Product images serve as a vital foundation, enabling consumers to understand and evaluate the products in the field of E-commerce. With the ongoing enhancement of product display features on mainstream E-commerce platforms, the presentation of product images extends beyond merely showcasing the product itself, placing greater emphasis on the background presentation of product images. The dynamic and static background presentation of product images, as an important method of portrayal, raises questions about how it influences consumers' behavior. Whether the effect of dynamic background presentation is superior to that of static background presentation requires further exploration and validation. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to study how the background presentation of product images affects the decision-making process of consumers and to consider the regulating mechanism of context type for online merchants' product image design and other aspects. Therefore, it is significant to study how the background presentation of product images affects the decision-making process of consumers and to consider the regulating mechanism of context type for online merchants' product image design and other aspects.
Drawing on contextual cue theory and attention theory, this paper employs eye-tracking experiments and behavioral studies to delve into the impact of the background presentation (both dynamic and static) of product images on consumers' purchase intentions. Additionally, it examines the moderating effect of the context type, distinguishing between informational and transformational contexts. The eye-tracking experiment sheds light on the influence of background presentation on consumers' visual attention, examining it through the lens of information processing. The experimental findings reveal that in an informational context, the dynamic presentation of the product image's background leads consumers to focus more on the background interest area of the image, subsequently increasing their purchase intention. Conversely, in a transformational context, the method of background presentation does not exert a significant influence on consumers' visual attention and purchase intention. On this basis, the behavioral experiment results further elucidate that the influence of the background presentation in product images on consumers' purchase intention is mediated by imagery fluency. Moreover, the context type moderates this process. Specifically, when the context type is informational, the dynamic presentation of the background leads to a heightened level of imagery fluency, subsequently enhancing the product's purchase intention. Conversely, when the context type is transformational, the background presentation doesn't significantly impact consumers' imagery fluency or purchase intention.
The findings of this study theoretically contribute to the exploration of the background presentation effect in product images, and deepen our understanding of consumers' psychological cognitive processes at the visual attention layer. Practically, these results provide guidance for online merchants in designing product images that align with consumers' cognitive and emotional needs, thereby enhancing their shopping experience.