# Webcam Eye Tracking for Monitoring Visual Attention in Hypothetical Online Shopping Tasks
## 5 Discussion  
Using webcam eye tracking, this research examined the influence of horizontal and vertical position and the inclusion of human models in product depictions on visual attention during an online shopping task. The results met our expectations and were largely in line with existing literature. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l l l l} \hline \multicolumn{2}{l}{**Online Shop A**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Online Shop B**} \\ Number of observations & \multicolumn{2}{c}{=48} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{Number of observations} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{=84} \\ \(p\)-Value & & \(<\)0.001 & \(p\)-Value & & \(<\)0.001 \\ R-squared & & \(=\)0.85 & R-squared & & \(=\)0.84 \\ Adjusted R-squared & & \(=\)0.84 & Adjusted R-squared & & \(=\)0.83 \\ \hline \multicolumn{2}{l}{**Factor**} & **Category** & **Coefficient** & \(p\)**-Value** & **Factor** & **Category** & **Coefficient** & \(p\)**-Value** \\ \hline Row & Continuous, 1–16 & \(-\)0.04 & \(<\)0.001 & Row & Continuous, 1–28 & \(-\)0.02 & \(<\)0.001 \\ Left & base & & Left & base & \\ Column & Middle & 0.16 & \(<\)0.001 & Column & Middle & 0.10 & \(<\)0.001 \\ Right & 0.07 & 0.01 & Right & \(-\)0.01 & 0.72 \\ Human & No & base & & Human & No & base \\ model & Yes & 0.08 & \(<\)0.001 & Model & Yes & 0.04 & 0.02 \\ Constant & 0.62 & \(<\)0.001 & & Constant & 0.54 & \(<\)0.001 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Results of the linear regression analyses estimating the influence of the independent variables (factors) on the percentage of participants visiting an AOI (product depiction). Figure 3: Proportion (in percent) of AOIs (product depictions) participants looked at. The visual aesthetics of both online stores was rated as high with a median of 5 for all four facets of the VisAWI-S. According to [33], a score higher than 4.5 on the Visual Aesthetics of Websites Inventory is associated with an overall good impression of a website. No significant differences were found between the stores, so that differences in gaze behaviour between online shop A and B that might be attributed to visual aesthetics can be largely excluded. The results of the linear regression analyses suggest that the three exogenous factors included in the analyses drove visual attention in a similar way in both online shops. Product depictions placed higher up on the website, located in the middle row, and containing a human model were visited by more participants. A similar influence of the vertical position of an item on a website as in our study is described by several authors. Eye tracking results of [PERSON] et al. [26] as well as viewport and eye tracking data of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [28] indicate that upper parts of a website receive more attention than lower parts. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [37] point out that web page sections of an online shop that are visible when the website is accessed receive more visual attention than sections that are only visible by scrolling down. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [38] compared gaze patterns across three online stores with differently designed websites. Their eye tracking data clearly show that the further down a product depiction is located on a website, the less visual attention it receives, with this effect being considerably stronger for a pure list layout. A more structured layout, where product depictions are grouped into categories and the website is thus divided into several sections, increases visual attention in the lower sections [38]. Higher visual attention to the centre of the scene has been repeatedly reported (e.g., [6; 27; 39]). This spatial bias is believed to have physiological causes related to the oculomotor system [39]. However, research by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [38] shows that when products in an online store are presented in a list layout (i.e., one product per row) or with two columns, this tendency towards the centre does not emerge as clearly. Then, the spatial bias is shifted to the upper left areas of the list or of each column [38].