Question

Read the following text:

In today’s contemporary online shopping landscape, a perfect storm of choice engulfs consumers. Research consistently indicates that individuals presented with a limited selection tend to make more confident and efficient decision compared to those confronted with overwhelming choices.  Consequently, assisting consumers in navigating the vast expanse of options available online has evolved into a thriving industry on a global scale. Many brands and retailers now employ marketing strategies revolving around the aspects given in the table below: Aspect Description Industry Helping consumers decide what to buy online. Marketing tools Selecting, differentiation and discovery. Data utilization Digital advertising, cataloging people by gender, income level, personal interests and more. Retail Assistance Algorithms, influencers and ad tech. Challenge Choice fatigue due to the overwhelming volume of consumer choices. Solution Lifestyle influencers on Instagram providing aspirational content and product recommendations. For a relatively new breed of consumer product startups, a different approach emerges entirely. Rather than attempting to navigate the existing sea of products, these companies claim to revolutionize conventional consumer choices. Some brands offer limited, functional, mid-priced products, instilling customer confidence and breaking the cycle of consumerism. The global product abundance could be more equitable. Unfortunately, creators often prioritize wealtheir consumers. For startups promising accessible simplicity, their very structure may eventually lead them back to an overwhelming array of choices. Most of these companies rely on hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital funding, and their inventors typically expect rapid growth.

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above:

1. What does the use of the phrase 'a perfect storm of choice', by the writer, in paragraph 1, tell us about their feelings?   [1]
   1. The consumers are elated
   2. The consumers are confused
   3. The consumers are confident
   4. The consumers are decisive
2. Identify the word in paragraph 2, that indicates that the writer feels assisting consumers has become a profitable industry.    [1]
3. Based on the aspects mentioned in the table, mention the marketing approach that is primarily concerned with understanding consumers based on various factors.   [1]
4. Complete the following analogy approximately, based on your understanding of the table:   [1]
   Cataloging people by gender, income level, personal interests, etc. is to Data utilization as Algorithms, influencers, and ad tech are to ______.
5. Which aspect in the table pertains to presenting consumers with carefully selected choices to assist decision-making?   [1]
   1. Challenge
   2. Data utilization
   3. Marketing trends
   4. Retail assistance
6. Based on your understanding, fill the blank with the appropriate option from those given in brackets:   [1]
   The solution to combat choice fatigue to ______ (follow/employ/recommend) lifestyle influencers on Instagram who provide self-improving content and product references.
7. Complete the sentence suitably:   [1]
   The different approach to revolutionise consumer choices is to ______.
8. Complete the following with a suitable reason:   [1]
   The writer believes that the global product abundance cannot be equitable because ______.
9. In the context of the last paragraph, though the startups promise simplicity of access, what are the drawbacks of such a structure?    [2]

Answer 1

1. The consumers are confused.
2. Thriving
3. Data Utilization
4. Cataloging people by gender, income level, personal interests etc. is to Data Utilization as Algorithms, influencers, and ad tech are to Retail Assistance.
5. Marketing trends
6. The solution to combat choice fatigue is to follow lifestyle influencers on Instagram who provide self-improving content and product references.
7. The different approach to revolutionize consumer choices is to offer limited, functional, mid-priced products to instill customer confidence and break consumerism.
8. The writer believes that the global product abundance cannot be equitable because creators often prioritize wealthier consumers, making access to products limited for lower-income groups.
9. Startups that seek approachable simplicity risk creating an excessive amount of options, which goes against their goal. They are also dependent on substantial venture capital funding and anticipate quick expansion, which may put pressure on them to put profits ahead of customer needs.