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Back in the day, I used to oversee a lot of usability research for a well-known travel engine. Every single time, people would choose the lowest possible base p
by exogeny 4y ago
Back in the day, I used to oversee a lot of usability research for a well-known travel engine. Every single time, people would choose the lowest possible base price. It did not matter if you explained to them how uncomfortable it might be, any add-on fees they'd occur, quality of product, or literally anything else. All that mattered was the first number they saw.
I don't know if it's a uniquely American thing, but the ability to wrap one's head around future cost additions or commensurate value is just completely not there, at all.
- ghaff 4y agoAlmost certainly not uniquely American. I don't remember any behavioral economics research on this particular topic but it seems to be a pretty fundamental cognitive bias. (Of course, if someone is really just looking for the lowest price it's reasonable to expect that they'll mostly ignore the fact that they're going to be riding in the luggage compartment.)
- hotpotamus 4y agoHidden fees are a strategy as old as time - what's uniquely American is the lack of regulation regarding them. Look at something as simple as sales tax - in the US, that's not included in the price on the shelf, but in most of the developed world it is. It's not like there's some centuries old custom at work there - it's regulation.
- ghaff 4y agoThere are a couple of different things. Are there hidden fees that most people don't know about? (Most people know about sales tax.) Do a lot of people just ignore the fact that they're going to have less legroom and won't be able to reserve a seat if they can get a lower price? Those are different things. The former is a dark pattern. The second just means a lot of people are very price sensitive.