How to Persuade People Using the Decoy Effect
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2025 6:50 am
You go for coffee and are offered three different sizes of portions, and the medium one costs not much less than the large one. Most likely, you will take the large one, having fallen for the bait of marketers. This is how the "decoy effect" works, which you can learn to use to achieve your personal goals .
The “decoy effect” occurs when you are intentionally offered an additional, slightly less attractive option. In the coffee example, the medium one is inferior to the large and seems expensive, so you end up paying more than you want. Research confirms that presenting options in this way can encourage people to buy certain, often more expensive, products.
The "decoy effect" was originally studied as a potential marketing strategy to influence uk whatsapp list consumer choice, but recent experiments by scientists show that it also works in healthcare, recruiting, and even during election voting.
The article will be useful for those who want to make decisions that are beneficial for themselves, without succumbing to marketing tricks, and also, if necessary, to persuade others to their side.
"Bait" in action
The "decoy effect," like many of the cognitive biases we know today, was first described in the 1980s. The easiest way to explain how it works is with an example.
Scientists asked volunteers to choose airline tickets by considering various indirect flights.
1. A ticket for flight A costs 8,000 rubles, transfer is 60 minutes.
2. A ticket for flight B will cost 7,200 rubles, the transfer is 150 minutes.
3. A ticket for flight C costs 9,000 rubles; transfer time is 60 minutes.
Most of the participants in the experiment chose flight A , since the ticket for it was cheaper than for flight C , and the connection time was shorter, although the cost of the flight on flight A was still more expensive than the flight on flight B.
How to Persuade People Using the Decoy Effect 1
After subjects made their first choice, they were shown other flight options.
1. A ticket for flight A costs 8,000 rubles, transfer is 60 minutes.
2. A ticket for flight B costs 7,200 rubles, the transfer is 150 minutes.
3. A ticket for flight C costs 7,200 rubles, transfer time is 195 minutes.
In this scenario, most volunteers chose flight B , although its conditions remained the same. It turns out that flight B began to seem more attractive to the subjects when the less successful flight C with a longer stopover appeared.
In each selection, flight C is the "bait". Its conditions are similar, but slightly less favorable than the conditions of the other two options, so flight C always loses in comparison with A and B , making them more attractive. Summarizing the results of the experiments, the scientists came to the conclusion that the use of a well-thought-out "bait" can incline more than 40% of the subjects to choose the first or second option. This clearly shows how easy it is to influence the decisions people make with the right presentation of options.
What's the catch?
Psychologists are still debating why exactly this effect works, but one theory is that a less profitable “bait” helps justify the decision. Indeed, when choosing only between flights A and B , it is difficult to determine exactly what is more profitable – to pay more money or to spend an extra 90 minutes. But if one of the options is clearly better than the “bait” – flight C – according to one of these parameters , then it is easy for you to explain your choice.
How to Persuade People Using the Decoy Effect 2
The "decoy effect" really works well when selling everything from beer to TVs to cars to houses: the presence of a third, unattractive option encourages people to choose between the first two.
This cognitive bias was successfully used by the British magazine The Economist to sell readers a more expensive subscription to the publication. The audience was offered to subscribe only to the electronic version for $59, only to the print version for $125, or to the electronic and paper versions together - also for $125. Obviously, the print version subscription is a "bait", since in this case readers are offered less than in the third option, but for the same price. At the same time, the very presence of a disadvantageous subscription prompted readers to choose the expensive "combined" one, while with only the first two options available, 52% of the audience signed up for a cheap online subscription.
The “decoy effect” occurs when you are intentionally offered an additional, slightly less attractive option. In the coffee example, the medium one is inferior to the large and seems expensive, so you end up paying more than you want. Research confirms that presenting options in this way can encourage people to buy certain, often more expensive, products.
The "decoy effect" was originally studied as a potential marketing strategy to influence uk whatsapp list consumer choice, but recent experiments by scientists show that it also works in healthcare, recruiting, and even during election voting.
The article will be useful for those who want to make decisions that are beneficial for themselves, without succumbing to marketing tricks, and also, if necessary, to persuade others to their side.
"Bait" in action
The "decoy effect," like many of the cognitive biases we know today, was first described in the 1980s. The easiest way to explain how it works is with an example.
Scientists asked volunteers to choose airline tickets by considering various indirect flights.
1. A ticket for flight A costs 8,000 rubles, transfer is 60 minutes.
2. A ticket for flight B will cost 7,200 rubles, the transfer is 150 minutes.
3. A ticket for flight C costs 9,000 rubles; transfer time is 60 minutes.
Most of the participants in the experiment chose flight A , since the ticket for it was cheaper than for flight C , and the connection time was shorter, although the cost of the flight on flight A was still more expensive than the flight on flight B.
How to Persuade People Using the Decoy Effect 1
After subjects made their first choice, they were shown other flight options.
1. A ticket for flight A costs 8,000 rubles, transfer is 60 minutes.
2. A ticket for flight B costs 7,200 rubles, the transfer is 150 minutes.
3. A ticket for flight C costs 7,200 rubles, transfer time is 195 minutes.
In this scenario, most volunteers chose flight B , although its conditions remained the same. It turns out that flight B began to seem more attractive to the subjects when the less successful flight C with a longer stopover appeared.
In each selection, flight C is the "bait". Its conditions are similar, but slightly less favorable than the conditions of the other two options, so flight C always loses in comparison with A and B , making them more attractive. Summarizing the results of the experiments, the scientists came to the conclusion that the use of a well-thought-out "bait" can incline more than 40% of the subjects to choose the first or second option. This clearly shows how easy it is to influence the decisions people make with the right presentation of options.
What's the catch?
Psychologists are still debating why exactly this effect works, but one theory is that a less profitable “bait” helps justify the decision. Indeed, when choosing only between flights A and B , it is difficult to determine exactly what is more profitable – to pay more money or to spend an extra 90 minutes. But if one of the options is clearly better than the “bait” – flight C – according to one of these parameters , then it is easy for you to explain your choice.
How to Persuade People Using the Decoy Effect 2
The "decoy effect" really works well when selling everything from beer to TVs to cars to houses: the presence of a third, unattractive option encourages people to choose between the first two.
This cognitive bias was successfully used by the British magazine The Economist to sell readers a more expensive subscription to the publication. The audience was offered to subscribe only to the electronic version for $59, only to the print version for $125, or to the electronic and paper versions together - also for $125. Obviously, the print version subscription is a "bait", since in this case readers are offered less than in the third option, but for the same price. At the same time, the very presence of a disadvantageous subscription prompted readers to choose the expensive "combined" one, while with only the first two options available, 52% of the audience signed up for a cheap online subscription.