“Size Neglect”: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
(A2025-125956)

AUTHORS

Burcak Bas, KU Leuven; Bernadette Kamleitner, WU Vienna

ABSTRACT

Marketers often invest in big products and consumers often exhibit preferences in line with a “bigger is better” rule, favorably responding to big products relative to their standard-sized counterparts. In this research, we examine the downstream consequences of product size, identifying what we call size neglect - the tendency of consumers to overlook and fail to acknowledge the physical implications of size. In a set of five studies (i.e., secondary data analyses and pre-registered experiments), we provide converging evidence on size neglect and its post-acquisition consequences - impoverished consumer-product relations and according consumer behaviors. We also offer evidence on potential debiasing strategies aimed at mitigating the issue at acquisition. Our research provides important theoretical insights on the implications of size and is of practical relevance for marketers and consumers.