The Role of Eco-Labels in Making Environmentally Friendly Choices: An Eye-Tracking Study on Aquaculture Products with Italian Consumers

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The topic undertaken by the authors is very interesting and important from many points of view. However, the article contains some errors and shortcomings that should be taken into account. 

1. The authors should more clearly specify the aim of the research, as well as indicate its originality and novelty.

2. There are no formulated research problems.

3. Please explain in a little more detail why you chose these two products for testing.

4. Since there is a subsection 2.3.1. it should also be 2.3.2 - otherwise you shouldn't have only one subsection.

5. Is the sample of 61 participants representative? What other demographic characteristics did these persons have? What type of households did they live in? What was their income per capita? I think all this information is also relevant, not just age and education level.

6. The Reference specified in line 243 should be described by a number, not a name and year.

7. Line 249 - The authors write "The majority of respondents were female (54%)" - can 54% be considered a majority? Rather, it can be assumed that the gender structure of the respondents was fairly evenly distributed.

8. In line 239, the authors write that there were 61 participants in the study, and in table 2 - 100 respondents are described. So what was the sample size?

9. Why are there two charts on page 8, but only one of them is labeled? It seems to me that the same chart is pasted twice.

10. Line 274 - the beginning of the sentence is probably cut off?

11. Figure 4 is illegible.

12. There is no Conclusions section.

13. Please correct grammatical, stylistic and punctuation errors throughout the manuscript e.g. paragraph in lines 140-149, missing spaces in some places, etc.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The author's research is very good, and I suggest direct reception.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Lines 127, 162, 248, 256 contain: Error! Reference source not found.

The main question addressed by the research is to explore the influence of aquaculture eco-labels 15 visual elements on consumers’ visual attention and choice. The research shows which visual elements of eco-labels affect consumer interest. The results of the study will help the manufacturer to improve the eco-labeling of products of the analyzed category. 

2. Do you consider the topic original or relevant in the field? Does it
address a specific gap in the field? 

The topic of the study is very relevant, despite the fact that the study is quite narrow, as it is conducted on only one category of products. However, consumer perceptions of the labeling of different product categories can indeed differ significantly. 

3. What does it add to the subject area compared with other published
material? 

The study contains a practical novelty regarding aquaculture products. The results of the study show the specific behavior of consumers in this category of products. 

4. What specific improvements should the authors consider regarding the
methodology? What further controls should be considered? 

The methodology could be supplemented with a more detailed description of the equipment used in the study. 

5. Are the conclusions consistent with the evidence and arguments presented
and do they address the main question posed? 

There are no conclusions of the authors at the end of the article. The authors end the article with a discussion. 

6. Are the references appropriate? Yes, there are.
7. Please include any additional comments on the tables and figures. 

Figure on line 273 is not designed in accordance with the requirements (not numbered and no title). 

      Line 188 has an extra dot: .2.2 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx