The effect of common and unique features in consumer choice

Article Abstract:

Consumer choice often involves a comparison among the available alternatives. Recent research finds that features shared by alternatives are canceled and greater weight is placed on the unique features in choosing among the alternatives provided. Building on this research, the authors propose that the attractiveness of the choice set can be enhanced or reduced by altering which features appear unique. In the first study, this proposition is tested for choice problems in which subjects choose or delay choice between paris of alternatives that have either shared bad features and unique good features (unique good pairs) or unique bad features and shared good features (unique bad pairs). As predicted, a greater percentage of subjects chose an alternative when there were unique good pairs than when there were unique bad pairs. A second study allowed subjects to switch from their initial choice to a new alternative with both unique good and unique bad features. The likelihood of switching to a new alternative was greater for subjects who made the initial choice from unique bad pairs. A third study used the choice context to increase the attractiveness of a specific alternative by making its good features appear unique. Finally, another study used think-aloud protocols to gain insights into the underlying mechanism. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Consumer behavior

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Consumer preference for a no-choice option

Article Abstract:

The traditional focus in the decision-making literature has been on understanding how consumers choose among a given set of alternatives. The notion that preference uncertainty may lead to choice deferral when no single alternative has a decisive advantage is tested in seven studies. Building on recent research, the article shows that the decision to defer choice is influenced by the absolute difference in attractiveness among the alternatives provided and is not consistent with trade-off difficulty or the theory of search. These findings are then extended to show that choice deferral can also be modified for the same alternatives by manipulations that make them appear more similar in attractiveness, or that decrease the need to differentiate among them. The results are consistent with the notion that preference uncertainty results in a hesitation to commit to any single action since small differences in attractiveness among the alternatives are potentially reversible. Consistent with this premise, the effect of attractiveness difference on choice deferral decreased significantly when subjects were first allowed to practice making monetary trade-offs among the available alternatives. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Uncertainty

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When thinking beats doing: the role of optimistic expectations in goal-based choice

Article Abstract:

The hypothesis that optimistic expectations of goal pursuit have greater impact on immediate actions than other considerations is proposed. Fo ur studies show support for the hypothesis. Direction of this impact is determin ed by the framing of the goal pursuit.

United States, Science & research, Influence, Goal setting, Optimism, Report

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