According to a new study conducted by customer engagement platform, Emarsys, one in three Australian consumers (36%) are feeling overwhelmed by the volume of products and choice available when shopping in store or online 100 days out from this year’s Black Friday.
What were the findings of the study?
The research, which explores the impact of “analysis paralysis” on consumer decision making, found that over one in five of Aussie shoppers (23%) are overwhelmed by choice.
When faced with this overload, 32% admit to ‘defaulting’ to their usual brand of choice, while 23% revert to the cheapest option. Previous Emarsys Black Friday research revealed a major deterrent for consumers when doing Black Friday shopping was spam communication (31%), in comparison to one of the biggest motivators being the size of discount (56%).
With so many marketplace sellers and brands competing this Black Friday, Emarsys’ data provides tips on how consumers would like brands to cut through the noise:
- 27% want brands to prioritise promotions they are personally interested in
- 22% want brands to build product lists and save favourites for future purchases
- 19% want brands to only display products that they have previously bought
- 16% would like brands to offer less choice and have fewer products on sale
What were the executive’s thoughts on the study?
“Despite feeling overwhelmed with an exceedingly large amount of choice, 31% of Aussies trust their gut when making a ‘good purchasing decision’. This approach to combat consumer choice overload highlights the power of brand loyalty – something all retailers must strive for this November,” said Kristyn Wallace, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific Japan at Emarsys.
“Nearly a quarter (23%) of Australians want to receive fewer targeted promotions from brands and 22% are overwhelmed by the number of emails they receive from brands.”
“This demonstrates the need for brands to include personalisation in their marketing strategies. Personalisation enables brands to speak to their customers on a 1:1 basis which steers consumers away from the shopper ‘analysis paralysis’ we’re seeing. Consumers are recognising the brands that are committed to understanding how they like to shop — and those are the brands consumers are turning towards when faced with choice overload.”
Thankfully there is a way brands can prevent analysis paralysis. Sign up to learn more about how Emarsys helps business brands prevent analysis paralysis at our 3 day hybrid festival.
