Online selling: Choice, trust, freedom & control

People love the idea of choice. In theory. Research shows that too much choice inhibits sales and increases post purchase dissatisfaction. Barry Schwartz's “The Paradox of Choice” spells it out, reducing choice is the only way to go.

Then why do companies continue to offer so much choice? Why do they persist with such a large product set that's expensive for them to maintain and reduces the likelihood of a sale?

I’ve been improving the online sales of telecom companies for over three years, companies that are some of the guiltiest parties in offering an overwhelming number of products.

In my presentation I’ll explore how the fundamental issue of trust is responsible for this crazy amount of choice. I’ll argue that reducing choice can only happen in very specific high trust environments. I’ll prove that too much choice is here to stay and then I’ll share key design insights on how to overcome this when selling online.

For a taster see my ignite talk on this very subject at Defuse Dublin in 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9...