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This paper aims to investigate the impact of perceived variety on consumers’ online shopping cart abandonment (OSCA). It also discerns how e-tail format (single- vs multi-brand), the cognitive processing styles of consumers (System 1 vs System 2) and device type (mobile vs laptop) influence shopping cart abandonment asymmetrically.

Three studies were conducted. Data were analysed using Hayes’ Process macro.

Perceived variety increases the likelihood of OSCA via the mediation of cognitive load. The consumer is likely to experience a greater (lesser) cognitive load for a multi-brand (single-brand) e-tailer. System 1–oriented thinkers tend to experience lesser cognitive load, thus diminishing the effect of cognitive load on OSCA compared to individuals who rely on System 2 processing. Furthermore, the impact of perceived variety on cognitive load decreases significantly when a laptop is used rather than a mobile phone.

This paper establishes linkages between OSCA and choice overload literature to demonstrate how an excess of choice may be detrimental to e-retailers’ prospects and the asymmetries of single-brand vs multi-brand e-tail formats for this effect.