A Study on Decision Paralysis in Customers with Special Reference to Placing Order in Restaurant

Abstract

Owing to the vast number of choices open to customers, they can often feel paralysed in their decision-making. Offering a wide range of options can activate the effect of Decision Paralysis, which delays the client's final decision. The impact of Decision Paralysis can prevail in restaurants. This study reveals the existence of decision paralysis among customers in restaurants when placing an order. The aim is to investigate the prevalence of Decision Paralysis among customers, with particular reference to placing an order in a restaurant and the influence on consumers’ purchase decisions. A survey questionnaire was rolled out using Google forms to customers who have experienced dining in a restaurant. A total of 416 survey responses were collected for data analysis through the convenience sampling method. It was found that, customer purchase decision has been affected by the decision paralysis effect. It was also found that customers experience a dilemma due to tremendous options or choices in the food sector by the service providers. This study was limited to restaurants and in terms of cuisine, with hotels not being considered. Hence, the main limitation is not being able to generalise the findings of this study to the whole of the food catering sector. The study will benefit both scholars and marketing practitioners in understanding the difficulty a customer faces during purchase decision-making.