New research has found that the the similarity between Apple and Samsung’s products is something that consumers like.
Qing Wang, of Warwick Business School, and Paurav Shukla, of Glasgow Caledonian University London, have found that consumers actually like similarity and feel more confident in their purchases if products in the market look the same.
“Contrary to what many marketers and managers believe, companies should stop trying to find their USP. In fact we found that the more similar a product’s attributes appear to be to their competitors, the more confident the consumers are with their choice," Wang said.
“Take, for example, a supermarket. The shelves are packed with products that look increasingly similar in terms of packaging colours and size. Brands are promoted with a similar message in a similar way," he added.
The study looked to find out if brand similarity has a negative impact overall on consumer decision making and consumer satisfaction as they are required to increase their mental processing and they are prone to confusion – what has been referred to as ‘similarity confusion’.
The research found that instead of reducing shoppers’ confidence, not knowing the difference between brands with similar attributes may result in consumers simply transferring their confidence in one brand to another.
The academics interviewed 800 shoppers, of which 316 were chosen to fill in a questionnaire focussed on the constructs of consumer confusion, choice goals and decision.
The findings of the paper, entitled "Linking sources of consumer confusion to decision satisfaction" and published as lead article in the Psychology and Marketing journal, indicated that having too many products to choose from, referred to as ‘choice overload’, can have a detrimental effect on the consumer.
“While having lots of choice is initially attractive to consumers as it is more likely to find them the best option, having too many choices demotivates the consumer from making a decision,” said Professor Wang.
“In addition, having too much information to digest or ambiguous information can also put consumers off. While many policymakers continuously ask companies to provide extra information to consumers, the findings suggest that such efforts may be counterproductive, cause confusion in consumers, reduce their overall choice confidence, and increase their anxiety and fear of choosing. Instead, policymakers should insist on information that is clear and relevant,” he added.