Technique · Actionable Gamification
Honest anchors and decoy options
People choose what makes them feel smartest, not what is cheapest, so a real reference price or a third option that makes the target plan clearly better can shift choices. Chou praises crossed-out list prices; only real former or bundle prices are safe, because fake anchors are illegal in many markets.
Plain label: real reference prices and plan contrastAlso known as: decoy pricing, reference price, feel-smart pricing
How it works
Buyers rarely judge value directly and lean on comparisons, picking the option that makes them feel smart (CD2). Chou cites Ariely's subscription test, where adding an unattractive print-only option at the bundle price moved most buyers to the bundle, and a retailer whose removal of discounts backfired. The comparison helps only when every number is true; invented list prices are deceptive and regulated.
Evidence warning
Fake or inflated 'was' prices are illegal in many markets (US FTC guides; the EU rule that a reference price must be the lowest of the prior 30 days).
Decoy effects are weaker in some replications; test on your own pricing page.
What the research says
In Ariely's Economist test, adding a print-only option at the bundle price moved bundle choice from 32% to 84%; Chou's 44.6% revenue figure recomputes to about 43%.
AG Ch6 citing Predictably Irrational (study grade A via the book; figure corrected), 2008
How to build it
- B2B
- Three plans where the middle one is clearly the best value for the target segment, with real feature differences.
- E-commerce
- Real former prices or bundle savings shown in both money and percent.
- Web
- List the premium plan first so it anchors the comparison, with honest descriptions.
What can go wrong
- Invented list prices.
- Decoys so obviously bad they insult buyers.
- Pushing buyers into tiers they don't need.
Pairs well with
- Keep two to four plans with one highlighted.
- Highlight the recommended plan with GT#38 Desert Oasis.
In practice
Where it shows up
Limits
What we don’t claim
- Octalysis is a practitioner framework built from observing games, not a validated scientific model.Actionable Gamification Ch.15, pp.399-400
- Left Brain and Right Brain are a metaphor for extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, not a claim about neuroscience.Actionable Gamification Ch.13, pp.342-343
Sources
Actionable Gamification · Yu-kai Chou
Ch.6, p.105 · Ch.6, p.106 · Ch.10, p.247 · Ch.10, p.230
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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