How a blurry background in product presentation influences product size perception

Abstract This study demonstrates a visual phenomenon in online product presentation: product size perception is influenced by the depth of field of the presentation image. Depth of field refers to how blurry or sharp the background around the focused subject is a shallow depth‐of‐field image result in a clear focused subject and a blurry background, while in a deep depth‐of‐field image, both the subject and the background are clear. One eye‐tracking study, three behavioral experiments, and one field study show that a shallow (vs. deep) depth‐of‐field product presentation (i.e., a clear product with a blurry background) increases consumers' product size perceptions. This effect is mediated by the greater attention allocated to the product and is moderated by product familiarity. Specifically, when product familiarity is low, consumer attention mediates the significant effect of depth of field on product size perception. However, when product familiarity is high, the effects of depth of field and consumer attention decrease. The current research contributes to the previous research on product presentation and product size perception by investigating the effect of a novel factor, the depth of field, on consumers' estimations of product size. Overall, the findings encourage online retailers to carefully adapt the depth of field technique in their product presentation according to their objectives (e.g., attract consumers' interest vs. provide accurate information) and consumers' familiarity with their products.