Mere categorisation effect
Splitting a range into more categories makes it feel more varied and leaves shoppers more satisfied, especially unfamiliar ones.
Four of the eight page areas.
It also applies sitewide, on every page. See everything at work on Category pages
Three ways to put it to work.
- Split long ranges into clearly labelled sub-categories and filter groups.
- Do this above all where new shoppers will not know the range.
- Test “shop by need” groupings against attribute groupings, since benefit-based groups can shift choice towards cheaper items.
Categories raised satisfaction for shoppers new to the range, up to a point.
Simply having categories, whatever their labels, raised satisfaction for unfamiliar shoppers more than for familiar ones.
Field and lab experiments found that simply having categories, whatever their labels, raised satisfaction for shoppers unfamiliar with the range, and less so for those who knew it. Lewis and Gill found no effect for investment choices, and Yan and colleagues found satisfaction rose with more categories only up to a point. A related study found grouping by benefit makes items seem more alike and leads shoppers to pick lower-priced ones.
Four sources, each checked.
Last reviewed