The analysis of online bookshop consumer groups

behavior differencesRESEARCHERS: ARŪNAS GUDINAVIČIUS, ANDRIUS ŠUMINAS

DATA COLLECTORS: JUSTINAS ČERVOKAS, INGRIDA KUORYTĖ

VILNIUS UNIVERSITY

1 new ebook title every 1 minute(just on Amazon)

Aim and tasks

Aim: to find out how different age groups and sexes of readers are choosing books by its covers on internet bookstores

Tasks:

• Find differences on book cover selection between men andwomen, age groups (18-35, 36-55, over 56) on:

• colors,

• graphics,

• decision speed,

• looking at cover time,

• browsing strategies

Methodology

Cover selection principles: colors, graphicsand not bestsellers

Colours:

• Two covers in each primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

• Two covers in each secondary colors: orange, green, and violet (purple).

• Two covers in white and black colors.

• Two multicolored covers.

Graphics:

• Two different kinds of graphic: computer graphic (line art, painting, etc.) and photorealistic graphic (humans, faces, landscapes, etc.);

• Men, woman, children, nature landscapes inluded;

Other:

• Not bestsellers: the authors are little known (subjectively);

• Books in Lithuanian language (original or translations).

Selected covers

Data collection equipment

Mobile eye tracking laboratory:

• eye tracking equipment (Tobii X2-30 Eye Tracker)

• eye tracking software (Tobii Studio 3.2)

Measures

• time to first fixation

• fixation count

• mouse click count

Research duration and locations

Work with the respondents: June 2015

180 respondents

Locations:

• Bookstore Didysis Pegasas. PC AKROPOLIS, Ozo g. 25, Vilnius (48 hours)

• Vilnius County Adomas MickeviciusPublic Library, Trakų st. 10, Vilnius (30 hours)

Findings (1/2)DECISION TIME, AVERAGE LOOKING AT BOOK COVER TIME , WHICH COVER

SEEN FIRST AND THE REASONS OF BOOK COVER CHOOSING

Respondent portrait

• 3,2 books read in past 6 months

• 1,4 books bought at traditional bookstores in past 6 months

• 2,3 books bought at supermarkets in past 6 months

• 1,6 books bought at internet bookstores in past 6 months

• 2,6 books borrowed at libraries in past 6 months

Women and age group 18-35 decide fasterAverage time to decision

42,98

39,16

27,53

39,04

34,07

36,56

0,00 5,00 10,00 15,00 20,00 25,00 30,00 35,00 40,00 45,00 50,00

Age 56+

Age 36-55

Age 18-35

Men

Women

All

Men and age group 36-55 are looking longerAverage looking at book cover time (sec.)

1,14

1,63

1,14

1,44

1,17

1,30

0,00 0,20 0,40 0,60 0,80 1,00 1,20 1,40 1,60 1,80

Age 56+

Age 36-55

Age 18-35

Men

Women

All

Average looking at book cover time:Women – 1,17; Men – 1,44; all – 1,30 sec.

MW Men

12%

MW Men

12%

MW Women

10%

MW Men

12%

MW Women

12%

MW Women

11%

LW Men

1%

MW Women

10%

W: 1,42 W: 1,51 W: 1,54 W: 0,96 W: 1,09 W: 1,08

M: 1,57 M: 2,20 M: 1,75 M: 1,38 M: 1,30 M: 1,51

W: 1,21 W: 1,26 W: 1,34 W: 1,20 W: 1,13 W: 0,99

M: 1,63 M: 1,68 M: 1,25 M: 1,06 M: 1,40 M: 1,29

W: 0,93 W: 1,02 W: 1,22 W: 1,23 W: 1,04 W: 0,84

M: 1,23 M: 1,10 M: 1,31 M: 1,50 M: 1,15 M: 1,56

M – Men, W – Women, MW – most wanted cover, LW – less wanted cover, green – best results, red – worst results

LW Women

1%

LW Women

1%

LW Men

1%

LW Women

1%

LW Men

1%

LW Women

2%

LW Men

1%

MW Men

9%

Which cover seen first?Average time on cover first fixation

MW Men

12%

MW Men

12%

MW Women

10%

MW Men

12%

MW Women

12%

MW Women

11%

LW Men

1%

MW Women

10%

W: 1,42 W: 1,51 W: 1,54 W: 0,96 W: 1,09 W: 1,08

M: 1,57 M: 2,20 M: 1,75 M: 1,38 M: 1,30 M: 1,51

W: 1,21 W: 1,26 W: 1,34 W: 1,20 W: 1,13 W: 0,99

M: 1,63 M: 1,68 M: 1,25 M: 1,06 M: 1,40 M: 1,29

W: 0,93 W: 1,02 W: 1,22 W: 1,23 W: 1,04 W: 0,84

M: 1,23 M: 1,10 M: 1,31 M: 1,50 M: 1,15 M: 1,56

M – Men, W – Women, MW – most wanted cover, LW – less wanted cover, green – best results, red – worst results

LW Women

1%

LW Women

1%

LW Men

1%

LW Women

1%

LW Men

1%

LW Women

2%

LW Men

1%

MW Men

9%

Why did you selected this book?(women vs men)

1

3

7

16

20

43

0

3

8

9

22

48

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Friend recommendation

Seen in advertisement

Known author

Other

Nice cover

Attractive title

Men Woman

Why did you selected this book?(age groups)

0

2

11

10

11

26

1

1

2

9

13

34

0

3

2

6

18

31

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Friend recommendation

Seen in advertisement

Known author

Other

Nice cover

Attractive title

Age 18-35 Age 36-55 Age 56+

Findings (2/2)WARM VS COOL COLOR PREFERENCES, PHOTOREALISTIC VS GRAPHIC STYLES

PREFERENCES AND BROWSING STRATEGIES

Warm and cool colors: men prefer warm, women – cool color covers

1-2

1-3

1-4

1-5

2-1

2-2

2-4

1-1

2-5

2-6

3-2

3-3

3-5

3-6

WHITE: 1-6, 2-3 BLACK: 3-1, 3-4

Warm, % Cool, %

All 51% 49%

Women 46% 54%

Men 55% 45%

Warm and cool colors: changing preferences with age

1-2

1-3

1-4

1-5

2-1

2-2

2-4

1-1

2-5

2-6

3-2

3-3

3-5

3-6

WHITE: 1-6, 2-3 BLACK: 3-1, 3-4

Women & men

Warm, % Cool, %

Age 18-35 38% 62%

Age 36-55 52% 48%

Age 56+ 60% 40%

Warm and cool colors: changing preferences with age

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Age 18-35 Age 36-55 Age 56+

Women

Warm Cool

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Age 18-35 Age 36-55 Age 56+

Men

Warm Cool

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Age 18-35 Age 36-55 Age 56+

All (women & men)

Warm Cool

Photorealism vs stylized: changing preferences with age

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Age 18-35 Age 36-55 Age 56+

Women

Photorealism Stylized

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Age 18-35 Age 36-55 Age 56+

Men

Photorealism Stylized

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Age 18-35 Age 36-55 Age 56+

All (women & men)

Photorealism Stylized

Younger are looking more focused (age 18-35)

Younger are looking more focused (age 36-55)

Younger are looking more focused (age 56+)

Selecting strategies: cover IS NOT important

Selecting strategies: cover IS important

Selecting strategies: thorough and chaotic

Selecting strategies: fast and consistent

Conclusions

• It takes 15% more time to decide on book cover for men then for women

• Men are looking (fixation time) into book cover 23% more time then women

• It takes 42% more time to decide on book cover for age group 36-55 then 18-35. And for age 56+ takes 10% more time then 36-55.

• Age group 36-55 was looking (fixation time) at book covers 30% more time then 18-35 or 55+

Conclusions

• Women are looking 10% longer to the most wanted covers (to compare with average time)

• Men are looking 1% longer to the most wanted covers

• Both (women and men) are looking 12-14% shorter to the least wanted covers

• The place of cover (in 3 rows and 6 columns grid) is not important for choosing cover the user want when choosing duration is managed by user itself.

Conclusions

• Women at younger age (18-35) much more prefer cool book cover colors, but at the age 36+ the difference almost disappears.

• Men at younger age (18-55) almost has no preference between warm and cool color book covers. At the age 56+ much more men preferwarm colors.

• In all age groups women likes a little bit more cool colors (54%) and men likes more warm colors (55%).

• Men at younger ages (18-55) prefer stylized book cover. This changes in 56+ age group to 60% photorealistic covers preference.

• Women has modest photorealistic style book covers preference overstylized at all age groups and this preference reveals at 56+ age groupup to 57%.

Conclusions

• Few browsing strategies can be identified:

• cover IS NOT important vs cover IS important

• thorough and chaotic vs fast and consistent

• The research should be continued on investigating the reasons of book selecting behavior, motives and browsing strategies

The analysis of online bookshop consumer groups

behavior differencesRESEARCHERS: ARŪNAS GUDINAVIČIUS, ANDRIUS ŠUMINAS

DATA COLLECTORS: JUSTINAS ČERVOKAS, INGRIDA KUORYTĖ

VILNIUS UNIVERSITY