Drip Pricing
Revealing additional fees gradually throughout the purchase
process, making the final price higher than that originally quoted
43%
of the applications studied (23 of 53), used some form of Drip
Pricing in their designs
Travel Booking
had the most instances of Drip Pricing (33% of occurrences),
followed by E-commerce (31%)
Purchase Journey
is where Drip Pricing was commonly observed
Definition
A pattern that businesses employ to make a product
appear more affordable by gradually revealing
additional fees throughout the purchase process in
order to get users invested in the buying process
Ways in which businesses utilise
Drip Pricing
Mandatory Fee Drip
Revealing unavoidable charges one at a time
during a checkout journey, gradually increasing
the total cost from the initial advertised price.
How does it affect users?
Prevents easy price comparisons and creates ambiguity around the final amount to be paid.
Hidden Cost Drip
Inflating prices at checkout with no prior mention of
optional costs or a detailed breakdown of the final amount.
How does it affect users?
Leads to confusion and makes users spend extra time understanding the extra costs and the breakup.
Ways in which design can address
Drip Pricing
Upfront Costs or Terms
Be transparent about pricing from the start of the user journey, disclosing either the exact amount or the types of charges.
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