The Paradox of Choice
October 20th, 2008 by Yosi
A European TV operator noticed that when they increased the size of their video-on-demand (VOD) catalogue, usage went down. They slowly reduced the number of the titles – and usage went up. It’s not just the Europeans. “Less is more” is a well-known marketing concept. For an elegant explanation, I recommend the book The Paradox of Choice.
Of course, slashing the catalogue isn’t the only option. If the titles are easy to navigate and the recommendations are reliable, people can find what they want to watch without all having to watch the same thing. That’s our philosophy at Jinni.
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October 20th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Nice post about an interesting issue. I love shopping on Amazon but their design is a good example of “overwhelmed with choice.” Each page is just too crowded with info I don’t need for buying a book or DVD.
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October 21st, 2008 at 4:13 am
The problem is not only quantity but quality. When there are too many second-rate TV shows and forgotten movies, it’s just hard to sift through the junk to find what you want to watch.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:42 am
Paradox of Choice is a great book, right up on my list with The Tipping Point.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I wonder which TV operator? Neuf?
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