Variety‐Seeking and Perceived Expertise

Abstract

People often infer expertise from the choice of unique, rare, or sophisticated options. But might mere variety‐seeking also serve as a signal of expertise, and if so, how? Six studies show that the relationship between variety‐seeking and perceived expertise is not unidirectional and depends on the perceiver's own level of expertise. Category experts perceive lower variety‐seeking as indicative of discernment, which in turn increases perceived expertise in that category. Consequently, experts choose less variety to portray themselves as experts. In contrast, novices perceive high variety‐seeking as indicative of category breadth knowledge, which in turn increases their perception of category expertise. Consequently, novices choose more variety to portray themselves as experts. The findings make novel theoretical contributions to research on variety‐seeking, consumer expertise, and social perception, as well as practical contributions for marketers of product assortments and bundles.

COVID-19 Restrictions and Variety Seeking in Travel Choices and Actions: The Moderating Effects of Previous Experience and Crowding

“…Variety seeking is also useful in fulfilling the need to promote a good image. For example, individuals seek variety to present themselves as more interesting (Ratner and Kahn 2002), nonrigid (Drolet 2002), expressive (H. S. Kim and Drolet 2003), and having more expertise (Sela et al 2019). Variety, however, is not always useful: it can also decrease one's sense of self-continuity and undermine future-self connectedness (Rifkin and Etkin 2019).…”

More than just the spice of life: Using variety as a signal for change and diversification

“…Variety seeking can also serve as a signal of consumer expertise (Sela et al, 2019), because choosing among different options illustrates knowledge of product category breadth. A choice set that has more diversity, thus, signals a wider category expertise.…”

“…Consequently, novice consumers were found to regard high variety seeking as indicative of category breadth knowledge and were more likely to choose more variety to portray themselves as experts. Sela et al (2019) suggest that mere variety can serve as an independent expertise signal. The boundary condition here is that if consumers feel that the need for competence has already been established, then they may exhibit lower variety seeking to show perceived discernment or discrimination abilities.…”

“…Thus, these researchers are suggesting that consumers may choose variety, not just in a pedestrian fashion to enhance consumption utility but also more fundamentally because of what that choice of variety might signal about themselves. For instance, seeking variety can signal freedom and individuality (Levav & Zhu, 2009), a sense of personal control (Su et al, 2017; Yoon & Kim, 2018), expertise (Sela et al, 2019), and the quality of being interesting and expressive (Ratner & Kahn, 2002).…”

Variety-Seeking Behavior in Consumption: A Literature Review and Future Research Directions

“…Consumption-related variety-seeking behavior provides an effective market segmentation standard for enterprises ( Trivedi, 1999 ). In addition, such behavior helps increase sales volume and market share ( Simonson and Winer, 1992 ), classify products, and effectively combine marketing strategies ( Sela et al, 2019 ).…”