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UX experiments / Friction

Friction · A/B test · millions of users

Show ticket fees upfront or at checkout? StubHub's test

StubHub · Blake, Moshary, Sweeney & Tadelis · 2021

Ticket prices: show fees upfront, or add them at checkout? Which earned more?

Version A: Fees included upfront
AFees included upfront
Version B: Fees added at checkout
BFees added at checkout

Make your call. Which version won, and why? Decide before you open the result. Guessing first is what trains your judgment.

Made your call? See the result

Hidden fees raised spending about 21%.

What happened

Users who saw fees only at checkout spent more and were more likely to buy. Regulators have since moved against this practice in several markets.

Why it worked

People anchor on the first price and rarely restart the comparison once they're in checkout.

The takeaway

A test can “win” with a dark pattern. Decide what you won't ship before you run it.

Source

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