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If you’re reading this and you know that you’re under one of those zodiac signs that are indecisive, this guide may either be your safe haven or confusion in words. Depends on how you perceive it. There is a study that is called the “Jam Study” conducted by psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper in the year 2000. This study proves that more is less. What does that mean? It means that more options are not always a positive thing. It is something that may actually intimidate consumers away from the whole concept of purchasing something. But how was it made? And why?
The Paradox of Choice
The word paradox… Its definition: a statement or sentiment that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true (Reference: Merriam-Webster). So what does jam have to do with this? The study was conducted in a supermarket as Iyengar and Lepper put people to the test through placing too many jam options on a shelf while another only contained 6 types of jams. The result? People were more lean into the shelf with fewer options. Why? Because human psychology chooses to opt for easy instead of complicated.
Too Many Choices: A Dilemma of Confusion
Take, for example, all the options you see for chips, cheese, or even soda drinks in supermarkets. With the rise of many new brands, audiences are getting a bit of whiplash with their confusion and their wish to try a lot but not at the same time. And that is where the phrase “More is less” was born. Because the more options you put in front of audiences, the less they buy. Moreover, they could actually leave without anything at all and say that the existence of too many options baffled them.
Two Types of People
There are two types of people who perceive the paradox of choice differently according to this study. The “maximizer.” This is a person who aims to make the best possible choice. They do that by exploring and comparing every available option. Tiring, I know, but for them it’s better than settling for one that’s simply good enough.
The other type is the “satisficer.” This is a person who makes a choice once they find an option that meets their needs and expectations, without feeling the need to search for the absolute best alternative. These two types perceive options and choices in a way that is completely opposite to one another. That is why if you’re marketing for “various options of one product,” then you have to understand the psychology behind each type’s decision-making.
One wakes up thinking about what they will do for breakfast using whatever options are available, while the other plans it the day before not to have to think about it and establishes an eating routine to just stay safe from choice intimidation.
Wrapping Up the Paradox…
At the end of the day, the moral of the whole story is how consumers don’t always need more choices; they only need better ones. That is why it is a fact that great marketing is not just about filling up shelves with products that have an endless range of options. It is more about how to make the right option feel too obvious that consumers eventually opt for it.
This study is necessary nowadays as today’s markets are full of products competing with one another for the main spotlight. However, it is important to note that when decision-making becomes something that is exhausting, attention tends to fade away. And so will your product eventually or at least the conversation surrounding it. The smartest strategy is asking “how can we simplify decision-making?” instead of “what more can we offer?” After all, it’s the easiest choice that often wins.
