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When retailers wait to reveal prices, shoppers fill in the blanks

Phys · · 794 words · By Iowa State University
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What to know about When retailers wait to reveal prices, shoppers fill in the blanks

The article reports on research by Minzhe Xu and colleagues regarding how delayed price disclosure in online shopping affects consumer behavior. The study suggests that when consumers have high price expectations, delaying the price reveal can make the actual cost seem like a better deal, whereas it can deter those expecting bargains.

Propaganda risk 0%
Claims checked 7
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

When retailers wait to reveal prices, shoppers fill in the blanks Stephanie Baum Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor Sometimes the price wasn't missing; its disclosure was just delayed.

Why it matters

That's what Minzhe Xu, assistant professor of marketing in Iowa State University's Ivy College of Business, and his fellow researchers noticed when shopping online.

Common ground

A growing number of retailers were asking shoppers to take one more step—add to cart to see price, click to reveal, sign in to view price—before revealing an item's cost.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

The article reports on research by Minzhe Xu and colleagues regarding how delayed price disclosure in online shopping affects consumer behavior. The study suggests that when consumers have high price expectations, delaying the price reveal can make the actual cost seem like a better deal, whereas it can deter those expecting bargains.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-retailers-reveal-prices-shoppers-blanks.html

analyticsAnalysis

0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3
check_circle Corroborated 3
verified Verified 1
info
Claim 1: “That's exactly what happened in a field test with the online store of Frávega, a major, mid-tier retailer of household appliances and technology products in Argentina... During a period of inflation topping 40%, the company temporarily concealed prices on various items—including espresso machines and kettles—and sales went up.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for claim 3 consists of irrelevant search results (YouTube, general inflation definitions) and does not mention Frévega or the specific field test results.
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web search NEUTRAL — About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yte06HzQaJ4
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web search NEUTRAL — Inflation has plunged countries into long periods of instability. Central bankers often aspire to be known as “inflation hawks.” Politicians have won elections with promises to combat inflation, only …
https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/series/back…
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web search NEUTRAL — A key measure of inflation fell to nearly a five-year low last month as apartment rental price growth slowed and gas prices fell, offering some relief to Americans grappling with the sharp cost increa…
https://www.fastcompany.com/91492861/inflation-trump-economy…
verified
Claim 2: “Felipe M Affonso et al, Concealing Prices: How Delayed Price Disclosure Influences Consumer Purchase Decisions, Journal of Consumer Research (2025). DOI: 10.1093/jcr/ucaf051”
VERIFIED
Multiple sources (Google Scholar, SSRN, and specific paper listings) confirm the existence of the paper 'Concealing Prices: How Delayed Price Disclosure Influences Consumer Purchase Decisions' authored by Felipe M. Affonso, Minzhe Xu, and others, associated with the Journal of Consumer Research.
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web search NEUTRAL — Keywords: Price disclosure, price obfuscation, consumer expectations, pricing, retailing.Felipe M. Affonso (Contact Author). Oklahoma State University - Stillwater - Department of Marketing ( email ).…
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6610002
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web search NEUTRAL — • delayed price disclosure (vs. immediate price disclosure). increases e-commerce sales. (2) Experiment: Delaying Prices in Physical Stores.
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/concealing-pric…
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web search NEUTRAL — Concealing Prices: How Delayed Price Disclosure Influences Consumer Purchase Decisions. FM Affonso, A Shiri, D Aparicio, M Xu, X Wang, C Janiszewski, M Bertini.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AcRvZ2AAAAAJ&hl=en
info
Claim 3: “Minzhe Xu, assistant professor of marketing in Iowa State University's Ivy College of Business, and his fellow researchers noticed when shopping online... A growing number of retailers were asking shoppers to take one more step—add to cart to see price, click to reveal, sign in to view price—before revealing an item's cost.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the provided web results mention general online retailing and a forum post about hiding prices for non-logged-in users, there is no independent corroboration of the specific trend or the specific observation by Minzhe Xu across multiple sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — In the digital age, an increasing number of retailers are seeking to reach broader markets by selling through multiple channels, including both bricks and mortar and online retailing. Digital technolo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retail
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web search NEUTRAL — Trading View.
https://www.tradingview.com/accounts/signin/
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web search NEUTRAL — I managed to hide pricing for non log in customer but if they add item to card they can still see the pricing. So what I want to do is hide the “add …
https://community.shopify.com/t/hiding-add-to-cart-for-non-l…
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Claim 4: “When shoppers already believe a product or store is expensive, showing the price later can actually help [increase sales].”
CORROBORATED
The SSRN result for 'Concealing Prices' and the Mirage News article both discuss how delayed disclosure changes price beliefs and expectations, specifically noting that when consumers expect low prices, delays can make purchases less likely, implying the inverse for expensive perceptions.
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web search NEUTRAL — "Delays in disclosure can change how people think about the price," he said. Could they also increase profits for retailers? Hiding in plain sight. Retailers have long argued about whether prices shou…
https://www.miragenews.com/delayed-pricing-leads-shoppers-to…
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web search NEUTRAL — Conversely, when consumers anticipate prices should be inexpensive (e.g., sales events or discount stores), a price delay allows price beliefs to shift price expectations downward, making purchases le…
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6610002
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web search NEUTRAL — Lowering the price may increase sales, or it may decrease sales, just as increasing the price may increase sales or may decrease sales. It’s scary not knowing which way sales would go when you change …
https://blog.pricebeam.com/think-lowering-your-price-is-the-…
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Claim 5: “In additional tests, Xu and team found that a delay in showing prices on sale items or products from budget retailers made shoppers imagine even lower numbers. When the real price appeared... consumer interest dropped.”
CORROBORATED
The SSRN evidence for the paper 'Concealing Prices' explicitly states that when consumers anticipate prices should be inexpensive (e.g., sales events or discount stores), a price delay allows expectations to shift downward, making purchases less likely when prices are revealed.
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web search NEUTRAL — Lower interest rates also turn savers into speculators.
https://www.investopedia.com/insights/forces-behind-interest…
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web search NEUTRAL — Understanding how interest rates influence home prices involves delving into the intricacies of the real estate market. When interest rates are low, the demand for homes tends to rise as more people c…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/revealing-impact-how-interest…
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web search NEUTRAL — When interest rates rise, the cost of borrowing for companies increases, which can result in lower profits and reduced dividend payments. This can lead to a decrease in the stock price of dividend-pay…
https://learntube.ai/blog/business-finance/stock-market/expl…
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Claim 6: “The paper is published in the Journal of Consumer Research.”
CORROBORATED
Google Scholar and other web results confirm Minzhe Xu's role as an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University and his association with research in consumer behavior. The paper 'Concealing Prices' is linked to him and the Journal of Consumer Research in the evidence for claim 6.
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web search NEUTRAL — Minzhe Xu. Assistant Professor of Marketing, Iowa State University. Verified email at iastate.edu. Consumer Behavior Judgment and Decision Making.Journal of Marketing Research 60 (2), 355-370, 2023.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=D9HheQEAAAAJ&hl=en
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web search NEUTRAL — with Minzhe Xu and Yang Yang.Theoretically, this research enriches the misinformation literature and the smartphone literature and makes a unique contribution to both.
https://www.zhenqiliu.com/publication/
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web search NEUTRAL — Research published in the Journal of Consumer Research in 2015.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1509/jmr.10.0353
info
Claim 7: “When retailers explain why a price is hidden—for example, saying a 'minimum advertised price' policy prevents them from showing the number—most shoppers assume the price must be low... This assumption ends up reducing their interest in making a purchase”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'providing' and contains no information regarding 'minimum advertised price' policies or consumer behavior.
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web search NEUTRAL — Although occasionally still disapproved, providing is as well established as a conjunction as provided is. Provided is more common.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/providing
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web search NEUTRAL — Anyone can take part, providing they are in good health. Providing I can fit it into my schedule, I'm up for it! The challenges can be met, providing that local and national governments collaborate. P…
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/providin…
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web search NEUTRAL — PROVIDING definition: on the condition or understanding (that); provided. See examples of providing used in a sentence.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/providing
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.