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Single-Option Aversion

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  • Daniel Mochon

Abstract

This article documents single-option aversion, an increase in consumers' desire to search when faced with a single option. This effect can lead to a product being chosen more often when competing alternatives are included in the choice set, contrary to various rational models of search, as well as to recent research on choice conflict showing that additional options can lead to higher deferral rates. A series of lab studies document this effect, differentiate it from other context effects, and test some of its boundary conditions. The results suggest that single-option aversion is not driven by the information provided by the additional options, that the desire to search is critical for this effect to occur, and that the effects of single-option aversion are not limited to the immediate choice set. These results have both practical and theoretical implications for the understanding of consumer search and choice deferral.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Mochon, 2013. "Single-Option Aversion," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(3), pages 555-566.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/671343
    DOI: 10.1086/671343
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    Cited by:

    1. Komal Nagar & Payal Gandotra, 2016. "Exploring Choice Overload, Internet Shopping Anxiety, Variety Seeking and Online Shopping Adoption Relationship: Evidence from Online Fashion Stores," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 17(4), pages 851-869, August.
    2. Guy Barokas, 2022. "Revealed desirability: a novel instrument for social welfare," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 93(4), pages 649-661, November.
    3. Cervi, Cleber & Brei, Vinicius Andrade, 2022. "Choice deferral: The interaction effects of visual boundaries and consumer knowledge," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Georgios Gerasimou, 2018. "Indecisiveness, Undesirability and Overload Revealed Through Rational Choice Deferral," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(614), pages 2450-2479, September.
    5. Ioannis Evangelidis & Jonathan Levav & Itamar Simonson, 2023. "A Reexamination of the Impact of Decision Conflict on Choice Deferral," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(5), pages 2691-2712, May.
    6. Álvarez, Francisco & Rey, José-Manuel, 2019. "(Quasi) uniqueness and restoring dynamics of price-dispersion market equilibria under search cost," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1-13.
    7. Spiller, Stephen A. & Ariely, Dan, 2020. "How does the perceived value of a medium of exchange depend on its set of possible uses?," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 188-200.
    8. Marcel Lichters & Paul Bengart & Marko Sarstedt & Bodo Vogt, 2017. "What really matters in attraction effect research: when choices have economic consequences," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 127-138, March.
    9. Eline Jongmans & Alain Jolibert & Julie Irwin, 2014. "Estimation du poids d'un attribut environnemental : influence et effet des mesures d'évaluation," Post-Print halshs-01185772, HAL.
    10. Bhatnagar, Amit & Papatla, Purushottam, 2019. "Do habits influence the types of information that smartphone shoppers seek?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 89-98.
    11. Maltz, Amnon & Rachmilevitch, Shiran, 2021. "A model of menu-dependent evaluations and comparison-aversion," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    12. William M. Hedgcock & Raghunath Singh Rao & Haipeng (Allan) Chen, 2016. "Choosing to Choose: The Effects of Decoys and Prior Choice on Deferral," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(10), pages 2952-2976, October.
    13. Marcel Lichters & Marko Sarstedt & Bodo Vogt, 2015. "On the practical relevance of the attraction effect: A cautionary note and guidelines for context effect experiments," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, June.
    14. Herzenstein, Michal & Dholakia, Utpal M. & Sonenshein, Scott, 2020. "How the number of options affects prosocial choice," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 356-370.

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