The effect of pareidolic shape on consumers’ affective behavior and product preference remains currently unexplored in the field of product design and manufacturing, unlike anthropomorphism. This research aims to assess and compare the effect of pareidolic and abstract shape on the product preference of consumers of pen stands and to predict the association between Kansei affective scale (KAS) and purchase preference scale (PPS) score. Seventy-five participants (25.4 ± 4.30 years) were selected using stratified random sampling from different cities. Two pairs of black and white pareidolic and abstract pen-stand images were used as the stimuli. Seven-point KAS and PPS were applied to assess the quantitative affective preference and product preferences of the pen stands, respectively. Paired sample Wilcoxon test has revealed pareidolic pen stands were significantly (p < 0.001) preferred over abstract-designed pen stands using KAS and PPS (effect size = 0.493 and 0.674, respectively). There was a significant association between KAS and PPS in both pareidolic and abstract design (+0.505 and + 0.529 r,espectively). Pareidolic pen stands resembled animals and they connect with the consumers emotionally. This emotional interaction between product and consumer draws attention of the consumers and results higher preference for pareidolic products.