Pictorial effect in product layout

Purpose Commodity display is an important cue for consumers’ prediction of the goods they purchase. Then why does a neat display (compared to a messy one) usually result in better product evaluation? This paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach By conducting three lab experiments, the authors proved the existence of “the pictorial effect.” In Study 1, the authors used Chinese knots as the material. Chinese knots are commonly used in decoration; therefore, their appearance is of high importance. The authors set a scenario of purchasing Chinese knots to dismantle for teaching how to knot, thus manipulating the importance of appearance into lower condition. The authors measured subjects’ attitude to display picture and product quality evaluation and examine the existence of “the pictorial effect.” In Study 2, the authors changed material to a functional product in daily life – playing cards. The authors used different usage scenarios to manipulate the importance of the playing cards’ appearance (high vs low). For the low importance group, the scenario is playing poker in a dormitory at the weekend; for the high importance group, the scenario is using playing cards to make a hat for a party. The authors add measurements of consumers’ perception of the popularity of product. Study 2 consolidates the conclusion of Study 1 and excludes the popularity inference effect. In Study 3, the authors used a comb as the material, thus manipulating the importance of product appearance through the different instructions on the comb’s packaging (focus on healthy function vs focus on hair appearance enhancement). Study 3 repeated the conclusion in Study 1 and Study 2, and proved the existence of a “display pictorial effect” by showing the main effect, mediation and moderating effect as well. Findings Current research brings forward the existence and conditions of “the pictorial effect,” i.e. when the goods are neatly displayed (relative to messily), the consumer’s attitude toward the display becomes more positive, hence leading to a higher product evaluation, and the consumer’s attitudes toward the display fully mediate “the pictorial effect”. However, “the pictorial effect” does not always occur; for the importance of the product, appearance plays a moderator role in the effect. If the consumer thinks the product appearance is not important, “the pictorial effect” could not be observed, which means there is no difference in product evaluation between messy and neat display of the commodity, and only when the product appearance is important, does the pictorial effect occur. Research limitations/implications The authors have noticed that display is part of the retail environment; therefore, research on how an environment affects human behavior may be valuable to reference. For example, for the experiment designs, especially Study 2, the authors asked participants to imagine making a hat using playing cards, which is a very creative task. In this task, participants may pay attention to creativity, and this may have an effect on product evaluation. According to Vohs et al., orderly environments lead people toward tradition and convention, whereas disorderly environments encourage breaking with tradition and convention – and that both settings can alter preferences, choice, and behavior. Messy displays may favor the product evaluation of some creative products when the situation requires higher creativity. The authors will attempt to test the effect of this factor in future study. Practical implications In application, current research supports “the necessity of tally” in the site management of retailing, and further answers the question as to what kind of products need more effort to be kept in a good order in their displays. Originality/value For the first time, the authors put forward “the pictorial effect” in product displays. The research provides insight to the underlying process through which merchandise displays can put an effect on the product evaluation, and supplements the contamination theory and popularity theory, thus contributing to the research works on merchandise displays.