Judging a Book by Its Cover: An Eye-Tracking Study on Shelf Position, Cover Design, and Consumer Attention

Understanding the mechanisms of visual attention is essential for analyzing consumer decision-making processes, particularly in book selection contexts. This study employs eye-tracking technology to investigate how shelf position, book cover design, and gender differences influence visual attention and consumer preferences. Two experiments were conducted to isolate these effects. This study analyzed visual attention toward two books, Domani, domani and La Portalettere, both written by the same author, Francesca Giannone. Study 1 examined the effects of shelf placement on attention, while Study 2 isolated cover design by displaying books side by side. Results show that shelf position influences visual attention, but its effect depends on cover design. Higher placement generally increased attention, yet some covers engaged viewers regardless of position. La Portalettere attracted more fixations, especially from women, though gender differences were not significant for dwell time or TTFF. Study 2 found that La Portalettere’s face-centric cover drew quicker fixations but did not predict purchase intent even if this book was chosen by almost 71% of the participants. Conversely, Domani, domani, despite receiving less attention, showed a stronger link between fixation behavior and willingness to buy. This suggests a contrast between automatic attention capture by salient visuals and deliberate engagement, which drives consumer decisions. Findings highlight a distinction between automatic attention capture and deliberate engagement, with the latter being more predictive of purchase intent. These insights contribute to consumer psychology and marketing strategies, emphasizing the need to optimize both shelf placement and cover design.