The High Stakes of Sweepstakes: Too Much of a Good Thing Can Demotivate Digital Consumers

Caroline Wilcox and Arch G. Woodside

In preference-matching contexts—specifically, where people enter hoping to find some particular product or service they already know themselves to prefer—more choices should increase the likelihood that they will be successful in their search.

The High Stakes of Sweepstakes: Too Much of a Good Thing Can Demotivate Digital Consumers

Caroline Wilcox

University of Rhode Island

Arch G. Woodside

Boston College

Management slant

  • In preference-matching contexts—specifically, where people enter hoping to find some particular product or service they already know themselves to prefer—more choices should increase the likelihood that they will be successful in their search.
  • Increasing the number of choices, however, actually increases the cognitive workload of consumers, and they may decide, consciously or unconsciously, simply to apply heuristics—such as clicking the delete button on complex e-mails.
  • Among respondents, the share opening a hyperlink...

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