Limited Attention In Beverage Choice: A Research Article Summary

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Florida Gulf Coast University, Department of Psychology

This paper will be summarizing the research study Limited attention in beverage choice: Evidence from a field experiment by Jinwook Shin and Kookdong Kim. Published in February of 2022 by the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, this study investigates just how limited attention can impact consumers' purchase decisions.

Attention affects many aspects of our daily lives, but how much does limited attention impact our decision-making process? Shin and Kim hypothesized that, “consumers have limited attention in beverage choice and that eye-height shelves receive more attention than the top or bottom shelves” (Shin & Kim, 2022, p. 1). By switching up the positions of the beverages, they could determine whether or not the height/location of a product makes a difference to the consumer. 

The purpose of this study was to see whether or not displaying healthy beverages at eye level and unhealthy beverages below eye level (or vice versa) would significantly alter beverage sales. It is safe to infer that both Shin and Kim expected this change in layout would make an impact.

Method

Shin and Kim's field experiment took place over the course of 13 weeks, spanning from  September 19, 2016, all the way through December 16, 2016. The experiment was conducted at a convenience store on the campus of Seoul National University in South Korea.

Although this study may seem straightforward at first glance, it is actually fairly complex. First, we need to understand the general layout of the display. Four refrigerators were used for this experiment, each with six shelves to showcase beverages. Areas of these shelves were then split into categories based on whether or not they were at eye level (approximately 5 feet). They were regarded as the “eye zone” and the “non-eye zone”.

“We defined the second and third shelves from the top as the ‘eye zone’ and the farthest shelves from the eye zone, which are the top or sixth shelves as the ‘non-eye zone.’” (Shin & Kim, 2022, p. 3). Eye level, or the “eye zone”, is considered a highly attentive position, while the “non-eye zone” is considered a low attentive position. It is worth noting that before the experiment began, the more sugary beverages were displayed in the “eye zone” and the less sugary beverages were in the “non-eye zone”.

On October 31, 2016, around halfway through the experiment, the treatment was applied. By switching around the refrigerator shelves and changing the way beverages were displayed, Shin and Kim would be able to determine whether or not eye-height altered consumer purchase decisions.

“One of the shelves in the eye zone containing beverages relatively high in sugar was interchanged with one of [the] shelves in the non-eye zone containing relatively low sugar content. For the first and second refrigerators, the third and top shelves were interchanged. For the third refrigerator, the second and sixth shelves were interchanged. For the fourth refrigerators, the third and sixth shelves were interchanged” (Shin & Kim, 2022, p.3). Because of the experiment's complexity and the fact that there are multiple independent variables, I would classify this study as a mixed factorial design.

There were 142 beverages in total with 105 in the control group. The control group consists of the beverages that did not move. The independent variable includes all the beverages that were moved. The dependent variable, or what we are measuring, is the number of daily sales of each beverage. Changes in sales data were collected and compared before and after the treatment.

Results

The results from this study were enlightening. Simply changing the shelving layout significantly reduced consumers’ sugar intake by approximately 6.86 g per consumption. That is about 13.7% of the World Health Organization's recommended daily sugar intake of 50 grams (World Health Organization, 2015).

By moving the less sugary drinks over to the “eye zone” (eye height) it increased their sales by 24.8%. In addition, moving the more sugary drinks to the “non-eye zone” decreased their sales by 25.3%. According to (Shin & Kim, 2022) it was also found that, “interchanging the eye-height shelf with the top shelf was more effective than interchanging it with the bottom shelf” (p. 1).

Shin and Kim also argued that a consumer’s limited attention is something that can be harnessed. With this information, retailers can nudge consumers’ to the right path and help them make healthier decisions, even if it is on a subconscious level.

Discussion

Personally, I am fascinated by the research side of marketing, specifically consumer behavior. The idea that making one slight change can alter someone's purchase decisions is incredible. Studies like this give us valuable insight into why we do the things we do and the role attention plays in human behavior. If properly utilized, this information could be a very powerful tool for businesses all around the globe.

As for a follow-up study, I would recommend future researchers investigate other ways that the “eye zone” impacts our lives. In a retail setting, suppliers could try stocking green, eco-friendly products on shelves in a more high attentive position. Emergency personnel could even try storing life-saving equipment at eye level to save time and maximize efficiency. The possibilities are truly endless.

Many might view limited attention as a sin of memory, but I believe it has many practical uses we should continue to explore. If we are aware of the limitations in our attention and actively recognize them, we have a better opportunity to grow and improve as a society.

References

Shin, J., & Kim, K. (2022). Limited attention in beverage choice: Evidence from a field experiment. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 96, 101789.

World Health Organization. (2015). Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children. World Health Organization.