An Experimental Study of the Relationship Between Static Advertisements Effectiveness and Personality Traits: Using Big-Five, Eye-Tracking, and Interviews.

The study aimed to explore the influence of advertising on purchasing behavior in an online store. 43 participants (17 female) were given 1,000 euros to navigate the store and make purchases. Eye-tracking data, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were collected and analyzed to comprehend the factors that affect the effectiveness of advertising. Results indicated that 32 participants were classified as goal-oriented users and the semi-structured interviews revealed that color and offers were crucial factors in attracting participants’ attention to advertisements. The findings also showed a correlation between participants’ Big-Five personality traits and their response to advertising annoyance, with those lower in Openness to Experience having higher scores of annoyance towards advertising. Additionally, a positive correlation between Extraversion scores and a favorable attitude towards advertising was identified, and the existence of banner blindness was confirmed. The results suggest that internet users are predominantly goal-oriented, and that advertising plays a significant role in shaping purchasing behavior in online stores. Future studies should aim to increase the sample size to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the correlations with personality traits.