Single-option aversion bias
🌱Planted
March 26, 2021.
Last tended April 12, 2022.
Last tended April 12, 2022.
evergreen 🌲
2 minutes read ⏱
In a study by Daniel Mochon at University of Missouri, participants were split into three groups and asked to purchase DVD players.
| Group | Experiment | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Presented a Sony DVD player | 9% interested in purchasing |
| 2 | Presented a Philips DVD player | 10% interested in purchasing |
| 3 | Presented both DVD players | 32% chose Sony, 34% chose Philips |
Participants that were presented a second choice were 6.5x more likely to exhibit an intent to buy.
The single-option aversion bias can be overcome by providing a second option which is clearly worse. The presence of the worse option makes it clear that the primary option isn’t as bad, and the audience feels like they have a choice in making the decision.
In addition to single-option aversion, Contrast effect bias and Extreme aversion bias can also influence decision making. As a general rule, present three options when driving consensus
References
| Source | Creator |
|---|---|
| Single-Option Aversion (missouri.edu) | @Daniel Mochon, Assistant professor of Marketing at Tulane. |
| How the Perfect Number of Choices Can Increase Conversions - Foundr | Foundr |