A 1988 research article investigated consumer reaction to numerical comparisons, using the lean/fat composition of hamburgers at an 80:20 ratio. Framing of the question was found to be a major factor in perceptions. People were more likely to buy hamburgers advertised as 80% fat-free than those presented with a “contains 20% fat” label. It’s a perfect illustration of the human brain’s inclination toward a framing effect bias. But do we also respond differently when presented with rounded versus unrounded numbers? Keep reading to find out!

Buy more to save more, money off, sale, special offer, spin the lucky wheel... So many different expressions to achieve one goal – conversion. But which method really works? 

There are so many chance games out there for a reason – from a chips box offering customers to win 1 out 1000 prizes to scratch cards found in online delivery boxes, encouraging customers to discover one of the amazing treats. Are you wondering why so many companies keep doing it?

What is your budget? What is your bid? How much would you like to donate?

These questions have become quite commonplace online; customers are asked to choose what they would like to pay, rather than are provided with a pre-set value. For instance, eBay allows customers to bid on listed items, whereas charity website Doctors Without Borders allows donors to enter a chosen donation amount.

Customers are prompted to indicate their chosen value either via an open-ended text box or a slider scale. With the recent boost in popularity of online transactions via mobile phones, organizations have increasingly turned to the use of slider scales rather than text boxes to register monetary values.

But how has this switch to sliders affected customers’ payments? Do payment responses differ for text boxes and slider scales? As it turns out; yes, they certainly do!

Ask yourself: when you want to buy a pair of shoes, what is the first thing you do?

Chances are, you’ll start browsing for your favourite colour, your favourite brand. You’ll choose a few models you like, maybe order them online. Or first go to the shop to try them on and then, maybe browse some more to find the best prices. And finally, you buy a pair of shoes.

For 87% of all shoppers, the buying process involves researching online before doing a purchase in a physical store.

As shoppers, we have learned to be wary of what we purchase and how. We research information and find the ‘best’ products for ourselves and with a heavy dependency on technology, we can now do this wherever we have access to WiFi or data. Six out of 10 mobile users begin their shopping journey on one device, but continue or finish on a different one. Mobile devices provide us convenient access to any form of content, which leads us to incorporate mobile-shopping into our habitual routines.

Habitual routines can actually benefit retailers, especially for those in a competitive environment. Two positive things happen: one, the habitual interactions provide consumers convenience, reinforcing their experiential state of being in a relationship with a brand, which leads to loyalty. Two, the dependency on their habitual routines will mean that consumers are relying on their automatic thinking and will therefore, spend less time considering alterative brands.