Back home after a long day and thought: “gonna watch something before bed.”
Start scrolling…
Top Gun 2, nice… revive my memories of wanting to join the Navy.
Keep scrolling…
I always wanted to watch The Irishman, but 3h 29min at 11 pm? I’m not a dad yet, I’ll enjoy my REM cycles.
Squid Game?
Nothing like seeing people die playing Red Light, Green Light to help me relax.
40 minutes later, still can’t decide.
Just going to bed early sounds like a better option at this point.
That’s what too many options do: they paralyze.
And it’s not just you at 11 p.m. with cold popcorn — it’s your clients too.
When Choice is Demotivating
In 2000, psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper ran a now-famous jam experiment in a California supermarket.
- One day, they offered 24 different jams for people to buy.
- Another day, only 6 flavors.
Guess what happened?
60% of customers that were shown the 24-jam display stopped at the booth, but only 3% bought one.
The other one with only 6 options? 40% of people stopped to check it out.
30% bought a jam. That’s 10x more buyers.
The moral is clear:
Too many options attract curiosity. Fewer options drive decisions.
Do not overwhelm your clients with lots of options to choose from, specially if you sell high ticket services.
Even though in this study the magic number seems to be 6, in my experience 3 clear, well-presented options hit the sweet spot: enough to feel like a choice, not enough to fry their brains.
Remember, choice feels exciting — until it kills the sale.