[Overchoice takes place when] the advantages of diversity and individualization are canceled by the complexity of buyer's decision-making process.
Overchoice or choice overload[1] is the paradoxical phenomenon that choosing between a large variety of options can be detrimental to decision making processes.
[5] Choice overload is not a problem in all cases, there are some preconditions that must be met before the effect can take place.
[6] First, people making the choice must not have a clear prior preference for an item type or category.
This means that if the person making a choice has expertise in the subject matter, they can more easily sort through the options and not be overwhelmed by the variety.
More choices lead to more cognitive dissonance because it increases the chance that the decision-maker made the wrong decision.
These opposing emotions contribute to cognitive dissonance, and causes the chooser to feel less motivated to make a decision.
[5] The amount of time allotted to make a decision also has an effect on an individual's perception of their choice.
When more time is provided, the process of choosing is more enjoyable in large array situations and results in less regret after the decision has been made.
[7] Polman found that it is not always a case of whether choices differ for the self and others at risk, but rather “according to a selective focus on positive and negative information."
However, individuals experience a reverse choice overload effect when acting as proxy decision-makers.
Variety and complexity vary in their importance in carrying out these steps successfully, resulting in the consumer deciding to make a purchase.
On the other hand, verbal descriptions are processed in a way that the words that make up a sentence are perceived individually.
In larger choice sets where there is more variety, perceived complexity decreases when verbal descriptions are used.