Branding and the Decoy Effect in Alcohol Purchasing Decisions

To inform the development of regulatory strategies, it is important to understand how alcohol branding interacts with seductive pricing strategies to influence purchasing decisions.

Towards this aim, the current study examines how the ‘decoy effect’ may operate to modify purchasing decisions for branded alcoholic beverages.
The study showed that when faced with a choice conflict, individuals who consume alcohol may be nudged into selecting more expensive branded alcoholic beverages.
These findings may inform the development of alcohol control policies relating to branding and relative pricing/product placement.