Name: How to make choosing easier
Uploaded: 2012-01-19T15:46:06Z
Duration: 15 min 48 s
Description: We all want customized experiences and products -- but when faced with 700 options, consumers freeze up. With fascinating new research, Sheena Iyengar demonstrates how businesses (and others) can improve the experience of choosing.

We all want customized experiences and products -- but when faced with 700 options, consumers freeze up. With fascinating new research, Sheena Iyengar demonstrates how businesses (and others) can improve the experience of choosing.

How to make choosing easier

People are making more choices each day than ever before, with one survey showing the average American makes about 70 daily decisions. Research reveals that overwhelming options often lead people to walk away without choosing at all, as seen when shoppers were six times more likely to purchase jam from a display of six flavors than from 24. When financial plans offer dozens of funds, participation rates drop and decision quality suffers. The key to better decisions lies in simplifying choices and making options more understandable.