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Effects of visual and textual information in online product presentations: looking for the best combination in website design

  • Original Article
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European Journal of Information Systems

Abstract

Online product presentation constitutes a key challenge for marketers and designers who want to satisfy consumers’ needs. Visual and textual product information affect recognition and knowledge about the product. This research examines whether the presence (vs absence) of a product image and textual information in a schematic mode (vs paragraph mode) affect users’ recall and perceptions of the quality of the electronic products’ information. The moderating role of user's familiarity with the website and product also may play a role; the evolution of these variables likely will determine trends in e-commerce research. The results show that a schematic display of textual information improves perceptions of information quality. When a picture of the product appears together with textual information, users remember more information and consider it easier to remember if that information appears schematically. However, without a product picture, users allocate more resources to process paragraph information and therefore recall more information and perceive it as easier to recall. The degrees of familiarity also have important directional effects on these relationships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Business Studies, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Carlos Flavián Blanco, Raquel Gurrea Sarasa & Carlos Orús Sanclemente

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  1. Carlos Flavián Blanco
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  2. Raquel Gurrea Sarasa
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  3. Carlos Orús Sanclemente
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Correspondence to Carlos Flavián Blanco.

Appendices

Appendix A

Experimental conditions

Schematic condition

illustration

figure c

Paragraph condition

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The GR-D340E is equipped with a special photo mode for SD and MMC memory cards which allows you to immortalize unforgettable moments! The 2.5″ anti-reflective LCD screen offers you a total control of your recordings. And thanks to its Firewire and USB connectivity, the GR-D340E can even serve as a webcam for capturing all of life's best moments on camera! The D340 also includes a number of AE programmes and special digital effects with transitions and faders, so you can add that personal touch to all your creations using the included remote control.

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figure b

Appendix B

Items used in the questionnaire

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figure a

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Blanco, C., Sarasa, R. & Sanclemente, C. Effects of visual and textual information in online product presentations: looking for the best combination in website design. Eur J Inf Syst 19, 668–686 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2010.42

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