Executive Summary
People often engage in search before purchase to identify the options that best meet their needs or wants. Such search activity should result in better decisions and correspondingly higher satisfaction; however, this research identifies several feature characteristics that lead consumers to lower their satisfaction inadvertently by searching too much.
Imagine searching for a new house. The first one might have a great kitchen, and though the second one does not have a great kitchen, it has a nice pool. The third one has neither a great kitchen nor a pool, but it has a view of the mountains. In this search situation, each new house introduces a unique and desirable feature, and as a result of the search, the house hunter finds that he or she really wants a house with a great kitchen, a pool, and a view of the mountains. If such a house is not available or is beyond budgetary constraints, the consumers may be less satisfied with the ultimate choice.
The houses in this example are nonalignable, in that each has a unique feature that the other options do not possess. In contrast, houses that differ only in their square footage could be characterized as alignable. Prior research suggests that people do not like making choices among nonalignable features and prefer instead the simplicity of choosing among alignable features. However, the authors find that search among nonalignable features draws people in, leading them to search further. During this search, people become exposed to more of the unique features, and their ideal point increases. When they must forgo some of these desired features to make their choice, their satisfaction ultimately declines. This unfortunate combination of searching more and building up a lofty ideal leads to a slippery slope of satisfaction, such that people continue to search even though their satisfaction is declining.
This research has several implications. Managers likely face a difficult balancing act in trying to decide how much and what kind of information to present to consumers. By including information about nonalignable features, they help draw people into search, perhaps increasing the likelihood of a purchase. However, this approach also can lead consumers to search too much and wind up less satisfied with their choices. For consumers, this research suggests that restricting search to moderate levels will them help maximize their personal well-being when they face a choice among nonalignable features.
Biography
Jill G. Griffin is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Schroeder Family School of Business at the University of Evansville. She received a BA (Mathematics/Russian) from Trinity University, an MA (Economics) from Indiana University, an MSE (Industrial Engineering) and MBA from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in Marketing from the University of Texas. Her research interests include consumer search behavior, retail assortment strategy, and behavioral decision theory. Her research has been presented at meetings of the Association for Consumer Research and the Society for Consumer Psychology. Professor Griffin’s teaching experience includes courses in consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and marketing research. She has served as a guest professor at the University of Konstanz in Germany. Before joining academia, Griffin worked in brand management and business development at Dell Computer Corporation and in management consulting at Deloitte Consulting.
Susan M. Broniarczyk is Sam Barshop Centennial Professor of Marketing in the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research examines consumer behavior and decision making. The Society for Consumer Psychology, Division 23 of the American Psychological Association, awarded her its first Early Career Contribution Award in 2000. The American Marketing Association awarded her dissertation on branding the John A. Howard award in 1992. Her research on assortment, published in Journal of Marketing Research, received the 2003 O’Dell Award from the American Marketing Association for its research contribution. Her research has appeared in numerous journals including Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. She serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Marketing Research and Journal of Consumer Research, for which she also served as associate editor from 2005 to 2008. She was the 2003 Treasurer for the Association for Consumer Research (ACR), was cochair of the 2001 ACR conference, and has served on the ACR advisory board. She teaches brand management and consumer behavior. She received a BS in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and a PhD in Marketing from the University of Florida.
Journal of Marketing Research, Volume 47, Number 2, April 2010
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