The Economist Experiment

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely ran one of the cleanest decoy setups ever. The Economist offered three subscriptions: web-only for $59, print-only for $125, and print + web for $125. That middle option — print-only at the same price as print + web — makes zero sense on its own.

But when Ariely tested it, 84% of students chose the combo deal. When he removed the print-only decoy, only 32% picked the combo. Same options, minus one nobody wanted, and purchasing behavior flipped completely.