Understanding and Predicting Impulse Buying Using Eye tracking and Sensory Data – Investigations in Online and Virtual Shopping Environments

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Martin Meißner
• Subject Area: Operations Management and Computer Science for Business Administration
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 529712901

The act of impulse buying, which refers to the sudden urge to purchase a product without prior intent, has become a crucial source of profit for retailers. Despite extensive research on the topic, there is still much to be learned about the visual and tactile processes that precede impulse purchases, and how they can be predicted. Our research project aims to address this gap by utilizing eye tracking and sensory data to observe impulse buying behavior in both online and virtual shopping environments (VSEs). Furthermore, it is important to understand the antecedents of impulse buying, particularly the retail environment factors that may stimulate unplanned purchases. We will investigate the impact of ambient lighting, which retailers can easily manipulate in VSEs, on the influence of visual and tactile processes and subsequent impulse buying behavior. In this way, our project will test the causal influence of ambient lighting on impulse buying in VSEs, filling a second research gap. In several lab experiments, we will collect eye movement and sensory data from consumers who engage in impulse purchases, with the aim of determining the specific visual and tactile processes that predict these types of purchases using machine learning. We will also validate previous research that suggests arousal levels play a significant role in impulse buying behavior, explore the impact of virtual touch on impulse purchases, and determine the extent to which ambient lighting impacts attentional and tactile processes in VSEs. As our project aims to shed light on the extent to which eye movement and sensory data can predict impulse behavior, it will help to assess the potential negative consequences for consumers in VSEs. Overspending is an example of a potential adverse consequences that could result from companies stimulating impulse buying in VSE. Our research will thus contribute to addressing the question of whether and how European data privacy regulations need to be adjusted for VSEs to protect consumers from such adverse consequences.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants