Christophe Lembregts

How to Make a 29% Increase Look Bigger: The Unit Effect in Option Comparisons

Quantitative information can appear in different units (e.g., 7-year warranty = 84-month warranty). This article demonstrates that attribute differences appear larger on scales with a higher number of units; expressing quality information on such an expanded scale makes consumers switch to a higher-quality option. Testifying to its practical importance, expressing the energy content of snacks in kilojoules rather than kilocalories increases the choice of a healthy snack. The unit effect occurs because consumers focus on the number rather than the type of units in which information is expressed (numerosity effect). Therefore, reminding consumers of alternative units in which information can be expressed eliminates the unit effect. Finally, the unit effect moderates relative thinking: consumers are more sensitive to relative attribute differences when the attribute is expressed on expanded scales. The relation with anchoring and implications for temporal discounting and loyalty programs are discussed.

Are All Units Created Equal? The Effect of Default Units on Product Evaluations

Previous research on attribute framing has shown that people often infer higher quantity from larger numbers, usually with the assumption that the units used to specify this information elicit the same meanings. Drawing on literature on categorization and numerical cognition, the authors challenge this assumption and show that consumers often have preset units for attribute levels that strike an optimal balance between a preference for small numbers and the need for accuracy (study 1a). As such, these default units appear commonly (study 1b). Specifying positive attributes in default units renders products’ evaluation more favorable, even if such specification lowers the nominal value of the attributes (studies 2–4). This effect disappears if participants attribute metacognitive feelings generated by default units to an irrelevant source (study 3). Study 5 shows that a default unit effect is more likely in single evaluation mode, but a numerosity effect may reemerge in joint evaluations.