The Psychology of Pricing: Why $99 Works (and $100 Doesn't)
May 03, 2025
Hi Queens, welcome back to the School of Soul: The Social Series. I’m Adeline Atlas, and today we’re unlocking a secret that every smart entrepreneur knows: pricing isn’t logical — it’s psychological.
You’ve probably seen prices like $27, $47, $97, and $297 everywhere online. That’s not random. That’s called charm pricing — and it’s one of the simplest but most powerful sales tools you can use when setting your offers.
Here’s what happens: our brains read numbers from left to right, just like words. When a price is $99, the brain processes it as being in the "90s" — it feels cheaper than $100, even though the real difference is only one dollar. That’s called left-digit bias. People focus on the first number they see, not the full amount.
At $99, your offer feels psychologically closer to $90 — like they’re still getting a deal. But at $100, it feels like a bigger leap — like they’re entering a whole new price bracket. And that one-dollar shift can be the difference between hesitation and an instant yes.
This isn’t about tricking people. It’s about understanding how humans naturally process information. We all want to feel smart when we buy something. Using a number like $97 or $297 makes the deal feel better, even when the value hasn’t changed.
And if you want to take it even further, pricing with a 7 tends to convert slightly better than a 9. Numbers like $27, $47, $97 — they feel a little softer, a little friendlier than $29 or $99, even though both strategies work.
The point is: if you can trigger the feeling that someone is getting a bargain without lowering your value, you win. Pricing is an emotional decision before it’s ever a logical one.
Final Tip:
The right price isn’t just about the number — it’s about how the number feels. Smart Queens price for emotion first, logic second — because emotion is what makes people click “buy.”
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