Barry Swartz, a Sociology Professor at Swarthmore College talks about the paradox of choice in consumerism. I found it both interesting and relevant for gaining some understanding into the mind of the consumer.

Maximized choice…a good thing?
It’s a common belief that maximized choice will maximize freedom is deeply imbedded in todays Western Society. This belief runs through many industries, from food, to products, medicine and beyond. This means maximized range of product choice, aimed to fulfill as many individual needs as possible, aimed to improve the welfare, the freedom of the everyday person.

The paradox
Why Choice Makes people Miserable: (Barry Schwartz)
1. regret and anticipated regret
2. opportunity costs
3. escalation of expectations
4. self-blame
There is a point where someone becomes unhappy when faced with and over abundance of choice. Barry Swartz believes that we are far beyond that healthy point of balance between a useful range of choice, and the likelihood of making a healthy satisfactory choice. The maximized choice on offer daily allows us to readily reinvent ourselves, but more choice leads to higher standards of satisfaction, and in turn easier disappointment with no excuse for second best.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/ted-conferences/1819-barry-schwartz-on-consumer-behavior-video.htm