(P30-035-24) Exploring Real-Life Consumer Engagement and Food Choice Behaviours Within an Online Supermarket: The “Finding Healthy Online” Project Study Protocol

Objectives: To (1) establish an academic-industry collaboration, (2) co-design and undertake a pilot study to collect eye-tracking and qualitative insights from online-grocery shoppers, and (3) explore consumer navigation and interactions with supermarket website features and their potential to influence purchase choices to (4) create a large open-access dataset of shoppers behaviour.

Methods: Participants (n=10) will be recruited to complete their weekly shopping using a UK online supermarket. Consenting participants will complete and pay for their shopping at the Psychology lab (Manchester, UK) during which, their screen will be recorded and non-invasive eye tracking data collected (Tobii Pro). Following the shopping trip, participants will be asked to verbalise their thoughts while viewing their recorded eye-movements on the screen (“playback” interviews). Prompts from the researchers will explore the use of website features (i.e. search box, filters, virtual aisle etc.), particularly with regards to spontaneous purchases and near-purchases. Analysis of screen recording and eye tracking data will include evaluation of frequency and time spent attending to specific “Regions of Interest” (ROIs) as well as evaluation of how participants move and navigate through the website. Findings will be combined with qualitative analysis of transcripts from post-shopping verbal data, in order to gain insights into trends observed (e.g., why navigate in particular ways, or why shoppers focus on, or avoid, certain information on products or their shopping). Data will be made open access. Given the complexity and amount of data, the pilot will also explore the feasibility of using this method for future investigations.

Results: N/A

Conclusions: The study will provide a new approach for generating real-world evidence on how shoppers interact with navigational and other website features, which can be used to underpin digital food environments’ design and support healthier and more sustainable food choices.

Funding Sources: The Consumer Lab, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with support from the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council (MRC), grant reference BB/X010805/1.   In Partnership with Ocado Retail, UK.