Give Percent Discounts That Are Round or Precise
Which discount is better: 25% off or 24.7% off. I used to think 25% would perform better, but a new study sheds light.
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Overview
Which discount is better:
- 25% off
- 24.7% off
It depends.
Round numbers typically feel larger. For example, a drink seemed more energizing when the caffeine amount was 100mg (vs. 102mg; Pena-Marin & Bhargave, 2016).
And precise numbers typically feel smaller (Thomas, Simon, & Kadiyali, 2010).
So a round 25% should perform better, right?
Well, not always. There's another lurking variable: Stability.
You imagine 24.7 on narrow scale in which any movement — even a slight nudge — will change this number.
Subconsciously, 24.7% can easily change. Perhaps even disappear. Therefore, customers feel motivated to grab this discount while it's still available.
Indeed, customers were motivated by a 6.8% (vs. 7%) discount because they believed it would end sooner (Jha, Biswas, Guha, & Gauri, 2023).
Takeaways
- Commit to One Side. Avoid comprising in the middle. Choose a precise 7.7% or round 10%. Avoid 8%.
- Adjust Discounts for Segments. Are customers motivated by price? Give 25% off. Urgency? Give 24.7% off.
- Add Decimals to Long-Term Discounts. If there's no deadline, a narrow 16.2% can imply urgency.
Other New Stuff
- Video Game Psychology - Playing video games after work rejuvenates you because of the psychological detachment.
- Customers Feel Less Guilty Wasting Organic Food - It feels less harmful on the environment.
- Apologies and Incompetence - After bad service, businesses seem more sincere when they attribute their mistake to incompetence (e.g., lack of skills). It makes the apology seem costlier, thus more sincere.