The Impact of Thinking Style on Promotional Message Effectiveness: An Experimental Eye-Tracking Study

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Prof., Department of MBA, Faculty of Business Management, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 MSc., Department of MBA, Faculty of Business Management, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Objective
Companies in the health products industry use innovative sales promotions to encourage customers to purchase their products. Sales promotions are key tools employed by companies and marketers to attract consumer attention to products and enhance sales performance. Among the various types of sales promotions, product discounts and percentage discounts are among the most well-known and widely used. However, despite their frequent application, the comparative effectiveness of these two approaches remains unclear, leaving marketers uncertain about which option to adopt. Previous studies have shown that different types of promotions have various effects on consumer attention and behavior. In addition, individual differences can influence individuals’ attention when faced with these two types of promotion messages. According to dual process theories of thinking style, individuals often make decisions using two types of information processing systems, including rational and intuitive thinking. Based on previous studies, thinking style can influence information processing, decision making, and behavior of consumers when faced with different types of promotions. From a theoretical perspective, the purpose of this study is to examine the simultaneous effect of rational thinking style and type of sales promotion message (product versus discount promotion) on visual attention among consumers. The research hypothesis posits that individuals with a low rational thinking style allocate more visual attention to product promotions than to discount-based promotions. From a practical perspective, the purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of different promotion messages. This can help with increasing the effectiveness of marketing activities by considering the role of individual differences, such as thinking style. In this study, the effect of rational thinking style on the effectiveness of these two sales promotions is examined using an eye-tracking technique. Eye-tracking is an advanced method that is used to analyze the patterns of eye movements and to determine the area and duration of visit when an individual is encountered with a certain stimulus or type of information.
 
Methodology
The current research uses a cross-sectional lab experiment. It utilizes a 2x2 between-subject factorial design. The study includes two independent variables: promotion type (two levels: product discount and percentage discount) and thinking style (two levels: rational and intuitive). The study’s dependent variable is visual attention, which is measured by five eye-tracking measures, including time to first fixation, fixation duration, fixation count, visit duration, and visit count. In total, 121 individuals participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions. The study was conducted in the Business Research Lab at the College of Management, the University of Tehran.
 
Findings
The Research hypothesis was tested using multiple regression analysis on SPSS 27 software. The results indicated that lower levels of rational thinking are associated with shorter times to first fixation for product discounts compared to percentage discounts. A similar interaction effect was observed for visit duration as well. These results proved a significant interaction between the type of sales promotion and thinking style on several measures of visual attention.
 
Conclusion
The results of the study are consistent with the research hypothesis. They indicate that individuals who are low on rational thinking take a longer period of time to have their first fixation to discount promotions compared to product promotions. As the level of rational thinking increases, this effect becomes mitigated. In addition, lower levels of rational thinking result in longer visit durations for product promotions compared to discount promotions. Higher levels of rationality result in lower differences in visual attention between the two types of sales promotions. These results have important implications for marketers. They indicate that people are generally more inclined towards product discounts compared to percentage discounts.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

 
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Journal of Business Management
Volume 18, Issue 1
2026
Pages 24-49

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