People's decisions quality deteriorate after a long session of decision making
Description
"The more decisions we make, the harder it becomes to make them, thereby producing low-quality decisions after a long session of decision making.
Decision fatigue can either lead us to make more purchases when we are already engaged in shopping, or it can cause us to become overwhelmed and make fewer or no purchases at all.
Research:
Researchers took a closer look at parole decisions made by experienced judges. It turned out that it was much more likely for the prisoner to be granted parole depending on the time of the day. 65% of positive decisions were made in the morning, when you're fresh, and fell dramatically later on. The rate returned to 65% after a lunch break and then fell again.
The jam experiment from 2000 proved that when there are too many choices we avoid making decisions to prevent making a bad one.
On the first day, people in a store were given 24 types of jam to choose from. On the second day, they were only given six. The group with fewer choices was 10 times more likely to buy something. This is because having lots of choices can make it hard to decide, so people choose not to decide at all."
Application
Simplify Choices
Reduce the number of decisions consumers need to make by simplifying navigation and offering fewer, but more curated, product options. This approach can help in minimizing the overwhelming feeling customers might get from too many choices, making it easier for them to make a purchase decision.
Timing of Offers
Schedule important marketing messages or offers when decision fatigue is likely to be low, such as early in the morning or after a break period. Avoid bombarding customers with complex decisions or high-commitment actions when they are likely to be tired or overwhelmed.
Streamline Checkout Process
Simplify the checkout process to a few easy steps. A streamlined process reduces the cognitive load on customers, making them more likely to complete a purchase rather than abandon their cart due to decision fatigue.
Default Choices
Offer default options or recommended choices to help guide decisions. This can be particularly effective for complex products or services where the array of options might be daunting. Providing a recommended or most popular choice can ease the decision-making process for customers.
Example
