With so much NPD and ease of access to new products and services, choice is both a celebration and a burden for consumers. Consequently, we’re seeing the likes of Google, Alexa, influencers and algorithms curating and personalising options to solve the paradox of choice. However, for brands this poses a challenge: how do we stay in consumers’ increasingly discerning consideration sets?
What is Choice?
Choice is defined as ‘an act of choosing between one or more possibilities’ and is closely tied to autonomy and personal responsibility. Having choice comes with maturity, and the choices we must make consistently grow in number and magnitude. Researchers at Cornell University estimate that the average adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious choices daily. From this perspective, choice is fundamental to our happiness; it means we have developed as humans, and can do as we wish.
However, studies now exist that suggest choice can damage our happiness – the phenomenon of choice overload. According to leading psychologist Barry Schwartz, having lots of choice increases the pressure to evaluate our options in detail, and select the ‘perfect’ one, which often doesn’t exist. This leads to dissatisfaction and self-doubt over our final decision. Furthermore, too much choice can lead to choice paralysis, where we fail to make a decision altogether.
None of this is new, but the ‘paradox of choice’ is arguably more of a problem than ever before. In part, it’s due to the rise of individuality, with consumers no longer wanting mass market solutions, the demand for choice is increasing, and with it the challenge of finding ‘the right option’.
Brands are looking for more effective ways to provide customers with the options they crave, whilst simultaneously preventing the negative consequences of choice overload. A lot of the work done by brands here is contextually driven – understanding the size of the problem, and the number of alternative choices. We argue that there’s another factor to consider when designing solutions for choice: that of culture.
Brands are looking for more effective ways to provide customers with the options they crave, whilst simultaneously preventing the negative consequences of choice overload.
Cross-Cultural Choice
To better understand the role of culture in choice, we conducted research in the UK, US, Germany, China and Mexico. The study highlighted fundamental differences in attitudes toward choice in each market. We found important geographical differences in opinions:
The Western Perspective
In the West, where affluence and rising individualism means we are surrounded by endless options, we are largely negative in our feelings towards choice. UK consumers, particularly the 55+ generation, are frustrated by choice, with political uncertainty currently draining any optimism about the future. Meanwhile, Germany is a nation of rational choosers due to a long-standing culture of risk adversity, which means that consumers trust in expertise and quality. Consumers in the US are the most positive about choice in the West, viewing it as a constitutional right, and closely associating it with freedom.
The Eastern Perspective
Non-Western cultures are more positive in their emotions than those of Western cultures. In non-Western societies that are collectivist in nature, choice has traditionally been viewed as less about the individual, and more about what is best for the group or society in totality. In China, communist control has put restrictions on choice, though this has dramatically changed in the last two decades. Government investment in private enterprise and consumerism has exposed Chinese people to a vast amount of choice, which has led to greater positivity, particularly in the older generation who have experienced life without it.
The Mexican Perspective
Mexican consumers are significantly more positive about choice than the other markets, specifically feeling happier and more excited. Given the precarious social and financial conditions that many people face, choice isn’t considered accessible for many, who do what they can to get by. Considering the investment currently flooding into Mexico, shopping malls and hypermarkets are popping up across the country. This is something to celebrate in a country where many have struggled for generations. Mexicans therefore view choice as a sign of upward mobility and increased opportunity, as well as an indication of an optimistic future.
In a world where we are constantly fed new information, products and services, the global ‘trend of plenty’ will continue to be challenging for brands and consumers.
What This Means for Brands
In a world where we are constantly fed new information, products and services, the global ‘trend of plenty’ will continue to be challenging for brands and consumers. Remaining in consideration sets will be key, as consumers seek more efficient and effective ways to navigate their options. It is far too simplistic to assume ‘less it more’ when it comes to marketing in a world of choice overload.
But this trend differs greatly given the cultural context, from the celebration of variety in Mexico, to making rational choices in Germany. Understanding global trends from a cultural perspective uncovers unique opportunities for more meaningful and culturally relevant connections to helping consumers navigate choice. Don’t assume everyone sees the same number of choices as you do or feels the same way about it.
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