Excerpt from "Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy"

Excerpt from Chapter 4 of "Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy" by Phil Barden

In a related study, consumers presented with a ‘fully loaded’ car and given the opportunity to remove optional features in order to save money ended up with a more expensive set of features than those presented with a basic model and given the opportunity to add features. Adding or subtracting features or toppings are both highly perceivable processes but with very different effects. Adding focuses attention on increasing the price, whereas subtracting is all about reducing the costs. The marketing implications of this are clear. Starting with a large number of components or features and allowing consumers to scale down from there leads to the acceptance of a higher-priced product than starting with a basic product and asking consumers to build up from it.