiveness to environmental stimuli, and the insula, which modulates emotional and intuitive reactions to store layouts and visual cues.

Implications for retail

These findings have profound implications for the world of retail and experiential marketing. If broader attention leads to greater store exploration and more unplanned purchases, retailers should design spaces and visual stimuli that expand consumer perception. Here are some applicable strategies:

- Strategic visual cues: Colors, lighting, and product placement can guide consumer attention and encourage them to explore more sections of the store.

- Immersive layouts: Structures like IKEA, which guide consumers through the entire store, favor broad attention and increase unplanned purchases.

- Visual priming techniques: The use of digital screens or interactive displays that draw attention to specific areas can influence navigation and purchasing behavior.

- Targeting impulsive buyers: In-store promotions and targeted offers can be more effective for this category of customers, who tend to be more susceptible to attention manipulation.

From neuroscience to marketing: The future of shopping

This research represents another step forward in understanding Kahneman's System 1 and System 2 in decision-making. System 1, which is more automatic and impulsive, is strongly influenced by the environment and visual stimulation. System 2, which is more rational, comes into play only when consumers actively focus on a purchasing decision.

The future of marketing will increasingly integrate neuroscientific findings to create shopping experiences that guide attention and influence purchasing decisions predictively.

Discover more about how we can help optimize your store with neuroscience-based strategies. Visit our website for more information: https://marcobaldocchi.com/consumer-neuroscience#retail-neuroscience