Pricing Manipulation
Frequently Bought Together
Amazon made it famous. Everyone else made it preselected.
What is it?
A 'frequently bought together' widget pre-selects add-on items so that the total looks reasonable and unchecking requires deliberate effort. The 'you save' math is often inflated by comparing to separate full prices.
How it works
The pattern changes the cost of thinking. It makes the preferred action immediate, emotionally charged, or visually dominant, while making the more reflective action slower, duller, or easier to doubt.
Visual Example
A simplified specimen designed to make the pattern recognizable at a glance.
Pre-selected bundle widget
visual specimen
Frequently bought together
Bundle total
567€
586€
Psychology
Real World Example
- A camera is shown with a pre-checked memory card, case, and extended warranty.
- The bundle total appears with a strikethrough 'you save' that assumes full retail for each item.
Origin: Ecommerce product pages, especially electronics, books, and accessory-heavy categories.
Ethical Alternative
Show items individually priced, pre-select nothing, and let users build their own bundle.
Toxicity Meter
Manipulation dimensions