The Effect of the Number of Product Subcategories on Perceived Variety and Shopping Experience in an Online Store

This study tested whether organizing the same number of products in different ways on an online store's website influences attitudes toward the store. The pilot study revealed that when the products were sorted into more subcategories (9 as opposed to 3), such that more subcategory options appeared in the selection menu, participants perceived that the website offered a greater variety of products and experienced greater ease of navigation and shopping pleasure, which improved their attitudes toward the online store. The next experiment tested the same effect but with three subcategory quantities (18, 9, and 3) while also considering the moderating effect of choice uncertainty (high versus low) in two processing contexts (buying versus browsing). The more subcategory options, the greater consumers' perceived variety. However, the influence of the number of subcategory options on ease of navigation, shopping pleasure, attitudes toward the store, and future purchase intentions indicated an inverted U-shaped pattern; moreover, the influence was significant only among participants with low rather than high choice uncertainty. This article concludes with implications for online marketing.

► The number of subcategory options affects perceived product variety in an online store.
► The number of subcategory options influences attitudes toward the online store, through ease of navigation and shopping pleasure.
► The effects of the number of subcategory options follow an inverted U-shaped pattern.
► Choice uncertainty moderates the effects of the number of subcategory options.
► These effects occur for both consumers who make a purchase and those who just browse.