I don't think it's about autopilot so much as (shampoo) brands missing a market. As a student, I'm an extremely scrupulous grocery shopper. I compare every item by price per unit, and ignore the pretty pictures on the label because I know they are faked anyway.

When I'm shopping for shampoo, I feel just like the guy in the article. My heuristic now is to buy the largest, plainest looking bottle. But I still have to wade through dozens of bottles of specialty shampoos before I can find one that I want. ("Dry Hair" -- do I have dry hair? I don't know. It doesn't feel wet. "Natural Shine"? Is shiny hair natural?)