The impact of front-of-package design features on consumers' attention and selection likelihood of protein bars: An eye-tracking study

Abstract

The current regulatory framework permits sports food manufacturers to incorporate a variety of voluntary label claims/icons on the front-of-package (FoP) of their products. This study examined the influence of label design features relevant to protein bars on individuals' visual attention and selection likelihood. Eight experimental FoP labels were created, concentrating on three distinct features, each identified as an area of interest (AOI). These features were allocated in a dichotomous manner within a 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 design: AOI 1 = ‘high protein’ vs ‘sports bar’; AOI 2 = ‘10 g protein/serve’ vs ‘25 g protein/serve’; AOI 3 = ‘dietitian approved’ vs ‘sports celebrity’. Labels were presented in a semi-randomised order and viewed individually for 15 s by participants. Eye-tracking metrics included time to first fixation (TFF), total fixation duration (TFD), fixation count (FC), and visit count (VC). Selection likelihood ratings were captured using visual analogue scales (0–100 mm). Despite receiving the least amount of attention, protein content was most influential on participants' selection likelihood ratings. Participants were more likely to select products displaying ‘25 g protein/serve’ than ‘10 g protein/serve’. These results provide insight into FoP label elements that influence consumers' willingness to select protein bars and may help guide label design enhancements to attract consumer attention and better cater to their preferences.