Monday, May 31, 2010

Less is more

Assortment cutbacks might be a good thing for sales, The Globe and Mail report. "Several months ago Wal-Mart Canada Corp. decided to overhaul one of the staples of its grocery business – the peanut butter aisle.

It dropped two of its five lines of peanut butter to free up scarce shelf space for cinnamon spreads. But the decision didn’t cost the retailer a single jar in sales. With fewer selections to browse, customers wound up purchasing more than before.

“Folks can get overwhelmed with too much variety,” said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer at Wal-Mart in Mississauga. “With too many choices, they actually don’t buy."" Read the rest of the article here.

More articles on this subject:

Al Ries in Advertising Age.
When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? by researchers Sheena S. Iyengar and Mark R. Lepper
Choices Sap Your Stamina, Self Control: Study by Randy Dotingao
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