Skinny latte or full fat? Award that contract to an existing supplier or take a chance on that new one who presented so impressively? In this complex and information overloaded world, making decisions can be tricky. So, when it comes to choosing, what are the factors that influence our decisions?
In a series of studies recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research, persuasion researchers sought an answer to the following question: when people have to make a choice, what is the optimum number of options to offer them? The answer, it seems, depends on whether the decision concerns something pleasurable and luxurious or something more practical.
In one of the studies, people were presented with different food choices. In one test six types of fruit were offered alongside six types of cake. In a second test the choices were limited to two varieties of fruit and two varieties of cake. When consumers were offered just two options, just over half chose the fruit (the practical choice) over the cakes (the pleasurable choice). However, when the number of choices was increased to six, three-quarters of the consumers chose the fruit over the cakes.
The research wasn't just limited to food choices. Studies were conducted with other products including computer printers and digital music players. In each case they found a similar pattern. When the number of options was limited, people opted for the luxurious choice. However, when the number of options were increased, they tended more toward practical choices.
The study authors argue that one reason for this may be that the more options someone has to choose from, the harder that choice becomes. And when choice becomes hard, people will often be more persuaded by the option that is easiest for them to justify in their own mind. In many cases, the easiest choice to justify is the one that favours practicality over pleasure and function over form.
Studies like these don't just provide insights into how we are persuaded as consumers, but also how we can persuade others. If we want to influence a new client to do business with us or a work colleague to see our way of thinking, it is going to be important to consider which category the options we offer fall into. If we want to persuade people to pick an option that is more pleasurable, then we should limit the choices we offer. However, if we want to persuade them to make a more practical choice, providing a larger number of choices appears to be a more effective approach.
Steve Martin is co-author of Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion. Visit scienceofyes.com; Twitter: @scienceofyes
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