Step 1
Each tactic maps to the study that established it; the verdict is a fixed rule against that study's stated boundary conditions, never a model call.
Public tool method · Version 1.0.0
Pricing Tactic Checker
Use this method when you need to answer: Does the evidence behind this pricing tactic actually cover my situation? It turns the evidence you supply into a Sourced conditions verdict by applying explicit, versioned decision rules. The result is not a benchmark or certification. It shows the strongest evidence, riskiest input, next action, owner, and review date so another reader can inspect and challenge the decision.
Last material review 2026-08-08 · Next review 2026-11-06
Question answered
Does the evidence behind this pricing tactic actually cover my situation?
The Conditions Checker walks a pricing tactic through the boundary conditions its underlying study drew, then returns Applies, Does Not Apply, or Depends, Test It, from one versioned claims dataset that also generates the checker and the Claims Index.
Step 2
A 9-ending applies most cleanly on a new item with no competing Sale cue; the left-digit effect applies only when the whole-dollar digit rolls over; a decoy applies only when it is built to be dominated by one specific tier.
Step 3
An anchoring mechanism is never marked Does Not Apply on the mechanism itself; the verdict separates the established mechanism from the untested pricing-page magnitude.
Step 4
The two unsourced figures, the 31% value-based lift and the 94%-of-promotions-fail number, are marked MYTH and never repeated as fact; every verdict is a human-reviewed record with a primary source and date, reviewed at least quarterly.
Step 5
Record the required inputs and label missing or estimated evidence before classification.
Assumptions and limits
- The checker tells you whether a study's evidence covers your case; it does not predict revenue, conversion, or the profit-maximizing price.
- A no-match in the claim checker is a research lead, not proof a claim is false.
Usefulness hypothesis
A tactic checked against its study's real boundary conditions replaces a condition-free pricing rule in a live pricing decision.
Primary metric: Conditions Checker completion, verdict copy, or Claims Index deep-link
Worked example and modes
The same method, preserved entry intent.
- Id
- charm-pricing-9-ending
- Claim Text
- Charm pricing works; prices ending in 9 sell more.
- Verdict
- CONTESTED
- Real Finding
- Real field evidence, narrow effect. Anderson and Simester ran three field experiments with a mail-order retailer and a $9 ending raised demand every time; a women's clothing item sold more at $39 than at $34. The lift was stronger for new items and was dampened when a Sale cue ran alongside it, and the authors warn it is not a universal law. Not a myth, the experiments are real. Not clean verified, it is conditional and can backfire on premium goods.
- Do Instead
- Use a 9-ending most confidently on a new item with no competing discount signal. Keep a round number on premium or enterprise positioning, where a 9 can read as cheap. Test it on your own prices rather than treating it as a law.
- Category
- Pricing Psychology
Distribution package
Use, embed, and share the instrument.
Blank CSV template90-second demonstrationThree share treatmentsPlain-language answer
Embed with canonical attribution
<iframe src="https://petrichorgrowth.com/tools/pricing-benchmark-claims/embed.html" title="Pricing Tactic Checker" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="900"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://petrichorgrowth.com/tools/pricing-benchmark-claims">Pricing Tactic Checker by Petrichor</a></p>Ownership and change control
Who keeps the result defensible?
Product
Petrichor product
Method
Petrichor strategy
Evidence
Petrichor research
Privacy
Petrichor operations
Security
Petrichor web platform
Distribution
Petrichor growth
Support
Petrichor client experience
A material method change requires a reason, impact note, fixture rerun, semantic-version increment, and public entry in the method change log.
Related decision methods
Continue through the evidence chain.
AI Skill Assurance and Deployment Readiness
Determine whether a bounded AI workflow has the evidence and controls required for qualified review.
Authority Ledger
Identify where authority is accumulating, drifting, or going uncited.
Category Evidence Builder
Determine whether a proposed category has observable demand and usable evidence.
Related plain-language answers
AI Skill Assurance answerAuthority Ledger answerCategory Evidence answer
Method questions
What another reader should know.
What does the Pricing Tactic Checker method produce?
A versioned Sourced conditions verdict with visible reasoning, evidence status, next action, ownership, and review date.
What inputs does Pricing Tactic Checker require?
Only the structured decision evidence named by the instrument. Missing or estimated inputs remain visible in the result.
Does the method use AI or a cross-customer benchmark?
No. It applies deterministic rules to the user's inputs and does not compare one customer with another.
When is the method reviewed or changed?
The current method is reviewed at least every 90 days. Material changes require new fixtures, a version increment, and a public change note.
When should the artifact move into facilitated work?
When the unresolved decision requires team challenge, evidence reconciliation, dissent, ownership, and an organizational commitment.