Don't badge your priciest option 'recommended' - sales rose 58%
When a store recommended a product, sales rose up to 58% if a more expensive option also existed. But shoppers were 8% less interested when the recommended item was the most expensive one. Recommend a mid-priced tier, not your premium.
Quick Summary
Across 8 experiments with over 6,200 people, researchers found that sales of a recommended item rose up to 58% when a more expensive option was also available. But the recommendation only helped when it pointed at a cheaper option. Shoppers were 24% more interested when the recommended item was the cheapest, and 8% less interested when it was the most expensive.
On your store, badge a mid-priced tier as "Recommended" or "Most popular," not your premium package. Shoppers read a recommendation for the priciest option as a profit grab and discount it. If the premium genuinely is the best fit, justify it with an objective reason ("Bestseller," "Editor's pick") instead of a bare "recommended."
Key Finding
58%
Increase in sales of a recommended item when a more expensive option was also on the menu, versus no recommendation at all.
Kim & Schrift, 2026
Most stores put their "recommended" or "most popular" badge on the top tier. It feels natural: nudge people toward the option that makes the most margin. The research says this backfires.
In a series of 8 experiments, a recommended cafe drink sold 58% more when a pricier option sat alongside it. The catch: the lift only appeared when the recommendation pointed at the cheaper option. People were 24% more interested when the recommended item was the cheapest available, and 8% less interested when it was the most expensive.
Why recommending the priciest option backfires
Shoppers assume brands have an agenda. When you recommend your most expensive option, they read it as "they want my money" and quietly distrust the whole suggestion. When you recommend something that is not the priciest, there is no obvious ulterior motive, so people accept the nudge at face value.
The researchers also found badges compound this. An "Amazon's Choice" style label increased selection by 159% when it sat on the second-most-expensive option, but by 357% when the same label made an option the third-cheapest. The signal works far harder when it does not look self-serving.
What to change on your Shopify store
- Pick the tier you highlight deliberately. On bundle, variant, or plan selectors, put "Most popular" or "Recommended" on a mid-priced option, not the premium.
- Subscription and tiered pricing. Highlight the middle plan. It reframes the mid tier as the sensible default and pulls choice up from the cheapest without looking greedy.
- Cross-sell and upsell widgets. Recommend a mid-priced complementary product rather than the most expensive add-on.
- If the premium really is the right call, attach an objective reason: "Bestseller," "Best for large teams," or a third-party award. Give shoppers a rationale that is not just "we say so."
- Test it. Swap the badge from your top tier to a mid tier and watch units and revenue per visitor, not just conversion on the badged item.
Where it applies less
The effect was strongest when options were easy to compare on price (similar products at different prices). It weakens when the options differ in obvious ways, for example one clearly does more than another, and for high-stakes purchases where people lean heavily on expert recommendations anyway.
This pairs with how you frame the numbers themselves. See how discount framing changes perceived value and where to position your price on the page. If you want a second pair of eyes on how your tiers and badges are laid out, that is exactly what a focused UX audit is for.
Research: Kim, K. & Schrift, R. (2026). Journal of Consumer Research. Nanyang Technological University and Indiana University Bloomington. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucag020
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