Just Because It Works for Fast Food…

When you order Fast Food, you are presented with a vast array of choices, for every palette, and every appetite size. Get 20 different things, get them alone, get them with other things, get them big or small. When someone is presented with this every day, they may feel that this is just the way to do business, and that their own product or service must give everyone every conceivable choice for delivery of that product. They want their websites to always have more, and more, and more!

I think there are several reasons why the large menu of choices and groupings works for Fast Food.

Partly because they are selling to groups as often as they are selling to individuals. Individuals want quick and simple choices. They want what they like. Groups want something for everybody – which is what Fast Food has to market to. If a business sells to individuals, or single items aimed at a single decision process, many choices may not be superior to just a few well defined choices. But for stores that sell an assortment of items to groups like families, where someone needs to purchase multiple items for several different people at a time, there is a benefit from more choices.

Food is also associated with moods. So are many other industries – jewelry, clothing, entertainment, and others. A lot of choices is key, because people want what they are in the mood for, and moods are very changeable. Food is a consumable which is purchased over and over, and that purchase choice may need to change with every purchase. Jewelry and clothing are also purchased for transient use, even though articles are worn more than once, people want to own more than one, so choices are important. Conversely, if someone is purchasing a long term item that they only buy once a year or less, mood is less important. Many choices is less of a factor than making the RIGHT choice, and understanding the choice they make.

If the target market understands your offering – food is simple to explain – then many choices are less confusing than if your target market doesn’t really get how the products are different. That happens with a lot of markets where you have to educate the client as they make a choice – more choices can result in confusion if the product or service is one that people generally feel is confusing to start with. And no matter how you simplify it, there are industries where people ARRIVE with a feeling of confusion before you even get a chance to greet them! 🙂

I sell websites. More choices only confused my clients. They wanted two levels of service that were easy to understand, and a few different combinations of functions to choose from with examples of how they might be used. More than that, and they got overwhelmed.

To apply this to websites, keep choices simple for many types of industries. Offer many choices for other types. But before you go and copy the Fast Food Menu Model, make sure your business has similar needs. Otherwise you’ll work against the natural behaviors and responses of your target market.