The Impact of Choice Overload and Decision Fatigue on Cart Abandonment in Online Shopping

Abstract

This study examines decision-making processes that challenge individuals' cognitive and emotional limits in a digitalized consumption environment from a multidimensional perspective. It is hypothesized that the overload of choices faced by consumers in online shopping is linked to increased decision fatigue, and that this fatigue is associated with a higher likelihood of cart abandonment. The research examines individuals’ internal cognitive responses to environmental stimuli and their behavioral consequences within the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model. In the model, choice overload is considered an external stimulus, decision fatigue an internal organismal response, and cart abandonment a behavioral outcome. In this quantitative study, data were collected through an online survey of 321 participants from Türkiye who had experienced cart abandonment in the last three months. The analysis used partial least squares (PLS-SEM), beginning with an assessment of the measurement model's validity and reliability, followed by the evaluation of hypotheses through the structural model. The findings show that decision fatigue plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between choice overload and cart abandonment behavior. This research offers theoretical and practical contributions in terms of consumer welfare and user experience design by revealing the invisible mental pressures of digital consumption behaviors.