2014 ASHS Annual Conference

July 27 - August 01, 2014

Eye tracking technology is revolutionary to consumer research because it enables scientists to follow information processing through the visual path.  Much of the literature relates to packaged consumer goods and the act of reading.  A review of the key papers helps to set the stage to understand how eye tracking technology can be used to study horticultural purchases.  Paper 2.  Horticultural reserach has been done with one of two types of devices:  glasses and computer monitor-mounted.  However, the equipment has its challenges and difficulties.  Understanding the set-up and subject calibration processes can increase data collection utility.  Paper 3.  The plethora of data which can be extracted from any one eye tracking study can be overwhelming.  Establishment of useful parameters and areas of interest are one key step to successful data extraction and analyses.  Data extraction presents its own challenges, so some time saving measures have been developed.  Visual data are not normally distributed, presenting further challenges to subsequent analyses. Paper 4.  While sustainability has become a hot topic in the green industry, imbedded within sustainability is the concept of wise water use, both in production of plants and in their use in the landscape. In this project, we investigated, profiled, and determined the value that consumer segments place on “green” marketing (sustainability) and “blue” marketing (water conservation) related to woody plant production and use in the landscape. We used three methods including consumer auctions, on-line survey, and eye-tracking of retail displays to examine the effect that water conservation-related signage has on plant purchases.  Paper 5. Participants from 6 locations viewed 5 unique plant displays with 3 manipulated signs per display to total 27 total treatment images.  Three signs spanned the back, upper portion of each display to (a) identify the plants, (b) convey a fabricated horticultural production method, and (c) convey price.  While identification sign was central to all displays, price and production method were changed depending on the plant type.  Signs posted on the left were more likely to receive the first fixation and had more fixations compared to those on the right.  When price sign location was further compared by price level, no significant difference was detected in fixation count, but high and medium prices on the left side were observed faster than a low price, and all three were looked at before any level of price if shown in the right side of the display.