Default Choices: An Amazon Case Study
Defaults are a strong method of influencing user behaviour. They subtly nudge behaviour, whilst simultaneously reducing effort.
Unsurprisingly, Amazon is a website that uses default options to drive preferred user behaviour. There are two key drivers; to provide a more convenient user experience and to increase business revenue.
So how does Amazon use default options in its ecommerce experience?
Let’s take a deep-dive look at its ecommerce process, starting at product page level through to completion.
Buying products on Amazon
Stage One:
The landing pages of Amazon haven’t changed a huge amount in the past twenty years[1]. And, they’re clearly effective, or Jeff Bezos wouldn’t be the richest man in the world.
On this page, there are a couple of clear examples of default selections:
- The option for ‘paperback’ has been pre-selected — there is an assumption by Amazon that the user would want to purchase a hard copy rather than digital or audio
- The option to buy the new version of the book is pre-selected, and positioned far higher on the page than the option to buy a used version (this option is below-the-fold on desktop, and not in the screenshot)
A quick search for other books suggests that paperback is not always the default ‘default setting’. For the book below, the pre-selected option is the Kindle Edition — and cross-referencing in private mode proves that this is not determined by user personalisation.
It may, of course be totally arbitrary, but it feels unlikely that these pre-selected choices — i.e. the ‘default’ choice — are random. Instead, it is likely that Amazon uses mass purchase data to drive these micro-decisions; so if 80% of users buy the Kindle version, it will pre-select the Kindle version for future users — and vice versa for paperback/hardback.
Stage Two:
The next stage of the ecommerce process is the confirmation stage. The page automatically redirects upon the user clicking ‘buy now’ on the product page — an event which clearly confirms that an action has been taken on the page. The imagery (above) reaffirms that the product has been added to the basket, and beneath it the page upsells from three data sources (frequently bought, purchase history and sponsored related items).
I digress; so let’s go back to defaults. The default choice on this page is more the absence of choice — note the ‘this is a gift’ tick-box is unticked as standard.
Stage Three:
When you proceed to check-out, you enter stage three of the ecommerce process.
Here, Amazon is reducing friction by utilising automation to set defaults for the consumer. Delivery address, payment card and delivery options (usually Amazon Prime Delivery for members) are all pre-selected for the consumer. They reveal enough information to provide context — the right delivery address, the right payment card — but not so much as to trigger concerns about security and fraud.
Not only do carefully thought-out defaults shorten the purchase journey time, the pre-populated shortcuts also reduce cognitive load.
Furthermore, by not asking the user to input their card details, Amazon is tapping into the cashless effect — the ‘pain of payment’ is eliminated by the assumptive use of a default payment card.
Subscription Model
Another great example of Amazon making decisions for the consumer is its Subscribe & Save model. Typically found on household goods and perishables, the default option for some Amazon products is ‘Subscribe & Save’ rather than ‘One-time purchase’. Subscriptions are an interesting concept; a metaphorical carrot dangling the promise of infinite future convenience — they’re the ideal solution for a lazy human brain, at least in theory.
In the example below, we can see there are two defaults set — the first is the subscription model, the second is the frequency selected.
The first default is clearly attributable to commercial gain. Of course, it might be beneficial for consumers to never run out of kitchen cleaner again but encouraging users to sign-up to a subscription model is clearly advantageous commercially for Amazon — a notion which is only reinforced by the advertisement of additional savings for multi-product subscriptions.
The second default is the interesting one; because who really tracks their utilisation and turnover of kitchen spray? By adding ‘most common’ in brackets and having it as the default option, Amazon is providing both social proof and reassurance to the user. It’s a simple, subtle message: this is the option you should go for unless you want a dirty kitchen — assuming you’re as clean as everyone else.
What can we learn from Amazon’s approach to default choices?
Sure, not everyone can build their web platform from scratch, nor has the resource to customise it. But you can still use the power of default options:
- Frame products as defaults: based on your customer segments, frame your products as defaults — “best for couples” vs “best for families”
- Link your products/services: similar to the “people who bought this also bought” on Amazon, group products as bundles or manually align products where people may find additional product suggestions useful
- Use shortcuts: where possible, reduce friction with handy shortcuts such as autofill addresses and stored card details
Originally published on psykkd.com
