Welcome you to the land of you don’t have a choice

We live in a culture of infinite choice.

There are more options and opportunities than ever before.

And the cumulative effect of this barrage has caused substantial stress in our collective consciousness. Option anxiety has now become more common than allergies.

That’s why, for so many people, almost every decision is a major project. People torture themselves with the consequences of making the wrong choice.

Harvard’s research has proved that more isn’t always better. Their psychologists found that when a business gives customers too much choice, they are less likely to buy anything at all. Even they do make good decisions and buy, they are less satisfied with their selection.

Here’s a case study from my latest project.

My web developer was recently putting the final touches on our new software product. And one of the elements we hadn’t designed yet was the pricing page. He asked me how we wanted to frame it, so here’s what I said.

We are going to be crystal clear that there’s only one single pricing tier. Customers either have access to our software or they don’t. There aren’t degrees of access like bronze, silver or gold, like many membership models offer. There’s one plan, one price. Simple. It’s binary. Black or white. You’re either in or you’re out. Take it or leave it.

Now, my thinking behind this was, when deciding to purchase a subscription service, excessive choice exhausts the human mind. And most people would love nothing more than for someone to just help them end the pain of deciding sooner. Let’s be that person.

How has your business adjusted to this psychological reality? Are you still giving customers too many choices, overwhelming them and losing sales?

If so, then allow me to be the first one to welcome you to the land of you don’t have a choice.

Do customers and yourself a favor. Reduce the number of decisions. Create a foundation of security. Please don’t contribute to our disgusting, excessive and anxiety inducing culture of infinite choice.

Keep your offering simple and lean. Keep your number of available options small, and the psychological costs will be negligible.

The last thing you want is to let your customers focus on the cons of your product more than the pros.

Because the outcome of choice is, more of it requires increased time and effort. The research has shown, this can lead to anxiety, regret, excessively high expectations, and even blame if the choices don’t work out.

Your company doesn’t want to be the arbiter of such an experience.

Do your customers need more time, or do they need to decide?