Framing effect

Psychological Theory:
Presenting the same option in different formats (or ‘frames’) can alter people’s decisions.

Application idea(s) for E-commerce websites:
Research in 1981 (link) told us that people choose differently between the exact same options if the options are presented differently (take a look at the Framing effect article on Wikipedia and the examples shown there).

Take a look at the way you present options to your users. What is the ‘story’ around each option and is the option you’d like people to choose framed in a way that it’s most likely to be chosen? For example: if you like people to subscribe to something for a small periodical fee, it helps if you can place the amount in a frame that immediately makes sense to people like ‘Subscribe now for less than a cup of thee a day‘.

This post is part of my Psychology of E-commerce tips series where I present you with a psychological theory and suggest how you can apply this within your e-commerce website.

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