It’s great to have choice. But as with so many other things, too much choice can be a bad thing.
In a study* conducted in 2000, customers at an upscale grocery store encountered a tasting booth displaying either 6 (limited choice) or 24 (extensive choice) different varieties of jams. Among other things, the following data were collected:
The results were astonishing. Although the booth with 24 varieties attracted more initial interest (60% of passersby approached the booth, as opposed to the 40% who approached the booth with 6 varieties) it was a dismal failure when it came to making sales.
We’re not talking a subtle difference. The booth offering 6 varieties converted at 30%; the booth offering 24 varieties converted at 3%. That’s right, limited choice outperformed extensive choice by a factor of ten.
So if you think you’re doing your customers (or yourself) a favor by presenting extensive options, think again. You might well be better off presenting only a handful of the best options. Too much choice can lead to decision paralysis.
*Iyengar, Sheena S. and Mark Lepper (2000). “When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 76: 995-1006. https://www.columbia.edu/~ss957/whenchoice.html
In today’s fast-paced digital world, marketing and product teams don’t just need data—they need answers,…
In Part 1, we explored why AutoML is essential for modern marketing and how it…
In today’s fast-evolving digital learning landscape, keeping students engaged and ensuring course completion are top…
This website uses cookies.