Can a Local Food Label Nudge Consumer Behavior? Implications of an Eye-tracking Study of Honey Products

Abstract

This study presents an eye-tracking experiment to investigate consumer responses toward local Texas honey. Honey adulteration news was used as a treatment along with product attributes, such as a certified Texas honey seal, price, organic, and product reviews. The eye-tracking technology was applied to examine the effect of attribute-non-attendance to measure the treatment effects more robustly. The results show that honey adulteration information increases consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for some quality-related attributes. The results also show that negative product reviews have a much larger reduction in the magnitude of WTP than the increase produced by positive product reviews.