EXPRESS: Going Smaller with Precise Numbers: How Numerical Precision Orients Attention and Shifts Attribute Weighting in Consumer Judgments

Abstract

When choosing from a product assortment, consumers often compare options on multiple product attributes (e.g., energy usage, processor speed). These attributes may be displayed with more precise numbers (e.g., 12.34) or less precise numbers (e.g., 12). The present research shows that when attribute values are communicated more (vs. less) precisely, consumers weight smaller-is-better attributes (e.g., energy usage)—for which smaller numbers are generally preferred—relatively more in their decision making. Furthermore, building on an association between precise numbers and smaller magnitudes, the authors provide evidence that this difference in attribute weighting occurs because numerical precision orients consumers’ attention toward the smaller (and therefore more favorable) values of smaller-is-better attributes. This shift in attention causes smaller-is-better attributes to be weighted more heavily during multi-attribute comparison, which affects consumer evaluations and choice. Findings from nine studies (four of which are reported in the Web Appendix), including a field study with a real estate website, offer triangulating evidence for the proposed theorizing and contribute to several streams of research within judgment and decision making, including attribute weighting and numerical cognition.