Cat food, toothpaste, and option fatigue

"Why do we need 93 types of toothpaste, Dave?"

You get asked some weird questions in this job.

"Or 78 varieties of cat food? I know cats are picky, but this choosy?"

I'm in Swindon today, filming for a piece on Wednesday about Honda starting to make a new car (not new to you, just new to this factory, but a very big deal for the town). But I've been collared by Mark O'Donnell, one of those radio alchemists who can turn a frustrating session of online shopping into three hours of decent radio.

Mark couldn't believe the choices online. You know this already, but Mark's a bit of an online shopping virgin. "I mean, it does your head in - where do you start? 75 different olive oils."

In America they have a name for it, of course. 'Option fatigue'. Years ago when I was a producer on Radio 4's You and Yours I interviewed a psychologist who coined the term. His comments stuck. It's Christmas, you decide to buy a nephew a kite. You've not bought a kite for a while, so it's all new. And wow! What a lot of kites! Bewildered, you choose the one near the till, in the orange pack, called "KillaKitez!".

It turns out that this is a new kite, just launched by some people who thought they'd spotted a gap in the market. Your sale will boost their numbers, and so reinforce their decision. And so, kite no. 136 hits the market.

"But why can't we just stop?" blusters an infuriated Mark on BBC Wiltshire. "It's all gone mad, we have people starving and they produce 47 varieties of razorblade!"

For that, I can offer three little words. The little words that marketing men have always known drive business upwards.

"New and improved".

Have you had enough of choice? Or is the alternative a Stalinist shampoo store selling men's, women's and maybe kids' shampoo only? I'd love your comments - why not add them here?

Or e-mail [email protected], or you could go on Mark's Facebook page here. Is that enough choices for you?

Update 15:26: Just seen this on another blog I like.

"... just by installing Spotify's iPhone app, I'd able to access millions of tracks spanning every genre - anytime, anywhere - for ten quid a month. The 1992 me would have broken down and wept at the amazing opportunity this represents. And yet I hesitate to take the plunge...."

It's not only me...