Consumer choice 'is overrated'

Category: Ecommerce

March 10th 08, 08:59

Giving consumers a wide variety of options may not be the key to success in selling online, a new report suggests.

Industry publication eMarketer quizzed a number of analysts about their views on recent research from the University of Iowa, which found that people who made a purchase decision based on lots of information were less satisfied than those who had less information.

Choice can be "overwhelming", according to Ben Macklin, who explained that simplification could drive sales more effectively than a proliferation of options.

Meanwhile, Karin von Abrams pointed out that people for whom avoiding stress is a priority will tend to accept their purchases more readily than those committed to researching retail decisions exhaustively.

"This study is a reminder to content owners and marketers that choice has its costs," said Paul Verna.

In related news, Google's Matt Cutts told Wired magazine this month that the search giant is actively attempting to foster diversity in the web video streaming market.

This news story was brought to you by Bluhalo, a leading UK digital agency.

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