Nerd Alert: The Paradox of Choice

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.

In this episode, Elena and Rob explore situations where more product options overwhelm consumers and where they help. They reveal how task difficulty, preference uncertainty, and shopping goals determine whether large assortments drive satisfaction or paralyze decision-making.

Topics covered:   

• [01:00] "Choice Overload: A Conceptual Review and Meta-Analysis"
• [02:00] When task difficulty triggers choice overload
• [03:00] Why product structure matters more than quantity
• [03:00] How preference uncertainty amplifies overwhelm
• [04:00] Decision goals: browsing versus buying
• [05:00] Why curated stores outperform massive malls 

 





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Resources: 
Chernev, A., Böckenholt, U., & Goodman, J. (2015). Choice overload: A conceptual review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25(2), 333–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.08.002 
 

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