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Eye contact from store shelves can influence purchases, researchers say

Characters on cereal boxes displayed in grocery stores tend to make incidental eye contact with their targeted shoppers, potentially influencing purchase decisions, a new study revealed.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

April 10, 2014

2 Min Read
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Characters on cereal boxes displayed in grocery stores tend to make incidental eye contact with their targeted shoppers, potentially influencing purchase decisions, a new study revealed.

The research, by Cornell University Food and Brand Lab researchers Aner Tal and Brian Wansink, in collaboration with Yale University's Aviva Musicus, is to be published in the forthcoming journal Environment & Behavior. 

Researchers said the study included 10 grocery stores in New York and Connecticut displaying 65 varieties of cereal and 86 package spokes-characters. They said cereals marketed to kids are generally placed on lower shelves than cereals marketed to adults, and depict characters that tend to gaze downward. By contrast, cereals marketed to adults are placed on higher shelves, with characters looking straight ahead.

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In a second study, researchers found that cereal box spokes-characters that make eye contact may increase positive feelings toward the product and encourage consumers to buy it. 

Study participants were asked to look at a box of Trix and rate their connection to the brand, with some shown a box positioned so that the rabbit made eye contact and others depicting the rabbit looking down. Findings show that brand trust was 16% higher and the feeling of connection to the brand was 28% higher when the rabbit made eye contact. Furthermore, participants indicated liking Trix better, compared to another cereal.


 

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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