Odd-Even Pricing: Definition, Strategy, Psychology Behind it

Continuing their relentless research of buyers’ psychology, marketers use a large variety of psychological approaches to increase sales. There’s a 99.9% chance you’ve personally been influenced by one of them: it’s called “odd-even pricing.” This article explains how this pricing strategy works, shows examples of sellers using it, and describes the ways to implement it in online retail.

How did odd-even pricing appear in the retail industry? One of the initial explanations behind this method is that it helped vendors prevent theft of goods. When products are charged in whole numbers, like $10 or $20, buyers usually don’t need change, which might give a seller the opportunity to simply steal the sum without opening the cash register. With the introduction of prices like $19.99, cashiers had to give change and record the transaction.

Later on, this idea gained traction when businesses and economists started researching customers’ buying habits and behaviors. It turned out that odd and even prices had a different impact on unconscious perception of product value.

Research shows how deeply psychological pricing influences consumer behavior and brand perception. A landmark 1997 study revealed that almost 90% of retail prices end in odd digits like 9 or 5, with odd numbered prices ending in 9 dominating nearly 60% of all listings. This highlights how often businesses use odd pricing tactics as part of their odd even pricing strategy.

McKinsey analysis supports the financial weight of such decisions: even a 1% pricing improvement can raise profits by an average of 6%. This finding confirms that behind odd-even pricing lies a powerful lever for both margin control and marketing strategy. The psychology behind odd-even pricing suggests that shoppers tend to perceive the price ending in .99 as cheaper than the round number, while endings in .95 can create more trust for premium products. These subtle price ending choices directly affect perception of value.

However, research also shows that the effectiveness of odd-even pricing depends on the product or service type. Pricing items at $1.99 may create a sense of urgency and influence consumer behavior in fast-moving retail, while prices that end in an even number are often used to position high-end goods as trustworthy and stable. In some cases, retailers even design prices to make the cashier’s register give change, reinforcing the authenticity of the sale.

Overall, effective odd-even pricing is more than tradition—it refers to a pricing choice grounded in data, perception, and the psychological effect that can be used to increase sales across categories.

In order to comprehend how the odd-even pricing strategy applies to retail circumstances, let us dive into its psychological mechanisms. Practice shows that the last digits of a price may influence consumer perceptions exactly as much as, and sometimes even more, than the initial digits. Charm pricing, which exploits this tendency to make some prices look cheaper than they actually are, is one method of doing this.

Here’s how numbers in prices are perceived by human psychology:

• Prices that finish in an odd number of cents, such as $7.99 or $124.95, might give the impression that you are saving money. Retail businesses frequently employ this unusual pricing approach in order to make a price seem lower. For buyers with a limited budget, non-sale products frequently end in an odd price of cents.
• Evenly priced goods imply elegance and completeness. A price typically conveys a sense of completion when it finishes in a whole number. This is especially true when that entire number has an even numeric value. Even prices are frequently used by luxury shops. Even numbers are preferred by service providers like lawyers and tutors, whose rates typically end in zeros.

The psychology behind odd-even pricing shows that it’s not just tradition, but a set of cognitive triggers that directly influence consumer behavior. One of the strongest mechanisms is the left-digit bias: shoppers focus on the first number and often ignore the cents. A price ending at $4.99 is perceived as closer to $4 than to the round number $5, even though the difference is only one cent.

Another mechanism is the anchoring effect. The initial digit sets the mental reference point, making it easier for consumers to perceive the price as cheaper compared to competing pricing items. This is why many examples of odd-even pricing link directly to charm pricing, where companies deliberately use odd numbers like .99 or .95 to strengthen the sense of savings.

Cognitive processing also plays a role. Research suggests the brain handles odd numbered prices differently from those that end in an even number, associating odd prices with bargains and even prices with stability. This leads to the perceived value effect: odd prices create a sense of urgency for everyday goods, while even prices are better suited for premium products that aim to elevate brand perception.

Finally, the perceived gain effect explains why .99 endings are so powerful. They trigger the belief that a product or service is a better deal, reinforcing the psychological pricing strategy. Used wisely, these pricing tactics form an odd even pricing strategy that boosts sales, supports long-term marketing strategy, and ensures effective odd-even pricing is not just a gimmick but a proven way to be used to increase sales and shape the perception of value.

If customers do regard odd-numbered prices as bargains, this approach should be implemented in your business’s pricing strategy. It is recommended for brands that want to position themselves as discount retailers and good value providers. Meanwhile, pricing with whole numbers (even numbers) makes more sense for businesses that want to display an image of being an upscale merchant or offer premium goods or services.

One of the examples of odd-even pricing is Men's Wearhouse. For these specific sport jackets, the shop aggressively promotes bargains. Casting these jackets as high-end products is less important than getting rid of surplus stock cheaply. Therefore, the brand decided to emphasize that message by implementing unusual pricing.

Premium apparel company Brooks Brothers tries to convey their reputation through the even price approach. Their customer base, which is prepared to ignore discounts in favor of what they perceive to be of superior quality, buys these jackets at full price. As a result, the business uses even pricing.

Mattress Firm is a brand that offers a large gamut of mattresses and targets different audiences. Thanks to its diverse assortment, it uses even pricing for higher-tiered goods in combination with bargains on cheaper models.

Some sellers adjust the final digit of a product's price to emphasize how much it has already been reduced and whether it can be further discounted. One retailer with such a price plan is Target. Here’s how it works with pricing:

• Products are reduced by increments of 15%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and lastly, 90%.
• Prices with a 6 or 8 will be reduced once more during the following repricing cycle, which occurs around every two weeks.
• Prices with a four-digit number, like $12.94, are in final clearance and won't be discounted further.

It seems that picking an odd price, which results in a dollar amount and cents, such as $3.95, has the most influence when compared to a full number, such as $10.00. However, when customers are comparing $7.99 and $7.98, the distinction between odd and even cents doesn't matter as much.

Odd-even pricing involves more than just setting all of your prices to finish in .99. Even more deeply rooted aspects of the psychology of numbers affect how we judge the value of a brand or product.

Prices that finish in a 9 denote good value, whereas prices that end in a 0 denote a more expensive product. Utilizing the power of numbers allows you to gently place your items in the minds of consumers, but there is a danger that, if done incorrectly, you may wind up hurting your brand.

Odd pricing sometimes resonates as deals or reductions with value-conscious buyers, which encourages larger purchases and impulsive shopping. Most of these customers spend less time determining whether to make the purchase or not and are less worried about the danger of buying more than they need since they believe they are receiving a good bargain.

Odd pricing might not be for you, though, if you're searching for quality-conscious customers with high retention potential. Using pricing that finishes in even numbers would be more appropriate for businesses that wish to be perceived as more of a high-end brand, or that offer premium goods or services. For example, you can often see companies like Dior or Gucci using even pricing.

Odd-even pricing can be powerful, but only if applied strategically. This psychological pricing strategy works because shoppers often misinterpret odd numbered prices as lower, encouraging faster decisions. It can boost sales and increase basket size, yet it also carries risks for brand perception and long-term customer loyalty. Businesses must balance the psychological effect with their overall pricing tactics, ensuring they create a sustainable value proposition rather than short-term gains.

After reading about the drawbacks of odd-even pricing strategies, you may be wondering how to craft a strategy that will communicate your product’s value in the right way. Here’s what you can do:

So, does this imply that nines and fives are the key to higher sales? Absolutely not, given how mainstream odd-even pricing has become. However, you can be more creative and select figures that will stick out and draw website visitors' attention. For example, how about charging $96.08 for your product?

Offering the original price as an even number but then presenting the discount as an odd number helps you to display your items as though the discount is greater than it actually is.

This helps contextualize the discount by utilizing the psychology underlying both sets of prices. When compared to other discounted items on the same page from ASOS, the example below truly makes this product stand out.

Additionally, you have the option of selecting both odd and even pricing. By differentiating between major and secondary product ranges or highlighting products that are on sale (for example, a product that has been reduced from €500 to €426), this strategy can assist brands with a wide product offering in attracting a more diverse mix of clients.

The odd-even pricing method helps companies improve their financial strategy and impact consumers’ pricing behaviors. However, this approach has certain advantages and disadvantages. The success of this strategy depends on how well it reflects product value and appeals to consumers’ purchasing preferences.

When experimenting with the odd-even approach, you can automate cost updates by implementing dynamic pricing software by Priceva. It will generate the best automatic price recommendations for you to make optimal decisions and optimize the outcomes of your pricing efforts.

Setting odd-even prices was initially done to have the cashier open the register to issue change and therefore record the sale.

It depends, because they have a different psychological impact on price perception. Odd pricing makes products look like bargains, especially in sale prices. Even pricing appeals to buyers looking for top-tier options.

Prices that end in even numbers create a sense of completeness. They are often used for premium and luxury products, and aim to appeal to higher market segments.

Charm pricing focuses specifically on ending prices in .99 to make them look cheaper, while odd-even pricing is a broader strategy that analyzes both odd and even endings. Charm pricing is a subset of the odd-even pricing strategy.

Luxury brands typically use round number or even endings to reinforce exclusivity and premium positioning. Odd endings may suggest discounts or bargains, which can undermine brand perception and reduce the sense of quality or prestige.