Convert Cash Into a Different Medium

Customers feel a pain of paying.

Cash feels most painful, then it weakens across different mediums (e.g., credit cards, gift cards, prepaid credits; see Mazar, Plassmann, Robitaille, & Lindner, 2016).

Perhaps new customers could deposit a refundable $10 into their account, giving them 50 credits. Since this new currency is decoupled from cash, it feels less painful to spend.

• Mazar, N., Plassmann, H., Robitaille, N., & Lindner, A. (2016). Pain of paying?—A metaphor gone literal: Evidence from neural and behavioral science. Rotman School of Management Working Paper, (2901808).