Man shares Starbucks' decoy strategy that 'tricks you into sizing up drink'
With caffeine high on most people’s daily agenda, you might not be aware that your daily caffeine-fuelled or decaf coffee might be a decoy. But one man claims Starbucks has been using 'trickery' on its customers to entice them into buying larger drinks each time they visit.
According to Mark Tilbury on TikTok, a self-proclaimed and self-made millionaire who has 7.2 million followers, Starbucks uses a clever ploy to entice you into buying a larger size than you might initially have gone in for. Called ‘decoy pricing’, the business strategy is when a brand presents you with several different prices in a stealth bid to steer you to a particular product or service, called the ‘target’. By introducing another, slightly less desirable option –the decoy – this target looks more appealing, which is certainly the caffeinated case for Starbucks.
Read more: 'I took DNA test for a laugh - and accidentally uncovered my mum's devious past'
He said: “If you’re watching this, then Starbucks has probably tricked you,” before presenting viewers with two coffee cup options – one small £2.95 ($3.75) and one large £3.73 ($4.75), in a video titled ‘Starbucks is tricking you', that has racked up 469k views. "When you’re faced with these 2 options which would you go for?” he asked. “The large looks like a rip off, so you’re probably thinking the small, but when you add a medium into the mix, you’ll probably start thinking the large looks a little bit more reasonable.”
He then showed the medium-sized coffee cup, which was £3.50 ($4.45) before adding: “This is known as decoy pricing; in order to draw your eyes to the more expensive items they introduce this middle option, so be aware of it and buy whichever coffee you actually want,” he advised.
Greggs, Costa & Pret coffees have 'huge differences in caffeine', says reportViewers were stunned at his revelation, with one saying: “Thank you for sharing sir,” and another saying: “Great advice!” One said that this was a strategy often used on wine lists, too, while another said: “The real decoy is how much actual beverage you’re getting between the three sizes (it’s almost the same).” “Choice is an illusion,” commented one viewer, while another said: “They also say ‘is that a large?”after you ask for a drink as it’s easier for people to just say yes!”