In today’s world of change and infinite product choices one would imagine shopping to be a most enjoyable and liberating experience. On the contrary, as product lines have expanded to provide, for instance, 20 flavors of toothpaste, many consumers are beginning to find shopping a laborious chore. Some analysts believe that as the amount of choices reaches around 30 for a particular product our minds begin to become so overwhelmed we no longer feel able to choose. Therefore, we may give up on that product, sometimes even foregoing purchase of basic necessities. I find this line by Mike Reining sums up the issue well, “Faced with multiple options – we face paralysis by analysis.”
Have you been victim to buyers’ remorse? Not the “Oh, I couldn’t afford that” kind, but the “This was totally not what I came in here to buy” kind. You are not alone. Apparently, due to the information overload found on and around the shelves, some shoppers become so flustered they just grab any semblance of the item on their shopping list to avoid prolonged exposure to the stressor. As data and images bombard our minds we could even make “critical errors” of which Sharon Begley speaks in her article about decision-making.
So, how many choices would Goldilocks say were just right? One would estimate somewhere between two and ten per specific branded item such as toothpaste, to provide enough freedom of choice without overwhelming the shopper.
Choose wisely.
The post Finding Toothpaste in a Haystack appeared first on .
