The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. Mine? I can’t decide. No, really. I have difficulty deciding. I am bad at shopping for gifts, drive-thru employees hate me, and I couldn’t tell you which bar I think we should go to next. But nothing exposes and takes advantage of my problem more than a trip to Target.
I was doing okay until I strolled down the cereal aisle. I couldn’t help but notice the stuffed rows of cardboard boxes screaming for my attention. I was a celebrity. With so many candidates, coupled with my inability to choose, picking a brand of cereal became a test. I walked by and considered the offering – cereal that tastes good, cereal that’s good for you, and some that are neither of the two.
It’s interesting because conventional wisdom suggests competition between brands benefits the consumer by providing them with the power to choose, but sometimes more choice isn’t always better. (I know… #firstworldproblems)
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m very fortunate to be in a position to make decisions instead of forcing my hand, but I REALLY don’t need 60 different choices of cereal. I just want some breakfast.
So how do companies (cereal or not) overcome this problem of clutter? How do we, as consumers, come to the purchasing decisions we make? How do YOU make your decisions, whether they are low/high involvement purchases? Tell me in the comments section below, and please feel free to leave any cereal suggestions as well!
Tags: brands, cereal, choice, clutter, purchasing decisions
