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Change in your wallet, change your choice: The effect of the change-matching heuristic on choice

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  • Cheng, Yin-Hui
  • Chuang, Shih-Chieh
  • Pei-I Yu, Annie
  • Lai, Wan-Ting

Abstract

Having change in our wallet is quite common when we pay cash when shopping. This study examines the phenomenon whereby people choose to buy a product with a price that matches the amount of change they have in their wallets. The study uses a series of experiments to investigate whether this “change-matching heuristic†helps customers make purchase decisions. The findings confirm that the change-matching heuristic increases consumers’ processing fluency. The findings also confirm that the compromise and attraction conditions may dilute the influence of the change-matching heuristic.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng, Yin-Hui & Chuang, Shih-Chieh & Pei-I Yu, Annie & Lai, Wan-Ting, 2019. "Change in your wallet, change your choice: The effect of the change-matching heuristic on choice," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 67-76.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:49:y:2019:i:c:p:67-76
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.03.008
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