9990 · 2.2.2
Menu design psychology flashcards
Revision flashcards for Cambridge 9990 Menu design psychology (syllabus 2.2.2). Flip, recall, then mark a real past-paper question.
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Golden triangle on menus?
Top-right area receives most eye fixations — prime placement for high-margin items (eye-tracking studies).
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Decoy pricing?
Expensive 'anchor' item makes mid-priced target look reasonable — exploits anchoring bias (2.3.3).
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Descriptive labelling?
Sensory adjectives ('tender', 'farm-fresh') increase item appeal and sales vs plain names (Wansink et al.).
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Price formatting trick?
Removing currency symbols (£, $) reduces 'pain of paying' — prices feel less salient.
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Choice architecture?
Structuring options to nudge decisions without restricting freedom — Thaler & Sunstein concept applied to menus.
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Link to 2.3.3?
Menu tricks exploit anchoring, framing, and loss aversion — cognitive biases in decision-making.
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What is the 'Golden Triangle' in menu design?
A theory suggesting a customer's eyes typically scan a menu in a specific pattern: middle, then top right, then top left. Restaurants place high-profit items in these areas to maximise visibility.
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Explain 'anchoring' as a menu pricing strategy.
Placing a deliberately high-priced item on a menu to make other, moderately expensive items appear more reasonably priced in comparison, thereby influencing the customer's perception of value.
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What is the 'paradox of choice' in the context of menus?
The psychological principle that offering too many options can overwhelm consumers, leading to decision-making anxiety, procrastination, and lower satisfaction with their final choice.
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What did Wansink's (2005) research on menu language demonstrate?
It showed that using descriptive, sensory, and nostalgic language (e.g., 'succulent Italian seafood fillet') increased sales by up to 27% and improved customers' perception of the food's taste and value.
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Define 'charm pricing' and the psychological effect it uses.
The practice of ending prices just below a round number (e.g., £7.99). It leverages the 'left-digit effect', where consumers focus on the first digit, making the price seem significantly lower than the next whole number.