How Assortment Variety Affects Assortment Attractiveness: A Consumer Perspective

Eline de Vries - van Ketel (Voorst, 1973) received her gymnasium diploma in 1992 at the Stedelijk Gymnasium in Apeldoorn. She obtained her Propaedeutics degree in Psychology at the University of Utrecht. She turned to the University of Amsterdam to study Economics and received her Master of Arts degree in 1998. Her specialization was in Business Economics. She worked for one and a half year at an auditing firm (Walgemoed Accountants & Adviseurs, merged with BDO CampsObers in 2000) and for the same period of time as a business analyst at the marketing department of a commercial mortgage bank (FGH Bank N.V., subsidiary of Rabobank Group since 2003). At the end of 2000 Eline returned to academia and started her PhD in marketing management at the Erasmus Research Institute of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam. She built expertise on consumer behavior and retailing research. She has presented her work at leading international conferences on marketing in Europe and North America. During two years she taught a course on retail assortments and supervised Bachelor’s and Master’s theses. Apart from her work, she enjoys to draw and paint, also on assignment.

Variëteit is overal aanwezig. Telkens weer moeten mensen kiezen uit een enorme hoeveelheid mogelijkheden. Waarderen consumenten zoveel variëteit eigenlijk wel in al de keuzes die ze moeten maken? Dit proefschrift levert inzichten in de relatie tussen de hoeveelheid variëteit in het assortiment van een retailer en hoe aantrekkelijk de consument dit assortiment vindt. Op basis van een rijke hoeveelheid experimentele data onthult dit proefschrift de effecten van variëteit maar ook de onderliggende processen, namelijk de voor- en nadelen van variëteit. De relatie is onderzocht voor verschillende typen assortimenten en koopsituaties. Uit het proefschrift blijkt hoe de invloed van de grootte van een assortiment op haar aantrekkelijkheid afhankelijk is van de complexiteit van de producten. Daarnaast demonstreren diepgaande analyses de rol van percepties van variëteit en de voordelen ervan. Bovendien wordt uit de analyses duidelijk dat hoewel er verschillende kosten van variëteit zijn, er maar een paar een assortiment minder aantrekkelijk maken. Voor alle typen assortimenten geldt dat een gebrek aan overzicht schadelijk is. Bij assortimenten van complexe producten geldt daarnaast dat consumenten geen spijt over hun keuze willen anticiperen, omdat dat hun waardering van het assortiment verlaagt.

Variety is abundant in many different areas. Over and over again, people have to choose from huge amounts of possibilities. However, do consumers actually value the high variety presented to them for all the choices they have to make? This thesis provides insights into the relationship between the amount of variety in a retailer’s assortment and how attractive the assortment is from a consumer’s point of view. Based on a rich quantity of experimental data it uncovers the overall effects of assortment variety as well as the underlying processes, i.e., the perceived benefits and costs of variety. The relationship is examined across different types of assortments and buying situations. The thesis demonstrates how the impact of the size of an assortment on its attractiveness depends on the complexity of the products involved. Further, in-depth analyses reveal the role of consumer perceptions of variety and the benefits of variety. Moreover, they show that although variety leads to multiple costs of variety, only a few of them make an assortment less appealing. In all types of assortments, a lack of overview is damaging. For complex products only, anticipated regret of making the wrong choice is critical, since this too lowers assortment evaluations.