Energetic and Tense Arousal as Drivers of Willingness to Buy: Mediating Effects of Visual Attention

This research aims to analyze the effects of orthogonal arousal systems (energetic vs. tense) on willingness to buy. We conducted two experimental studies using eye‐tracking technologies. This article introduces the measurement of arousal effects through visual cognitive processing. This approach demonstrates that energetic and tense arousal interferes with the gaze‐cascade impact differently. The results indicate that energetic arousal generates a higher willingness to buy than tense arousal. Furthermore, the relationship between arousal and willingness to buy is mediated by shelf attention and visual product comparison. This study is significant for scholars and marketers as it demonstrates that consumers with high levels of energetic arousal can process more information and compare different products than consumers with high levels of tense arousal.