Quantity Aversion: Self-Control and Consumers’ Preference for Quality versus Quantity

Most spending decisions involve conflict in one form or another. Even ordinary decisions like whether to dine out or eat at home can create conflict. Research on self-control typically studies conflicts resulting from tradeoffs between product quality and price (Haws and Poyner 2008; Okada 2005; Wilcox et al. 2011)—situations where consumers contemplate purchasing attractive products that are considered indulgent, frivolous expenses (Kivetz and Simonson 2002). Oftentimes, however, consumers’ spending conflicts involve quality and quantity. Quantity-quality tradeoffs occur when consumers decide between higher-quality products in smaller numbers versus lower-quality products in greater numbers. For example, buying a single pair of designer brand shoes or spending the same amount of money on multiple pairs of non-designer brand shoes. Quality-quantity tradeoffs also occur when consumers decide between higher-quality products in smaller volume versus lower-quality products in larger volume. For instance, for the same price, consumers can buy a small jar of premium mustard versus a larger bottle of regular mustard, or a standard-sized bottle of a national brand of shampoo versus a jumbo-sized bottle of a generic brand. In such situations, tension results from the desire for better quality versus greater quantity.