Eye-tracking method has been increasingly used for studying food consumer behavior in the last few years because of its objectivity. This study applied eye-tracking technique to investigate the food choice behavior of Vietnamese consumers: from gazing, and expected liking to perceived liking. The Tobii T60 eye-tracker was used for recording and analysing the gazing behavior of consumers. Four traditional mooncakes with different ingredients were tested by 70 Vietnamese participants: 1) Product pictures were shown on a screen. Participants had to choose the product they liked the most. During this process, gazing behavior was recorded with an eye-tracker; 2) Product samples were served for tasting. Participants had to rated their perceived liking using conventional 9-point hedonic scale.Results showed that the investigated gazing behavior parameters (fixation count, fixation duration, visit duration and visit count) correlated significantly in a positive way with the “wanting to try” choice. Moreover, this choice is in compliance with “perceived liking”. Results have been discussed considering the relationship between eye-movements, decision making process and choosing behavior. This study applied a new objective technique to study food consumer behavior. Moreover, it opens preliminarily a multiple-tool approach in improving the understanding of consumers’ food choice perception and behavior.
Does odour priming influence snack choice? – An eye-tracking study to understand food choice processes
