Gazing behavior, choice and color of food: Does gazing behavior predict choice?

•Individuals gazing at images of colored food were observed using eye-tracking technology.•Color had significant effects on gazing behaviour and choice decisions.•Positive correlations between fixation count, visit duration and choice rate were found.•This might give chance to predict choice behavior measuring gazing behavior.

This study investigated the effect of food color on gazing behavior using eye-tracking technology and the correlation between gazing behavior and choice decision. Tobii T60 eye-tracker was used for analyzing the gazing behavior of consumers. Images of three different food products with three different colors each (yellow, green, pink) were used as stimuli. Seventy-three subjects were recruited; color blind individuals were excluded from the test. After the eye tracking procedure, the test persons had to decide which sample they preferred. Results show that the colors of the used food products significantly affected the gazing behavior and the choice. Fixation count and visit duration correlated significantly in a positive way with choice rate. This insight highlights the importance of visual attraction for the choosing behavior and it might open the chance to predict choice behavior measuring gazing behavior.