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Escaping the tyranny of choice: when fewer attributes make choice easier

London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Gary H. McClelland

University of Colorado, USA

Peter M. Todd

Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany

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.

Key Words: choice • choice tyranny • consumer choice • fast and frugal heuristics • information overload • internet shopping • multi-criteria decision making • too much choice • preference

Marketing Theory, Vol. 7, No. 1, 13-26 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1470593107073842


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