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Product assortment and individual decision processes.

Alexander Chernev¹

¹Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. ach@nwu.edu

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

|July 23, 2003

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Product assortment significantly influences consumer decisions. Individuals with clear preferences prefer larger selections, while those without articulated preferences engage in more thorough, attribute-based decision-making processes.

Area of Science:

Consumer Behavior
Decision Making
Marketing Psychology

Background:

Understanding how product assortment size affects consumer choice is crucial for businesses.
Previous research has not fully explored the moderating role of individual attribute preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of product assortment size on consumer decision-making.
To examine how articulated attribute preferences moderate this relationship.
To analyze the cognitive processing strategies employed when choosing from different assortment sizes.

Main Methods:

Four controlled experiments were conducted.
Participants' attribute preferences were assessed.
Choices from varying assortment sizes were recorded.

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Cognitive processing during decision-making was analyzed.

Main Results:

Individuals with articulated ideal points preferred larger assortments.
Individuals without articulated preferences showed less preference for larger assortments.
Choices from large assortments involved selective processing for those with preferences.
Choices from large assortments involved comprehensive processing for those without preferences.

Conclusions:

Consumer preference for product assortment size is contingent on articulated attribute preferences.
Cognitive processing strategies differ based on preference articulation and assortment size.
Marketing strategies should consider individual differences in preference articulation when designing product assortments.