Too much choice may mean less sales
 

Research has found that expontentially increasing people's choices actually makes them less inclined to buy.

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1615006.htm
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Narration: The study found that when 24 jams were displayed, lots of people came to the table - but hardly anyone chose to buy.

Dr Jonica Newby, Reporter: OK, now we’re going to try just six jams.

Narration: When there were only 6 jams, fewer people visited the table, but amazingly ten times as many jams were sold.

(...)

One reason is the more choices we have – the more we regret the ones that got away.

Choosing from 6 jams means 5 are rejected. Choosing from 24 means losing out on 23.

Professor Barry Schwartz: We know from lots of research that losses feel more bad than gains feel good. So the loss involved in each of those ‘nos’ mounts up, and it takes all of the satisfaction out of the thing you end up choosing.

Narration: There is another reason. There’s simply a limit to how many choices our poor brain can handle.

- 6 or 7 items is the limit of our working memory.

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So, it may be that offering the surfer only one or two choices of paysite at any given time may make more sales than having a huge list.

I found this research interesting because it explains why I tend to spend hours wandering around the video store and leave without picking anything. I'm a "maximiser" |shocking|

I agree. That is why I rarely eat chocolate bars. Too many fucking choices takes too much of my precious time to pick which one I want. So fuck it, I go without. :D

Same for me and eating pussy too many choices :D

hmm must admit I like the choices but I know my GF can never get her ass together and choose anything..

That's why I only buy one chocolate bar and why I married only one woman :)

I have noticed with AVS site tours that only having one option on a 5 page tour "NEXT" gets just as many people to the sign up page as having a join link on the first page. The difference is that the surfers ends up going through the entire tour before reaching the join.

Sales end up being about the same though

Me too. Thanks for the info, it gives me something to think about. |thumb

Interesting stuff here. I wonder about silly things like this and am glad to see that maybe thinking about it isnt so silly after all.

Wow, that's very interesting. I guess I never thought about it like that.