Suppose you are a real-estate agent. You have three houses for sale that are similar on major attributes (such as price, size, and location). Obviously, your clients would not be able to inspect each of these houses at the same time. Will the order of presentation affect their choice?
Real estate provides only one examples of consumer choice that is restricted to sequential presentation. Even when products are exhibited together, their appraisal may occur one at a time - possibly affecting the eventual purchase decision. Surprisingly, the marketing literature has largely overlooked the effects of presentation order on consumer choice. Memory researchers, on the other hand, have comprehensively explored the role of ordering, reporting primacy and recency effects (e.g., Murdock, 1962). Because the first and last option in a set are more likely to be remembered, they may also have a higher probability to be chosen. However, choice is more elaborate and complex, relying on cognitive processes beyond memory.
Source of funding: MTI/TUE |
