Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived quality
This study examines the impact of display locations of regular and sale prices on reference price estimation, drawing on anchoring and adjustment theory and the left-to-right directionality in reading habits. It focuses on how the spatial positioning of the regular price relative to the discount pri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1497372/full |
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| _version_ | 1850085057377599488 |
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| author | Eun Young Park Jung Min Jang |
| author_facet | Eun Young Park Jung Min Jang |
| author_sort | Eun Young Park |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examines the impact of display locations of regular and sale prices on reference price estimation, drawing on anchoring and adjustment theory and the left-to-right directionality in reading habits. It focuses on how the spatial positioning of the regular price relative to the discount price affects perceived quality and subsequently shapes reference price judgments. Conducted across both offline and online settings using varied product stimuli, three laboratory studies using comparative price advertisements that presented both prices on the same page consistently demonstrate that placing the regular price to the left of the discount price results in higher reference price estimations. The findings also confirmed that perceived product quality mediates the proposed effect. This research offers new insights into how the spatial placement of pricing information significantly affects consumer perception and decision-making, contributing to consumer psychology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-61e73cd0267b40f198e7ac43e86c982f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-61e73cd0267b40f198e7ac43e86c982f2025-08-20T02:43:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-02-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.14973721497372Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived qualityEun Young Park0Jung Min Jang1College of General Education, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaBrunel Business School, Brunel University of London, London, United KingdomThis study examines the impact of display locations of regular and sale prices on reference price estimation, drawing on anchoring and adjustment theory and the left-to-right directionality in reading habits. It focuses on how the spatial positioning of the regular price relative to the discount price affects perceived quality and subsequently shapes reference price judgments. Conducted across both offline and online settings using varied product stimuli, three laboratory studies using comparative price advertisements that presented both prices on the same page consistently demonstrate that placing the regular price to the left of the discount price results in higher reference price estimations. The findings also confirmed that perceived product quality mediates the proposed effect. This research offers new insights into how the spatial placement of pricing information significantly affects consumer perception and decision-making, contributing to consumer psychology.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1497372/fullprice promotionanchoring and adjustment theoryreference pricelocation effectproduct quality |
| spellingShingle | Eun Young Park Jung Min Jang Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived quality Frontiers in Psychology price promotion anchoring and adjustment theory reference price location effect product quality |
| title | Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived quality |
| title_full | Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived quality |
| title_fullStr | Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived quality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived quality |
| title_short | Psychological effects of horizontal price display: how left-right location shapes reference price and perceived quality |
| title_sort | psychological effects of horizontal price display how left right location shapes reference price and perceived quality |
| topic | price promotion anchoring and adjustment theory reference price location effect product quality |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1497372/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT eunyoungpark psychologicaleffectsofhorizontalpricedisplayhowleftrightlocationshapesreferencepriceandperceivedquality AT jungminjang psychologicaleffectsofhorizontalpricedisplayhowleftrightlocationshapesreferencepriceandperceivedquality |