Brief Commentary: Is "4 for $16" Better than "4 for $15.30"? Testing the Replicability of the Price Divisibility Effect.
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| Title: | Brief Commentary: Is "4 for $16" Better than "4 for $15.30"? Testing the Replicability of the Price Divisibility Effect. |
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| Authors: | Geiser, Amanda E (AUTHOR), Nelson, Leif D (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Consumer Research. Jun2026, Vol. 53 Issue 1, p201-213. 13p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Wholesale prices, *Divisibility of numbers, *Consumers, *Willingness to pay, *Consumption (Economics) |
| Abstract: | Although higher prices generally lead to lower demand, research on the price divisibility effect suggests that consumers are sometimes willing to pay more for a multipack if its price is divisible by the number of units it contains. For instance, a seven-pack of shoelaces might be more appealing at the divisible price of $14 than at the lower, but non-divisible, price of $13. The original Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) article documenting this phenomenon presented a total of 15 studies, one of which was preregistered and all of which yielded strong evidence. In this article, we report four preregistered replications of three key studies from the original article. Despite our replications' considerably larger sample sizes, none replicated the original results, and one yielded a marginally significant effect in the opposite direction. We consider several possible reasons for the discrepancies (e.g. selective reporting, data anomalies, time-related or context-related moderators) and discuss their theoretical and practical implications. Altogether, our findings imply that the price divisibility effect may not exist; if it does exist, it is not as robust or generalizable as originally claimed. Researchers and marketers should exercise caution before attempting to extend or apply research on the price divisibility effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Database: | Energy & Power Source |
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| Header | DbId: enr DbLabel: Energy & Power Source An: 193756925 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Brief Commentary: Is "4 for $16" Better than "4 for $15.30"? Testing the Replicability of the Price Divisibility Effect. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Geiser%2C+Amanda+E%22">Geiser, Amanda E</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nelson%2C+Leif+D%22">Nelson, Leif D</searchLink> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Consumer+Research%22">Journal of Consumer Research</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 53 Issue 1, p201-213. 13p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Wholesale+prices%22">Wholesale prices</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Divisibility+of+numbers%22">Divisibility of numbers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consumers%22">Consumers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Willingness+to+pay%22">Willingness to pay</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consumption+%28Economics%29%22">Consumption (Economics)</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Although higher prices generally lead to lower demand, research on the price divisibility effect suggests that consumers are sometimes willing to pay more for a multipack if its price is divisible by the number of units it contains. For instance, a seven-pack of shoelaces might be more appealing at the divisible price of $14 than at the lower, but non-divisible, price of $13. The original Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) article documenting this phenomenon presented a total of 15 studies, one of which was preregistered and all of which yielded strong evidence. In this article, we report four preregistered replications of three key studies from the original article. Despite our replications' considerably larger sample sizes, none replicated the original results, and one yielded a marginally significant effect in the opposite direction. We consider several possible reasons for the discrepancies (e.g. selective reporting, data anomalies, time-related or context-related moderators) and discuss their theoretical and practical implications. Altogether, our findings imply that the price divisibility effect may not exist; if it does exist, it is not as robust or generalizable as originally claimed. Researchers and marketers should exercise caution before attempting to extend or apply research on the price divisibility effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=enr&AN=193756925 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1093/jcr/ucaf067 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 13 StartPage: 201 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Wholesale prices Type: general – SubjectFull: Divisibility of numbers Type: general – SubjectFull: Consumers Type: general – SubjectFull: Willingness to pay Type: general – SubjectFull: Consumption (Economics) Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Brief Commentary: Is "4 for $16" Better than "4 for $15.30"? Testing the Replicability of the Price Divisibility Effect. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Geiser, Amanda E – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Nelson, Leif D IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: Jun2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00935301 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 53 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Consumer Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
