Arranged to Distraction: How Categorizing Products With Complements Versus Substitutes Alters the Experience of Product Choice

Although much is known about how substitute products impact consumers' decision processes, little is known about how externally provided categorizations involving complementary items affect decisions. If consumers shop for a single target product, complementary items are objectively irrelevant....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: van Herpen, Erica, Diehl, Kristin, Poynor, Cait
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Category management
Decision analysis
Information processing
Product choice
Studies
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Although much is known about how substitute products impact consumers' decision processes, little is known about how externally provided categorizations involving complementary items affect decisions. If consumers shop for a single target product, complementary items are objectively irrelevant. Yet, our research finds that organizing products with complements distracts consumers, increasing decision time and perceived effort. This distraction occurs across different physical arrangements and is not due to detailed examination of complementary products. At the same time, complementary categorizations are perceived as attractive and inviting, suggesting that their negative effects may be offset by creating an engaging, affectively positive experience.
ISSN:0098-9258