Order Matters: The Marginal Value of Visual and Textual Information in Sequential Product Information Presentation

As mobile and chatbot-based shopping platforms continue to reshape online retail experiences, consumers are increasingly exposed to product information in sequential rather than simultaneous formats. Drawing on information foraging theory, we examine the marginal value consumers derive when textual and visual product information are presented sequentially. We conducted an online experiment (n = 86) with student sample to test whether different information presentation sequence (text first vs. image first) would lead to different perceived diagnosticity, product attitude, and purchase intention. We also examined whether this sequence effect differed between search (notebook and hanger) and experience (sofa and portable closet) products. Findings from mixed-effects regressions show that presenting textual information before visual information results in greater marginal gains in all three outcomes, particularly for experience products. These findings offer new insights into the cognitive dynamics of sequential information processing and practical implications for optimizing product presentation in online retail design.