Confused Customers Don’t Buy

This article answers the question: Why do confused customers stop buying? 

Answer: Confused customers stop buying because too many choices, too much information, or an unclear buying process creates hesitation, frustration, and anxiety. And when customers feel overwhelmed, they often delay their decisions and choose not to buy at all.  

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. 

Maybe this has happened to you. You walk into a fast-food/quick-serve restaurant. You’re in line to order your meal. It’s now your turn. As you are looking at the list of menu items, you freeze. Maybe you are overwhelmed by the choices, or maybe you can’t decide between two items. You realize there are people in line behind you, and they are thinking, “What’s going on up there? Can’t they decide what they want?” This adds to the pressure and creates anxiety. What a terrible feeling to experience, and that obviously impacts your overall customer experience. 

According to Global Payments’ new research report, “order anxiety” is a real thing. The anxiety comes from confusion. The result is potential lost revenue. Here are three of the findings: 

1. Anxiety: Twenty-nine percent of consumers surveyed said that ordering at a quick-serve restaurant is more stressful than public speaking, and 20% say it’s more stressful than going through airport security. 

2. Confusion: Sixty-three percent say large menus are overwhelming, leading to “decision paralysis.”  

3. Lost Revenue: Thirty-seven percent say they have “abandoned an order” because they felt rushed and uncomfortable. 

While this study focuses on the restaurant world, this can happen in any business. Here’s the simple summary that every business must understand about its customers: 

Confused customers don’t buy. 

And the reason they don’t buy is that they experience “analysis paralysis.” Confusion is not a customer experience you want to create. And while this isn’t anything new, it’s a CX concept we must be reminded of. It’s very easy to think we’re giving customers what they want. Businesses often think that more choices, more information, and more options are helpful. But even if customers enjoy what we offer, as in the case of the overwhelming menu at a restaurant, we may end up with too many choices that create confusion, frustration, and hesitation rather than excitement.  

This reminds me of a restaurant I went to where the waiter said, “We have a simple menu. Just three items. We have steak. We have lobster. And, we have steak and lobster.”  

In all seriousness, businesses need to eliminate the complicated whenever possible. Customers shouldn’t have to work hard to understand what you sell, what makes you different, or what they should do next. The easier you make the experience, the more confident customers feel. And confident customers buy.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.