Attitude Toward the Pricing Strategy (Control)

What it measures

A five-item scale measuring the degree to which a consumer feels that a specific pricing strategy gives them a sense of control over the price they pay. Items tap perceptions of being in control during the pricing and purchase decision process, including control over the price itself and the decision to acquire the product. Items contain a blank to be filled with the focal product or service being purchased. The scale is designed for research examining how different pricing formats (e.g., pay-what-you-want, haggling, dynamic pricing) affect consumers' sense of personal agency.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• The way this _____ is priced made me feel like I was in control.
• When deciding whether or not to get _____, I felt I was in control of the price.
• The price of this _____ was controlled by me.
• The pricing strategy would demonstrate how much control I have.
• The pricing strategy made me feel like I am in control of the price.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMAT: Blanks should be replaced with the focal product or service (e.g., 'coffee', 'hotel room', 'service'). Alpha ranged from .92 to .95 across Studies 2–5 — Wang, Beck & Yuan (2022). VALIDITY: Discriminant validity tested against the companion Effort scale (APSE) in Studies 2, 3, and 5 using the AVE method. Companion to the Pricing Strategy (Effort) scale (APSE) from the same study.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Wang, Cheng Lu, Joshua T. Beck, and Xin Yuan (2022). Prices as tools of control: How pricing strategy affects sense of control and consumer well-being. Journal of Marketing, 86(2), 143–160.

Keywords