The Jam Paradox

In the year 2000, psychologists ran a famous experiment in a supermarket. On the first day, they set up a tasting booth with 24 varieties of jam. On the second day, they offered only 6.

While the table with 24 jams attracted a larger crowd, only 3% actually bought anything. But at the table with 6 jams, a whopping 30% made a purchase! This phenomenon is known as the Paradox of Choice.

We tend to assume that offering users more options (50 pricing tiers, 100 filters, 20 buttons on the homepage) gives them freedom. In reality, we're giving them decision paralysis.