Abstract: Although live-stream shopping has become a new trend, the vast majority of online purchases are still completed on product description pages. Currently, the notable variations in the product attribute sections on these pages are primarily reflected in two dimensions: the length of the product description and the presentation format of product colors. Based on the differences along these two dimensions, the layout of the product attribute section can be categorized into four combinatorial types. Grounded in processing fluency theory, this study employs a combined method of eye-tracking experiments and questionnaire surveys to investigate the impact mechanisms of these four layout types on consumer attention. The research finds that consumer attention is lowest when the product attribute section is laid out using a combination of colors presented as images + lengthy descriptive text. Conversely, consumer attention is higher when the combination used is colors presented as text + concise descriptive text. This study extends related research in the field of visual complexity and enriches the findings on how visual complexity within the product attribute section influences consumer attention. The conclusions clearly demonstrate a core optimization strategy of “less is more” for the product attribute section on description pages, providing a scientific basis and practical recommendations for e-commerce merchants to optimize their product page layouts.

Key words: product attribute section, consumer attention, processing fluency, eye-tracking experiment, visual complexity