Comparing User Behavior in Real vs. Virtual Supermarket Shelves: An Eye-Tracking Study Using Tobii 3 Pro and Meta Quest Pro

TL;DR

The paper investigates whether virtual shopping environments replicate real-world consumer attention patterns, using a within-subjects eye-tracking study with real Tobii Pro Glasses 3 and VR Meta Quest Pro. The method uses identical cereal shelves (26 SKUs) and two search tasks ('healthy' vs 'tasty'), measuring dwell times on Areas of Interest with $t_{AOI}$, and comparing across environments. Results show no overall difference in fixation times between real and VR ($p=0.15$), but reveal a significant environment-by-task interaction ($F(1,27)=5.18$, $p<0.05$), with healthy items attracting more attention on lower shelves in real settings and VR emphasizing eye-level shelf 2 for tasty items. The findings suggest VR is a viable research tool for shelf-optimization and consumer attention mapping, though interactivity and contextual cues such as pricing should be enhanced to improve realism.

Abstract

This study compares user behavior between real and virtual supermarket shelves using eye tracking technology to assess behavior in both environments. A sample of 29 participants was randomly assigned to two conditions: a real world supermarket shelf with Tobii eye tracking and a virtual shelf using the Meta Quest Pro eye tracker. In both scenarios, participants were asked to select three packs of cereals belonging to specific categories, healthy or tasty. The aim was to explore whether virtual environments could realistically replicate real world experiences, particularly regarding consumer behavior. By analyzing eye tracking data, the study examined how attention and product selection strategies varied between real and virtual conditions. Results showed that participants' attention differed across product types and shopping environments. Consumers focused more on lower shelves in real settings, especially when looking for healthy products. In VR, attention shifted to eye level shelves, particularly for tasty items, aligning with optimal product placement strategies in supermarkets. Overall, sweet products received less visual attention across both settings.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: The figure shows a side-by-side comparison between a real supermarket shelf display (left) and a virtual representation in a VR environment (right).
• Figure 2: On the left: average viewing times per shelf in the VR environment and dependent on experimental task. On the right: average viewing times per shelf in the real environment and dependent on search task