What Happens When Shoppers Are Spoiled for Choice?
Key Takeaways
Between 30% and 40% of shoppers who have had difficulty making a purchase say that their major roadblock was having too many products to choose from.
Different generations experience product overwhelm in different categories, but Gen Zers are the least likely to claim that an abundance of choice was an issue.
In an environment saturated with choice, many consumers proceed with a purchase without believing they’ve found the best option, but brands must help overcome this in order to build long-term loyalty.
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Most shoppers know the feeling: You’ve done your research, weighed the options, compared prices, and you’re ready to buy when that tiny voice pops up in the back of your mind: “What if there’s a better option out there?”
In today’s marketplace, consumers are faced with an unprecedented array of choices in nearly every category. While having options can be empowering, the sheer volume can also be overwhelming. Even if it doesn’t always lead to analysis paralysis, the abundance of choice undeniably shapes and often complicates the shopping experience.
Having too many options can be overwhelming for shoppers
In the 1950s, grocery shoppers in the cereal aisle were presented with fewer than 20 varieties to choose from. Today, that number is over 400. On its face, of course, choice is a good thing: It allows shoppers to find something that fits their personal preferences, dietary restrictions, budgets or other needs more specifically. But it can also be overwhelming, especially given that today’s consumers are living in a world where they make an estimated 35,000-plus choices every day.
When it comes to shopping, many consumers recognize the plethora of choice as a challenge to making a decision and, ultimately, a purchase. Across four major consumer categories, between 3 and 4 in 10 consumers who have had a difficult time making a purchase decision say that the difficulty stemmed from having too many product options to choose from.
Too much product choice is an issue for consumers in major categories
The abundance of options hits differently by category. Consumers were most likely to report that having too much choice was an issue in beauty and personal care purchases, while they were least likely to say the same for clothing, apparel and accessories. Interestingly, both categories represent purchases that are often lower stakes — lower cost, lower involvement, and usually with less expectation of product longevity than purchases in home furnishings, appliances and electronics. Their positions at opposite ends of the spectrum suggest that having a variety of options can be equally as frustrating for low-stakes purchases as it is for high-stakes ones.
Gen Zers are most comfortable with the level of choice
Different generations approach shopping in unique ways, and Gen Zers appear to be the most adept at sorting through the sometimes daunting number of product choices they have. Perhaps this is due to the generation coming of age with online shopping and a world of choices at their fingertips since a very young age — older consumers, on the other hand, remember the days with fewer options, mostly what your local store had in stock.
The older generations all have their own pain points, though. Baby boomers are most likely to say they’re struggling with too many options when it comes to beauty and personal care purchases, as well as personal electronics. Gen Xers also land on top for electronics, and are the most likely generation to say they had a difficult time with the number of options for home furnishings and appliances. Millennials are more comfortable with tech and beauty but are most likely to seem overwhelmed by options in clothing and accessories.
Gen Zers are least bothered by having many products to choose from
These differences highlight areas of opportunity for brands, where they can offer help navigating the options for specific consumers that find the number of product choices daunting.
While a plethora of choice can be overwhelming, it doesn’t always result in abandoned carts
There is good news for brands in all this — while shoppers can find having too many choices to be frustrating, they more often than not proceed with purchasing anyways. In other words, analysis paralysis is not a major driver of cart abandonment for consumers.
Across all four categories, at least 3 in 5 prospective buyers proceeded with an intended purchase. And compared with shoppers overall, those who said they experienced challenges while shopping due to overwhelming choice were equally as likely to have ultimately made the purchase in all categories, with the exception of beauty and personal care. Notably, though, even in that category they were no more likely to abandon the purchase altogether — rather, they put it aside with an openness to buying in the future.
Even after experiencing choice fatigue, most shoppers make a purchas
Ultimately, while the abundance of options can leave many shoppers second-guessing and even putting off some purchases, most consumers still push through the overwhelm. Whether it’s navigating crowded shelves or endless online listings, today’s shoppers are proving that even when faced with decision fatigue, the desire to buy usually wins out.
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Lindsey Roeschke is an analyst whose work focuses on behavior and expectations of consumers in the travel & hospitality and food & beverage categories, particularly through a generational and cultural lens. Prior to joining Morning Consult, she served as a director of consumer and culture analysis at Gartner. In addition to her research and advisory background, Lindsey has more than a decade of experience in the advertising world. She has lived and worked in seven cities across four continents.
