Visual Triggers for Conversion: Understanding Sensation-Seeking Tendency and Badge Effects in Online Consumer Behavior

This study explores the impact of visual cues, specifically platform certification badges, on consumer purchase intentions in e-commerce environments, with a focus on the moderating role of sensation-seeking tendencies. Through a gaze tracking experiment involving 80 participants, the study analyzes differences in visual information processing and purchase intentions based on badge presence and individual sensation-seeking tendencies. The results show that low sensation-seeking customers perceive badges as intrusive marketing, leading to reduced purchase intentions, whereas high sensation-seeking customers are minimally affected. Gaze tracking data reveal distinct visual attention patterns. Low sensation-seeking customers prioritize intuitive visual elements, whereas high sensation-seeking customers focus more intensively on textual information. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring badge design and placement strategies to consumer tendencies, emphasizing simplicity and clarity for low sensation-seeking customers and value-driven designs for high sensation-seeking customers. This study highlights the need for customized visual marketing strategies to improve consumer trust and purchasing behavior in e-commerce platforms.