Remembering the Future

Alexander Chernev Decision Focus and Consumer Choice among Assortments

When choosing among assortments, consumers opt for the variety offered by larger assortments; however, they often are less confident in choices made from larger than from smaller assortments.

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The decision-focus theory advanced in this research implies that the observed choice paradox can be attributed to a shift in consumer decision goals: from maximizing decision flexibility, when choosing among assortments, to minimizing decision complexity and reaching a readily justifiable decision when choosing a product from the readily selected assortment. In this context, the data reported in this article demonstrate that by varying the decision focus, it is possible to systematically vary consumers’ choice among assortments.

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