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Consumer Evaluations of Sale Prices: Role of The Subtraction Principle
Consumer Evaluations of Sale Prices: Role of The Subtraction Principle
Keywords: sale price, sale price display location, discount depth, numerical cognition, price perceptions
T
here is no consensus for how retailers should present We build on literature in numeric processing (e.g.,
sale prices. A review of websites of various online and Beishuizen, Van Putten, and Van Mulken 1997), subtraction
catalog retailers revealed that some display sale prices strategies (Selter 2001), and the ease of verifying equations
to the right of the original prices (e.g., The Body Shop, Saks, (Yip 2002) to posit that it is easier to initiate a subtraction
Neiman Marcus), whereas others display sale prices to the task when the larger number is presented on the left-hand
left (e.g., Kmart, REI, Zappos.com). For example, a 30% side and the smaller number is presented on the right-hand
discount for a product may be presented either as [original side, a phenomenon we term the “subtraction principle.”
price of $349.99/sale price $239.99] or as [sale price Consequently, we propose that the location of the sale price
$239.99/original price $349.99]. In this article, we examine relative to the original price is likely to influence whether
whether and how the location of the sale price relative to consumers actually initiate the subtraction task to calculate
the original price results in different consumer evaluations. discount depth; we posit that this difference in the propen-
Because sale prices constitute an important marketing cue sity to initiate, in turn, affects consumer evaluations. We
(Biswas and Blair 1991; Grewal, Marmorstein, and Sharma suggest that, consistent with the subtraction principle, when
1996; Lichtenstein, Burton, and Karson 1991; Thomas and retailers present the sale price (smaller number) to the right
Morwitz 2009), we believe that academics, retailers, and of the original price (larger number)—that is, when an offer
public policy makers should all be interested in understand- is presented as [original price $349.99/sale price $239.99]—
ing which sale price display locations systematically result more consumers are likely to initiate the subtraction task
in better consumer evaluations.
and calculate the actual discount depth (i.e., 30%). When
retailers present an offer as [sale price $239.99/original
price $349.99], fewer consumers are likely to initiate the
subtraction task. Furthermore, the (many) consumers who
do not initiate the subtraction task will focus mainly on the
Abhijit Biswas is Kmart Endowed Chair and Professor of Marketing (e-mail:
A.Biswas@wayne.edu), and Abhijit Guha is Assistant Professor of Mar-
FIGURE 1
Conceptual Framework and Roadmap
A: Conceptual Model
Perceived
Display Location ¥ Difficulty/
Sale Sale
Moderate Discount Estimated
Studies 2a/2b/3b/4a/4b/5 price price
Discount left right
Sale Sale
Studies 3a (easy calculations)/3b (percentage price price
discount provided/no calculations required) left right
Display Location ¥
Sale Sale
Low Discount
Studies 2a/2b/3a (easy calculations)/4a price price
left right
¥ Credibility
Display Location ¥ Enhancement
Retailer
Extremely Low
Opportunism
Discount Studies 5/5a Study 5a
Sale Sale
price price ¥ Quality
left right Enhancement
Display Location ¥ Quality
Exaggerated Discount Concerns
Studies 5/5b Study 5b
3.82
additional condition (n = 22) in our experiment, with a sale
4
3.53
3.69 price of $239.99 on the right (as in the low discount condi-
tion) and an original price of $265.99, so the discount was
!"#$ !"%&
!"'!
only 10% (i.e., a low discount). We contrasted this cell with
3 ! the moderate discount cell with the sale price shown on the
right. That is, in this comparison, both conditions showed
!
the same sale price of $239.99 on the right, but one indi-
2 cated a moderate (~30%) discount off the original price of
$349.99, whereas the other indicated a low (~10%) discount
off a different original price of $265.99.
11 We found significantly higher value perceptions in the
Low Discount Moderate Discount
moderate discount condition (M = 4.69) than in the low dis-
count condition (M = 3.60; t(59) = 3.8, p < .05) as well as
B: Purchase Intentions
higher purchase intentions in the moderate versus low dis-
count condition (Mmoderate = 4.19, Mlow = 2.68; t(59) =
7
3.08, p < .05). These data do not fit the alternative explana-
!
tion we described previously; rather, they align with the
Sale price to left
Sale price to right
results in Study 2a.
6
8.85, p < .01; exaggerated vs. very low: t(148) = 14.43, p < 3
.01; exaggerated vs. moderate: t(143) = 6.48, p < .01). 2.49
The response latency results were also as we expected,
!
&"'$ !
showing a significantly lower response latency value when 2
sale price was displayed to the left versus right (Mleft =
31.06 seconds, Mright = 40.45 seconds; t(222) = –3.87, p <
.01) and no interaction effect (F(2, 218) = .87, p > .40). 11
Given these response latency measures, we reasoned (as in Very Low Moderate Exaggerated
Study 2b) that fewer participants likely initiated the sub- Discount Discount Discount
traction task when the sale price was displayed to the left.
B: Purchase Intentions
In addition, as in Study 2b, we also examined differences in
the frequency distribution of response times. The pattern of 7
results was similar to the pattern evidenced in Study 2b. ! Sale price to left
Detailed results appear in the Web Appendix (www.market- Sale price to right
ingpower.com/jm_webappendix). 6
In line with H3 and H4, the ANOVA for value percep-
tions showed that the interaction between discount depth
and sale price display location (right vs. left) was signifi-
4.94
5
cant (F(2, 218) = 18.73, p < .01). According to the individ-
&"#&
4.31
ual contrasts in Figure 4, in the moderate discount condi-
&"$%
tion, value perceptions were significantly higher when sale 4
price was located to the right of the original price (Mright = 3.47
4.66, Mleft = 3.85; t(72) = 3.59, p < .01), which wholly
3.21
$"&'
2.99
replicated the results for the moderate discount condition in
$"!%
3
!"##
4Study 5a: We also directly tested the mechanisms underlying the significantly lower when the sale price appeared to the right (vs.
results in Study 5 by conducting a study similar to that conducted by left) of the original price, consistent with the results in Study 5. In
Thomas and Morwitz (2009). We used a 2 (credibility cue: absent contrast, in the credibility cue–present condition, given that par-
vs. present) ¥ 2 (sale price display location: left vs. right of original ticipants suppressed perceptions of retailer opportunism, evalua-
price) between-subjects design (N = 112). We presented the credi- tions did not differ across the sale price display location conditions
bility cue to nullify perceptions of retailer opportunism. In all cases, and were consistent with the low discount condition results in
the discount depth was very low (i.e., 4%). In the credibility cue– Study 2a. These results are consistent with the mechanism we pro-
absent condition, value perceptions and purchase intentions were posed as underlying H3. Full details are available on request.
APPENDIX B
Overview of Results Across All Studies
Study Value Perceptions Purchase Intentions Notes
2a 30% L= 3.69 vs. R = 4.69** L = 3.01 vs. R = 4.19** H2 supported
10% L= 3.82 vs. R = 3.53 L = 2.89 vs. R = 2.82
2b 30% L= 3.83 vs. R = 4.91** L = 3.26 vs. R = 4.54** H2 supported
10% L= 3.43 vs. R = 3.56 L = 3.18 vs. R = 3.08
3a 30% L= 5.23 vs. R = 5.27 L = 4.79 vs. R = 4.81 H2 not supported when calculations are very
10% L= 4.37 vs. R = 4.24 L = 3.54 vs. R = 3.33 simple
3b Cue absent L= 3.71 vs. R = 4.69** L = 3.50 vs. R = 4.35** H2 supported, but not when calculations were
Cue present L= 4.88 vs. R = 4.87 L = 4.41 vs. R = 4.42 unnecessary
4a 30% L= 3.79 vs. R = 4.93** L = 3.23 vs. R = 4.81** H2 supported with nonstudent sample
10% L= 3.96 vs. R = 3.72 L = 2.92 vs. R = 3.15
4b 30% L = 3.62 vs. R = 4.50** H2 supported with nonstudent sample
Preferring focal spoon: evaluating a real choice
L = 18.9% vs. R = 38.9%*
5 4% L= 3.59 vs. R = 2.49** L = 2.99 vs. R = 2.21** H3 and H4 supported
30% L= 3.85 vs. R = 4.66** L = 3.21 vs. R = 4.31**
85% L= 5.29 vs. R = 3.90** L = 4.94 vs. R = 3.47**
5a Cue absent L= 3.84 vs. R = 3.11** L = 3.10 vs. R = 2.16** H3 supported, but not when retailer
Cue present L= 3.94 vs. R = 3.97 L = 3.36 vs. R = 3.58 opportunism perceptions were reduced
5b Cue absent L= 4.90 vs. R = 3.88** L = 4.75 vs. R = 3.69** H4 supported, but not when poor product
Cue present L= 3.95 vs. R = 4.99** L = 3.60 vs. R = 4.79** quality perceptions were reduced
*p = .06.
**p < .05.
Notes: n%: L (R) = mean value for n% discount depth when sale price appears to the left (right) of the original price.