Choice paralysis is a phenomenon where people become overwhelmed by too many options. As a result, they don’t make any decisions at all. It’s prevalent in eCommerce because of the sheer volume of online products and the sheer number of ways to filter them down. But you can do things—whether through design or copywriting—to keep customers from becoming overwhelmed by all those choices so they can make purchases on your site. Here are three specific tips for reducing choice paralysis.
Design a hierarchy of support
To help your customers choose, you can use a hierarchy of support. This could include phone, email, live chat, and FAQs. Make sure your team is available 24/7. You can use tools like Zendesk or GetSatisfaction to manage your customer requests and tickets.
Using a support hierarchy, you can also ensure that your customers are happy with their purchases. Your customers will thank you for this.
Use everyday language rather than jargon
Avoiding jargon is especially useful if you’re a retailer selling a product to professionals. If two people are shopping for the same item, and one has more experience with the subject matter than the other, using industry-specific language can cause confusion. In this case, using more familiar language can help you avoid alienating customers who don’t share your product knowledge or industry.
If you’ve ever been in an uncomfortable situation where someone is talking about something that seems like it’s too advanced for you to join in on (or even understand), but then everyone else seems like they know exactly what’s happening—and it turns out you did know all along—you have experienced choice paralysis firsthand! You’ve experienced choice paralysis when someone uses technical terms surrounding their field of expertise or passion that seem foreign and unfamiliar because they’re not commonly used outside of that specific field. When someone uses jargon, he or she may feel good about showing off his or her skill set by being able to use these terms correctly—but this can cause confusion among those present in the conversation who aren’t as knowledgeable on this topic as he/she is.
Limit the number of steps in a process
One of the most common complaints about eCommerce websites is that they’re challenging to use. Users may be unable to find what they need or get lost in a sea of options. An excellent way to keep your customers on track is to limit the number of steps in your process. This doesn’t mean you should eliminate every option from view; instead, it means creating clear paths for users, so they never feel like there are too many choices at once.
Make sure it’s always clear where users need to go next, which items are required for checkout and which aren’t, and what order requirements are necessary (such as “Add another item” or “Save for later”). Keep things simple by not making them hunt through multiple menus just because there’s more than one level in their current menu structure—this can cause confusion and lead people down rabbit holes and dead ends until they finally give up entirely!
Avoid Choice Paralysis
Choice paralysis is a genuine phenomenon and particularly dangerous for eCommerce sites. Nobody wants to spend time on your site if they don’t know what they’re looking for. Still, if you present them with too many options, they’ll get frustrated and leave before finding something that fits their needs.
That’s why we as marketers need to avoid choice paralysis in every way possible! We must ensure our users can find exactly what they need quickly and easily. We also want them to return often enough to persuade them to make purchases. And finally, we have to do all this without overwhelming our customers with too many choices. That could make them leave our website feeling overwhelmed instead of satisfied with their experience!
Conclusion
Choice paralysis is an important phenomenon that can be both a blessing and a curse for eCommerce brands. Understanding this concept is essential to avoid making poor decisions that could hurt your business. However, you should also be aware of the benefits of choice. Having too few options might lead customers away from your website or cause them to not make any purchase!