Decoy Effect
Add an option nobody should pick and the option beside it starts to look obvious.
What it is
Preferences between two options shift when a third, clearly inferior option is added. The decoy is priced or specified so it is dominated by the target, which makes the target look like the smart choice. Nobody buys the decoy. That is its job.
The research
Offered a web-only subscription at $59 or print-and-web at $125, most students chose web-only. When a print-only option at $125 was added, most chose print-and-web.
Ariely, 2008
How to use it
Three tiers, one dominated
Price the middle plan so the top plan is a small step up for a large step in value.
Size the decoy honestly
The decoy still has to be a real, purchasable option. A fake one is a dark pattern and people can tell.
Use it in proposals
A three-option proposal with a deliberately thin middle makes the recommended scope the natural pick.
Put it to work
I use Decoy Effect in the hooks and first frames of the ads I brief. If you want it applied to your own funnel, that is part of my Meta Ads and creative work, usually inside a fractional CMO engagement.
Related
Sources that shaped this entry: growth.design, Kolenda.io.