This time, however, the article is not about e-shops. New research by Marketing Week came up with the fact that too much choice creates "purchase anxiety" in consumers. Apparently, up to 41% of consumers in the UK, USA and Southeast Asia are concerned with what they are buying.
Another problem is the overload of information provided to customers via different channels. Thanks to that, any choice takes longer.
The traditional marketing model, which first creates product awareness, then buying consideration, trial and purchase, becomes ineffective due to the large number of alternatives. Selection of simple items such as orange juice is complicated when the consumer has to choose from 20 types.
New marketing should use a model called "learn, trust, and weigh." Learning means brands should help consumers learn about products by providing clear product information. Trust means using tests and consumer reviews to help them make a decision. Brand-advocates need to be taken into consideration in creating trust.
"Weigh" means that the customer will have access to key information and a guide they can use to compare various brands, ie weigh them.
Some retailers already follow this model in their online stores. In easily accessible physical places they enable shopping by using a simple application. In addition, digital technologies are used to facilitate purchasing decisions directly in physical stores.
Simplifying buying would presumably have a big impact on whether people will consider buying and whether the purchase will ever happen. If brands provide the right amount and quality of information and transmit them through appropriate communication channels, they may positively influence consumer behavior.
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