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九尾數定價效果在不同評估模式中的侷限：分別、聯合與依序評估
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1. Introduction
The research streams of the nine-ending pricing strategy, which is widely used among
retailers, have shown inconsistent results. In the initial stage of research, there exists doubt
about the effect of nine-ending pricing on magnitude perception (e.g., Gabor and Granger,
1964), and more recent research has indicated that peopleʼs responses are not affected by a
very small price change (e.g., Monroe, 2003; Monroe and Lee, 1999).
However, Bizer and Schindler (2005) provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of
nine-ending prices via the drop-off mechanism, and Thomas and Morwitz (2005) find
evidence of a left-digit effect and distance effect. Stiving and Winer (1997) explain the nine-
ending price endings by referring to level and image effects. Researchers provide some
explanations for nine-ending effect, but why are there so many inconsistent results?
Combined with Evaluability Hypothesis proposed by Hsee (1996) to explain how joint and
separate evaluation modes may reverse consumers’ preference, this article infers that the
possible reason for the inconsistence may be caused by the different evaluation modes (joint
and separate evaluation modes).
Most of these experimental conditions evaluate the nine-ending effect separately (e.g.,
Bizer and Schindler, 2005; Manning and Sprott, 2009). Only Thomas and Morwitz (2005)
study lets people evaluate prices in joint mode, but their experiments focus on measuring the
price magnitude perception of the target price after comparing this magnitude with the
reference price of the same product. In other words, the target prices of two products are not
being directly compared side by side as in the real world (e.g., product prices printed on
direct mail [DM], in-store shelves, and on the Internet; see Appendix Figure 1 and 2). In
order to determine whether nine-ending pricing influences actual purchasing decisions when
nine-ending and zero-ending prices are presented side by side or sequentially, as in the real
world,
1
this article investigates how different evaluation modes influence the nine-ending
effect both in theory and practice.
According to the preceding discussion, we develop a conceptual framework based on a
heuristic-systematic dual-process model (HSM), which states that people may make a
decision based on either a systematic process or a heuristic process, to explore the boundary
1 According to single-option aversion, which documents that people have the desire to search when faced
with a single option (Mochon, 2013), consumers tend to recall a reference price from their prior
experience and memory, or compare the prices of the similar products near the target one. That is, in daily
life, joint and sequential evaluation modes are used by consumers more frequently than separate
evaluation mode.