Escaping the tyranny of choice: when fewer attributes make choice easier
- 1 March 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Marketing Theory
- Vol. 7 (1), 13-26
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593107073842
Abstract
In the age of the Internet and easy access to almost infinite information, the problem of information overload among consumers is bound to become of great importance to marketers. By means of simulations we show that this ‘tyranny of choice’ is avoidable. Consumers can neglect most product information and yet make good choices, so long as either there is no conflict among the product attributes or the attributes are unequally important. In these conditions, only one attribute is enough to select a good option - one within ten percent of the highest value possible. We conclude with marketing implications of these findings.This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
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