SYMPOSIUM SUMMARY Taking the Load out of Choice Overload: Strategies for Reducing Cognitive Difficulty in Choice from Extensive Assortments

SESSION OVERVIEW Objective of the session. Choosing from a greater number of options can increase regret and reduce satisfaction with one’s choice (Iyengar and Lepper 2000). Cognitive overload, or the extra effort needed to process information about multiple options, has been proposed as one of the mechanisms underlying the choice overload phenomenon. The objective of this symposium is to outline new strategies for reducing cognitive overload and enhancing people’s enjoyment and satisfaction with choice in the context of extensive assortments. Topics and issues. The first paper, by Isen and Spassova, proposes that mild positive affect or novelty mitigate the detrimental consequences of choice overload. Studies one and two showed that people who experienced positive affect or novelty prior to choosing from an extensive assortment were just as satisfied with their choice as people choosing from a small assortment. Studies three and four extended these findings to measures of post-sampling satisfaction and shed light on the underlying mechanisms. The authors propose that positive affect and novelty have beneficial effects on choice overload by enhancing cognitive flexibility and the ability to organize and integrate information. In the second paper, by Inbar et al., time is a resource that allows people to adequately evaluate their choice options and protects them from experiencing cognitive overload. The first study showed that when people are given ample time to make a choice, those choosing from a large array are as satisfied with their selection and experience no more regret than those choosing from a small array. The second and third studies showed that it is the subjective perception of available time that generates choice overload. Even after controlling for the time available to make a choice, feeling rushed fully mediated the impact of assortment size on regret and dissatisfaction with one’s choices. The third paper, by Goodman and colleagues, investigates yet another factor that influences choice difficulty-the common retailer strategy of using recommendations such as a “best seller” sign. Results from four studies show that the extent to which consumers have developed preferences is a key moderator of the effect of best seller signage on choice from large assortments. For consumers possessing more (less) developed preferences, best seller signage in large assortments increases (decreases) the size of consideration sets and exacerbates (attenuates) decision difficulty and regret. Potential contribution and importance. Previous research has suggested that the negative consequences of choice overload on consumer satisfaction can be reversed by factors that simplify the choice process. The papers in this symposium contribute to this research by proposing strategies that enhance consumers’ cognitive resources and make the choice process easier, more manageable, and ultimately more satisfying, without changing the nature or the presentation of the options in the choice set. Furthermore, by investigating new moderators, the papers in this symposium shed light on the nature of the choice overload phenomenon and on the psychological mechanisms underlying it. Cognitive flexibility and the subjective perception of time are introduced as important elements of the choice process, and factors that influence the consumer consideration set are investigated. The scope of this symposium goes beyond research on choice overload; it has implications for judgment and decision making in general as it suggests mechanisms for reducing cognitive complexity and for promoting consumers’ problem-solving abilities.