The emotional
science of pricing
Topi Järvinen
Nestholma Venture Accelerator
The emotional
science of pricing
95 percent of all
cognition occurs in the
subconscious mind.
Gerald Zaltman
Harvard Business School
95% of purchase decisions
are made without
concious awareness
If price is perceived to
be too high, it causes
physical pain
Confidential5
Pain-relievers
for buyers
Confidential6
• Perceived fairness
• Bundling
(hard to assess)
• Credit
Pricing is pain
management
Confidential7
Discounts have to
have pain associated
with them
499€ vs. 500€?
Confidential8
Use pricing that
seems more precise.
It’s perceived to be
more credible
Confidential9
499€
501€
500€
Guide the customer with decoy pricing
The Economist pricing experiment
Confidential10
16
0
84
68
32
N=100
Ariely: Predictably Irrational
Subscriptions (test #1) Subscriptions (test #2)No of times
the option
was chosen
No of times
the option
was chosen
Decoy effect in action
Confidential11
7,99
Basic
9,99
Pro
99,99
Enterprise
Anchor
pricing
Confidential12
•Establish a baseline
•After a $599 iPhone,
a $299 iPhone seems
like a steal
Our brains aren’t good at judging
absolute values, but they are
always ready to compare values
and benefits.
Roger Dooley
Brainfluence
Confidential13
Align your pricing to fit your
overall value proposition
• Choose the choices carefully!
• Too many or too little may
turn your customers away
vs.
Contact
Topi Järvinen
+358 40 754 3131
topi.jarvinen@nestholma.com
http://www.nestholma.com

Emotion and pricing