04/13/2026
Your brain never reads $97 as "almost $100."
It reads it as "somewhere in the $90s."
This is called left-digit anchoring. Your brain locks onto the first digit before it finishes processing the rest of the number. $97 gets mentally filed under the "90s category." $100 gets filed under "triple digits." To your brain, that $3 gap feels psychologically enormous.
Researchers at the University of Florida found charm prices increase purchase rates by up to 24% over rounded numbers.
You are not saving $3. You are being sorted into a buying decision before your rational mind even shows up.
