S05 - Session O3 - How does visual attendance to plant attributes influence choice behavior?

Authors: Alicia Rihn *, Bridget Behe, Charles Hall, Patricia Huddleston

Plant benefit information increases likelihood to purchase but how does visual attention to benefit information influence choice? Research documents that consumers exhibit selective information viewing when shopping for ornamental plants. In this study, we utilize an online survey paired with eye tracking software to assess consumers' choice preferences for ornamental plants when presented with plant benefit information. An online choice experiment was used to elicit preference and willingness-to-pay estimates while visual attention to different pieces of information was measured. Approximately 97 percent of the sample fixated on the plants one or more times while only 36.7 percent of the sample fixated on the benefit information. Participants fixated on the plant image more than 2x the price information; fixation counts on the benefit information varied depending on the benefit type. The benefit that "plants can help you relate socially with others" received the highest fixation count (1.113) while the benefit that "plants can improve your emotional- and mental-health" received the fewest fixations (0.331). Plant type significantly influenced willingness to pay, yet visual attendance to the benefit information did not significantly impact choice. Marketing implications and future research directions will be discussed.