VOA新闻杂志2024--Fewer Products to Choose from Can Lead to Better Sales

Fewer Products to Choose from Can Lead to Better Sales

American businesses are reducing the number of products that they offer. The change began before the COVID-19 pandemic. It has only increased in recent months.

Reduced offerings

Coca-Cola used to offer around 400 different kinds of drinks. The beverage¹ company recently decided² to discontinue half of them. Among the products cut were Tab, Zico coconut³ water, Diet Coke Feisty Cherry and Odwalla juices.

Other American businesses are reducing food offerings from mayonnaise to cereals. Car companies, too, are offering fewer kinds of cars and instead putting more effort into what they think will sell best.

Stew⁴ Leonard's, a company that operates food stores in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey⁵, has cut the number of cereals it offers from 49 in 2019 to 24.

Edgewell Personal Care Co., the maker⁶ of Schick razors and Banana Boat suntan lotion⁷, has cut some kinds of its anti-bacterial wipes called Wet Ones, among other products. Dollar General, based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, used to offer six different kinds of mayonnaise. Now it offers two.

"The consumer is not going to know the difference," Todd J. Vasos, chief of Dollar General, told experts in December. "Actually, it's going to make her life a little simpler when she goes to the shelf."

Shoppers looking for cars are finding fewer choices as well. Both General Motors and Ford⁸ have announced they are limiting the number of option combinations customers can get on their vehicles to reduce manufacturing and purchasing complexity⁹.

Trends

That is a change of direction from a few years ago when companies aimed to offer more choices. Online shopping caused some to think that more choices lead to better sales. But more choices often do not.

Companies started reducing the number of products they offer a year or two before the pandemic.

During the pandemic, the reductions increased, with companies focusing on necessities as they faced supply problems. After the pandemic, when goods began moving freely again, many businesses discovered less was better.

New offerings made up about two percent of products in stores in 2023. That includes products for beauty, footwear, technology and toys. Market research company Circana said that number is down from five percent in 2019.

Many think the companies are also helping¹⁰ shoppers. Some studies show that fewer choices result in shoppers buying more.

In 2000, psychologists Sheena Lyengar and Mark Lepper published a study that showed limited selection is better for people who are buying things. In their experiment, the researchers found consumers were 10 times more likely to purchase jam when the number of jams available was cut down from 24 to six. Later studies have produced similar findings.

"Retailers¹² are recognizing that they have to be respectful of shoppers' time," said Paco Underhill, whose company, Envirosell, studies consumer behavior.

But retailers cannot just reduce offerings without a plan, said David Berliner of BDO, a business services company.

"You want to make these cuts so they're not even aware of it, and you want the store to still look full," Berliner said. "If you do it too much, you might scare some away."

Words in This Story

consumer –n. a person who buys products for personal use

shelf – n. a flat board which is attached to a wall and on which objects can be placed

option –n. (sales) a choice of car or truck model that has a set group of products that go with it, and which is offered at one of several pricing levels

focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

selection –n. a group of products from which a person can choose

jam –n. sweet, preserved fruit that is usually put on bread

retailer¹¹ – n. a person or business that sells things directly to customers

aware –adj. knowing that something is present, available or that it exists

1 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

4 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 lotion   

n.洗剂

参考例句：

• The lotion should be applied sparingly to the skin.这种洗液应均匀地涂在皮肤上。
• She lubricates her hands with a lotion.她用一种洗剂来滑润她的手。

8 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

9 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

12 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。