The Effect of Decision Order on Purchase Quantity Decisions

Consumers often resolve trade-offs in a particular order. For example, when making flavor and size decisions, consumers might first decide which flavors to choose and then decide which sizes of those flavors to choose. This research examines the effect of decision order on purchase quantity decisions. The authors build on prior work on decision difficulty and conflict to show that consumers choose more overall, and more variety, when they consider a less replaceable attribute in an earlier, rather than a later, stage in the purchase decision. For example, consumers choose a greater quantity when flavor (or brand) decisions precede, rather than follow, size decisions. The authors find that the degree of attribute replaceability also moderates the effect of decision order on quantity chosen. Furthermore, marketers can influence the amount chosen by altering the organization of the shelf display. Finally, the authors find that when consumers explicitly consider the possibility of deferring their decisions, the effect of decision order declines.

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