Abstract This study uses eye-tracking metrics to quantify the visual attention given to differentiation attributes in specialty coffees. Two Discrete Choice-type experiments were developed using the packaging as a stimulus to analyze visual attention and the probability of choice for each attribute. Experiment 1 (466 observations) included the evaluation of the attributes price, brand, coffee variety, organic label and origin. Experiment 2 (279 observations) tested price, score, altitude and roast. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed that the use of the Time Fixation Duration (TFD) and Visit Count (VC) metrics were efficient in evaluating the effect of visual attention on the choice of each attribute present in the packaging. In experiment 2, the Time to First Fixation (TFF) and the willingness-to-pay (WTP) metrics were also significant, the latter of which had a value higher than the highest price indicated by the retailer. The packaging label could be considered a first potential activation regarding the novelty that these attributes represent, and the findings of this study can direct the efforts of the coffee industry to educate its customers about the main quality attributes related to the consumption of specialty coffees that are still poorly understood, but which may generate future profitability.

Resumo Este estudo usa métricas de rastreamento ocular para quantificar a atenção visual dada aos atributos de diferenciação dos cafés especiais. Dois experimentos do tipo Discrete Choice foram desenvolvidos utilizando a embalagem como estímulo para analisar a atenção visual e a probabilidade de escolha de cada atributo. O experimento 1 (466 observações) incluiu a avaliação dos atributos preço, marca, variedade do café, selo orgânico e origem. O experimento 2 (279 observações) testou preço, pontuação, altitude e torra do grão. Os experimentos 1 e 2 revelaram que o uso das métricas Time Fixation Duration (TFD) e Visit Count (VC) foram eficientes na avaliação do efeito da atenção visual na escolha de cada atributo presente na embalagem. No experimento 2, o tempo para a primeira fixação (TFF) e as métricas de disposição a pagar (WTP) também foram significativas, sendo que este teve um valor superior ao preço mais alto indicado pelo varejista. O rótulo de uma embalagem pode ser considerado potencialmente uma primeira ativação em relação à novidade que esses atributos representam e, além disso, os achados deste estudo podem direcionar os esforços da indústria cafeeira para educar seus clientes sobre os principais atributos de qualidade relacionados ao consumo de cafés especiais que ainda são pouco conhecidos, mas que podem gerar lucratividade futura.

The purpose of this article is to identify the attributes that discriminate the prices of personal desktop computers. We employ the hedonic price method in evaluating such characteristics. This approach allows market prices to be expressed as a function, a set of attributes present in the products and services offered. Prices and characteristics of up to 3,779 desktop personal computers offered in the IT pages of one of the main Brazilian newspapers were collected from January 2003 to December 2007. Several specifications for the hedonic (multivariate) linear regression were tested. In this particular study, the main attributes were found to be hard drive capacity, screen technology, main board brand, random memory size, microprocessor brand, video board memory, digital video and compact disk recording devices, screen size and microprocessor speed. These results highlight the novel contribution of this study: the manner and means in which hedonic price indexes may be estimated in Brazil.