New research titled Decoy Effects in a Massive Real-World Shopping Dataset focuses on the impact of ‘decoy’ options on consumer choices, specifically in the context of wine purchases in the UK. The study examined a large dataset of 3.6 million wine purchases made by 755,158 unique customers over a one-month period.
In the situation where a consumer is torn between choosing a high-price, high-quality wine and a low-price, low-quality wine, the presence of a decoy option could tip the scales. According to the study, the introduction of an even more inferior decoy wine that is both more expensive and of lower quality than one of the original options can make the consumer more likely to choose the better among the two original options. This is known as the ‘attraction effect’.
If you find yourself unable to decide between a high-quality, expensive wine and a low-quality, inexpensive one, be cautious of any decoy options that may appear in the selection. These decoys are designed to make the original options look less attractive. Your best course of action is to stick to your initial preferences and priorities, whether they are based on quality, price or a balance of both. If you’re a frequent wine shopper, you’re less likely to be influenced by such decoys, but it’s always good to be aware of this psychological effect when making a choice.
