Metric · Influence
First-seen vs final price gap
Final checkout total divided by the first price shown for the same item or plan, plus the share of sessions where the final price is higher. Target: a ratio of 1 and no sessions worsening. The default guardrail on pricing pages and at checkout.
Plain label: does the final price match the first one shownAlso known as: price gap, drip pricing check, lowball check
Commitments grow their own legs: once people decide, they find new reasons that survive removing the original advantage, so lowball and drip pricing lift gross conversion and then return as refunds, chargebacks and complaints. INF-K-03 (Influence Ch.3, p.76) Show the full price first. INF-T-CC-34 (Influence Ch.3, p.43)
Sources
Influence · Robert Cialdini
Ch.3, p.76 · Ch.3, p.43
Source IDs: INF-K-03INF-T-CC-34
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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