Too Many Images may Overwhelm Online Holiday Shoppers

With Christmas just around the corner, many are already searching for perfect gifts for their family. For some, they may be headed to the mall, but for others, most purchases will be made online.

However, a recent study shows that those who may feel overwhelmed by advertisements from a website where they are hoping to buy a gift are more likely to leave without a purchase.

"Consumers prefer product information that is presented visually in pictures rather than verbally in words. Visual presentation feels easier and faster to process, and with visual depiction consumers perceive more variety in their selection," lead study authors Claudia Townsend of the University of Miami and Barbara E. Kahn of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania note, via a press release.

Authors looked at how consumers process visual information shown in both small and large images. Their experiments helped use eye-tracking software to identify whether participants could recognize the groupings of images found in a random or systematic pattern, as well as those presented on the left or right of a screen.

Results showed that while individuals can claim to prefer visual depictions, their choice situations take a more lengthy time to process and need more information to establish a clear connection. The authors also found that small image sets are key to reducing visual overload. For instance, less systematic processing of information found in a negative influence could help with perceptual and behavioral consequences.

"While visual images are fun, there may be a tendency to gloss over them rather than make a purchase," the authors concluded, via the release. "At the point of actual consideration for purchase, a text-based interface should cause consumers to slow down, review each option more carefully, and be less likely to opt out of the choices."

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of Consumer Research.