Aligned to decide: how information structure and staff recommendation reduce overload in older consumers?

Purpose Consumers often face dense and complex product information in offline retail settings. While managing such information is a universal challenge, what remains less understood is how these environments shape decision-making specifically among older consumers. Drawing on information processing and decision complexity perspectives, this study aims to examine how attribute alignability and staff recommendation type influence perceived overload and subsequent purchase behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Two experimental studies tested a moderated mediation framework. Study 1 manipulated attribute alignability to examine its effect on perceived overload and purchase outcomes. Study 2 investigated how the interaction between attribute alignability and staff recommendation type (feature selling vs benefit selling) affects perceived overload and decision-making. Findings Study 1 demonstrates that nonalignable attributes increase perceived overload, whereas alignable attributes reduce cognitive burden, with perceived overload mediating the effects of alignability on purchase deferral and purchase intention. Study 2 shows that feature selling systematically elevates perceived overload regardless of alignability, whereas benefit selling does not, resulting in indirect effects of alignability on decision outcomes only under feature selling. Originality/value By integrating information structure with interpersonal guidance within the framework of information overload, this research advances understanding of how older consumers navigate complex retail environments. The findings not only fill a critical gap in consumer decision-making literature but also offer actionable insights for retailers to design interventions that reduce cognitive burden and enhance decision confidence.