The impact of illuminance level, correlated colour temperature and viewing background on the purchase intention for bread and cakes

This study aimed to investigate whether the illuminance level and correlated colour temperature of light sources, as well as the viewing background, influenced the human visual assessment and purchase intention for bread and cakes. The impact of gender difference, hunger status and many other personal factors on consumption behaviour was also explored. Eighty participants, 40 males and 40 females, were asked to evaluate the appearance of bread and cakes against two different backgrounds under 15 light sources with different illuminance levels and correlated colour temperatures. The experimental results showed that illuminance level and correlated colour temperature had a significant effect on the colour appearance evaluation of bread and cakes. Bread was more suitable to be displayed under light sources with high illuminance levels and low correlated colour temperatures while cakes turned out to be more appealing under light sources with high illuminance and relatively higher correlated colour temperatures. In most cases, the impact of other potential factors, for example, the view background, hunger status and gender difference, turned out to be insignificant. Compared with a white background, a wood-like background significantly promoted the visual assessment of bread for male participants or assessed under light sources of 3300 K, but this impact was practically less meaningful than that of the lighting. The findings highlight the prominent influence of lighting for the display of baked products and provide empirical reference for people who expect attractive presentation of bread and cakes.