Anchoring
The first number people see biases their judgement of later numbers.
Four of the eight page areas.
Four ways to use it, and two to avoid.
- Show a genuine was price or RRP beside the selling price.
- List the premium option first.
- Consider a real per-customer limit, such as “max 4 per customer”, which can raise quantity bought.
- Keep anchors plausible and relevant to the product.
- Avoid: a was price or RRP that the product was not genuinely sold at, or a saving that misleads.
- Avoid: purchase or time limits that are not real, as false limited-availability claims are a banned practice.
Among the most replicated effects, though smaller than early studies reported.
In pay-what-you-want field studies, low anchors moved payments more than high ones.
Among the most replicated judgement effects: Many Labs found it in all 36 samples. A meta-analysis of 53 willingness-to-pay studies by Li and colleagues found a moderate effect, smaller than early studies reported and weaker when the anchor did not fit the item. In 16 pay-what-you-want field studies (N=21,997), Jung and colleagues found anchors moved real payments, low anchors more than high ones, though less reliably than in hypothetical versions.
Five sources, each checked.
Last reviewed
A was price or RRP must be a price the product was genuinely sold at, and the saving must not mislead (CTSI pricing practices guidance, revised August 2025, and the DMCC Act 2024). Purchase or time limits must be real, as false limited-availability claims are a banned practice. The government plans to consult in autumn 2026 on banning fake 'was' prices outright.
This is simply a pointer to check, not legal advice. Seek legal advice before you put this principle into action.