The effects of controlling visual attention to handbags for women in online shops: Evidence from eye movements

• The main body ROI first attracts the attention of the participants.
• The handle ROI receives the most attention.
• The featured area ROI has the greatest capacity to hold attention.
• The handle and strap ROIs have a stronger visual attraction than any other ROI.

This study investigates how e-consumers perceive online pictures of women’s handbags, whether they are motivated to observe specific parts of the picture, and the sequence of their fixations on each handbag areas. The author conducted a task-free eye-tracking experiment in which 33 female participants look at 74 randomly displayed pictures of handbags. Seven types of attention-based regions of interests (ROIs) were coded for data analyses. Based on statistical analysis, the data yielded the following findings: (1) the main body ROI first attracts the attention of the participants; (2) the handle ROI receives the most attention; (3) the featured area ROI has the greatest capacity to hold attention; and (4) the handle and strap ROIs have a stronger visual attraction than any other ROI. This study provides eye-tracking evidence that may be applied to future empirical research and the theory construction of visual behavior in consumers.