סמינר בשיווק

PROF. ON AMIR from Rady School of Management, UCSD

Abstract

Customers often decide not only whether to purchase, but also what quantity to purchase. The current research investigates the consequences of combining these two decisions. Specifically, it compares the quantity-sequential selling format, under which shoppers first choose to purchase and then choose the quantity, with a quantity-integrated selling format, under which shoppers simultaneously indicate whether and how much to buy. Although many retailers use the quantity-sequential format, the quantity-integrated format yields higher purchase rates. Across various product offers with over 13,000 observations, this simple change in framing increased the likelihood of purchase by 40%, and increased the overall sales volume by 29%. A pooled analysis reveals that this “quantity integration effect” is larger for less attractive product offers, suggesting that quantity integration may be most effective for offers that need the most assistance. While contextual factors (e.g., the number of choice options, the verbiage used) may contribute to the effect, it is primarily driven by an increase in cognitive closure afforded by quantity integration. The authors discuss the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.