Not all consumer-generated images are attractive and persuasive: A heuristic cue perspective

Abstract

This study explored how the features of consumer-generated images (CGIs) influence consumers' attention and purchase intention in both browsing and buying stages of online shopping, as well as the mediation of these effects. We consider the common features of image reviews (e.g. brightness, clarity, product displaying proportion and consistency) as heuristic cues evaluated by consumers. We posit that image brightness, clarity and product displaying proportion are product irrelevant cues associated with CGI attractiveness in the browsing stage, whereas product consistency is a product relevant cue associated with CGI attractiveness and purchase intention during the buying stage. Eye-tracking experiments with 127 undergraduates using Parka products support our hypotheses. The results indicate a positive correlation between the quality of product-irrelevant cues and CGI attractiveness in browsing, and a similar positive association with product-relevant cues during buying. The results also show that both product relevant and irrelevant cues are positively associated with consumers’ purchase intention, mediated by eliciting emotional arousal rather than visual attention. This study extends the literature by shifting the focus from assessing the overall aesthetic quality of CGIs to the importance of specific features in different online shopping stages. The study provides important implications for e-commerce platforms to strategically encourage users to submit CGIs that maintain consistency with the merchant-provided images and exhibit high image quality attributes such as brightness and clarity. Future research should explore CGIs across different product types to understand their varying roles.