Visual complexity = hedonic? Effects of visually complex packages on consumer perceptions and evaluations of products

This study investigates the effect of visual complexity in package design on consumer perceptions and evaluations of a product, with a particular emphasis on how product type (vice or virtue) interacts with this effect. Drawing on the cue utilization theory and Berlyne's optimal stimulation theory, the findings of five empirical studies across various product categories consistently indicate that visually complex packaging enhances evaluations of virtue (vs. vice) products by increasing hedonic utility. This research contributes to the existing literature on marketing and visual communication and provides practical insights for practitioners.     

Consumer processing of mobile online stores: Sources and effects of processing fluency

This research explores the role of processing fluency perceptions in consumer experiences of mobile online shopping. Processing fluency refers to the ease with which information is processed, and plays a pivotal role in the short, interactive sessions that characterize interactions with mobile devices. The findings from two empirical studies suggest that perceived visual complexity reduces fluency perceptions, while perceived visual congruence (between the mobile online store and the conventional, computer-accessible online store) has the opposite effect. No differences were found in the effects of visual congruence perceptions between mobile shopping touchpoints. Processing fluency, in turn, positively affects both satisfaction with the mobile online store and choice satisfaction.     

Perceived Product Sizes in Visually Complex Environments

Although prior scholarship has demonstrated important effects of visual complexity on product perceptions, the relationship between the visual complexity of a product’s environment and that product’s perceived size remains unexplored. Because size is such an important product characteristic in many consumer contexts, the lack of exploration of this relationship leaves a significant gap in the literature on size perceptions, especially in relation to the retailing domain. The present investigation seeks to document the relationship between environmental visual complexity and the perceived size of a product. Namely, five studies show that high visual complexity decreases consumer size perceptions of a focal product through a serial mediation process in which high complexity pulls consumer attention away from the focal product. This shifted attention decreases processing fluency and leads consumers to perceptually minimize size to avoid information overload in the processing of a display. Even after ruling out potential influences of referent information (study 5) and alternative explanations of affective processing and perceived depth (study 4), these effects hold. The findings have implications for both theory and practice, shedding light on the relationship between size perceptions of a focal object and its environment.     

Is Beauty in the Aisles of the Retailer? Package Processing in Visually Complex Contexts

Visual appeal is an important consideration in the design of brand packages because attractiveness guides behavior. The visual complexity of a context (i.e., the quantity, irregularity, detail, and dissimilarity of objects) in which a retailer displays a package may impact its attractiveness by influencing attention and processing fluency. Employing consumer samples, and stimuli ranging from the abstract to the realistic, three studies provide evidence that people process a package more fluently, thus increasing its attractiveness, when it is presented in a low rather than high complexity context. This effect is more pronounced with inherently appealing packages, and with people who are more field-dependent or pursuing utilitarian shopping goals. Study 1 establishes effects by employing psychometric measures and abstract stimuli; study 2 corroborates findings with another product category and realistic stimuli; and study 3 complements psychometric measures with eye tracking data to demonstrate that visually more complex contexts divert viewer attention, hereby lowering processing fluency and target attractiveness. The authors discuss the theoretical contribution and strategic insights the research provides for retailers, brand managers, and designers.     

What's in a logo? The impact of complex visual cues in equity crowdfunding

Visual cues are pervasive on crowdfunding platforms. However, whether and how low validity visual cues can impact the behavior of backers remains largely unknown. In this article, we propose a disfluency-based heuristic framework for understanding the influence of low validity visual cues on equity crowdfunding platforms. Drawing on processing fluency theory and visual heuristics, we propose that backers often automatically process visual cues, and that the subjective experience of ease/difficulty with which backers perceptually process low validity visual cues serves as a heuristic and informs their perceptions of early-stage entrepreneurial ventures. We test our propositions focusing on logos (low validity visual cues that are particularly salient and ubiquitous on equity crowdfunding platforms) and logo complexity (a fundamental characteristic of logo design and established antecedent of processing disfluency). We contend that logo complexity can be interpreted by backers as a signal of venture innovativeness because more (vs. less) complex logos are more difficult to process, and thus, feel less familiar and more unique, original, and novel to backers. Since backers often value innovativeness, we further contend that logo complexity can positively impact backers' funding decisions. We find support for our framework and propositions using a multimethod approach comprising three studies: one survey, one field study, and one experiment. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are also discussed.     

Using Visual Design to Improve Customer Perceptions of Online Assortments

In the future, we expect to see more shopping on-line or on smart phones. This suggests that understanding how visual design decisions can influence consumers’ reactions to online assortments is important. New advances in neuro-marketing techniques, such as sophisticated eye tracking methodology, can help understand exactly what drives consumers’ attention and processing efficiency.Visual stimuli on small screens is frequently processed very quickly leading to perceptions that form automatically often without cognitive intervention. Thus, savvy retailers should strategically use design elements of the assortments and of packaging to direct attention and increase the ease of processing. Assortments that are easier to process are liked more and are judged to have more perceived variety. Complexity must be minimized so that assortments can be parsed immediately. Categorization, organizational structure, filtering and other design elements can also help with choice overload.