Eye Tracking Provides Insight into Consumer Search Behavior
The online search industry is enormous and plenty of money seems to be thrown into developing new ways of searching and advertising. In a recent study, eye tracking was used to view the habits of consumers as they searched through various sites, querying for information or shopping and performing transactions. Half of Internet queries are information oriented, and a third consist of people looking to buy something. Search engines know this, and results are more and more influenced by branding as a result. Of course, advertisers aim for people searching to make a transaction, as customers looking to buy something are closer to purchase than someone simply looking for information on a product.
The study, which was done by a search engine media agency called Checkit and a market research company De Vos & Jansen, collected fifty participants to monitor as they performed tasks searching for information or products online. Their goal was to identify differences in viewing habits between consumers searching for information and consumers searching to make a transaction. Transaction searchers, they presumed, were more focused on words that influenced a feeling of familiarity and brand loyalty.
For the study, participants between the ages of 17 and 24 well versed in Internet searching donned an advanced infrared camera system called IviewX-RED-III. Their eye movements were monitored with the eye tracker, which took measurements in a relatively natural and comfortable environment not unlike that in which they might be searching at home. The IviewX-RED-III can pinpoint eye movements on screen with a deviation of 0.5-1 degree, measuring the eye 50 times a second. The camera is calibrated for head movement, and study participants were able to move around freely within a virtual box measuring 40 cm x 40 cm x 80 cm. Of the study participants, all typically used the Internet 6 days per week and 90% of them had effected an online transaction before. Seventeen percent shopped and made purchases online regularly, the majority consisting of books and airline tickets. Each was familiar with Google and other search engines.
Overall, researchers found that consumers view many search results before deciding which to click on, and so search engines are extremely important for brand exposure. Not surprisingly, results higher on the return list received more attention, and results aligned to the right received less. Participants showed a different viewing behavior when searching for a product versus when they were searching for information. Searchers looking for a transaction tended to view more results than those just searching for information.
Visual attention to Online Search Engine Results
Related articles:
- Using Eye Tracking & Mouse Movements to Analyze Search Behavior
- More Eye Tracking Revelations for Search Engine Optimization
- Eye Tracking Study Users in Interactive Search
- Eye Tracking Questions Usefulness of Real Time Search Results
- Eye Tracking Emphasizes Significance of Search Snippets
- Eye Tracking: Understanding The Tricks of Search Engine Optimization
- Top 2 Search Engines Google, Yahoo Use Eye Tracking
- Eye Tracking: Does Google Instant Improve Usability?
- Eye Tracking Tests Real Time Feature From Google
- Does Eye Tracking Alter User Behavior?