Heat maps are often associated with data used by biologists and meteorologists, however, marketers and data analysts also use this colorful tool for their investigative duties. In a search for valuable consumer insights, heat maps can help marketers and sellers visualize their users’ on-screen activities with hover/move maps (mouse-movement tracking), click maps, and scroll maps. These maps are often collected from desktops, laptops, tablets, and even mobile devices. And as technology continues to advance, more companies and researchers are retrieving data beyond their users’ clicker and scroll movements; eye-tracking heat maps are becoming another valuable source of data.
Using webcams, computer monitor-mounted hardware, and glasses, eye-tracking heatmaps can be retrieved online and even in physical stores. On a website, the colors varying from red (hot, popular) to blue (cold, less favored) can reveal the performance of the components on one’s site (e.g. advertisements, pictures, videos, buttons, etc.), and how users are engaging with them. In stores, retailers can understand their shopper’s experience, and find out what products, promotions, and signage attract them.
Sight is just one of our five senses, but it definitely plays a huge role in the buyer decision process and consumer engagement, especially when online platforms ultimately limit these consumers to only two of those senses (sight and sound). Further, it helps marketers and sellers understand their target market’s interests and behavior. But as for any other form of research, individuals shouldn’t completely rely on heat maps to understand their market; more research is always encouraged.
(The featured image was created by me. The heat scale image above was retrieved from stackoverflow.com)
Chynna,
I love your cover image. Very eye-catching (pun intended)! Your blog is short, sweet, and to the point without under informing. I appreciate that you avoided too much filler information and stayed on topic.
I love your title! Very funny. Your content also did not disappoint. You gave a very thorough description of what mouse tracking is and how marketers can use this data to benefit them. I liked that you touched on what the different colors mean on a tracking map and what that means for a company. It is also very true how sight plays a big part in our buyer behavior.
I loved your title and image, big drawing points for me. I also loved how you had outside information for your content as it made it more enjoyable to read.