The PTPK is a validated measure of consumers' persuasion knowledge about specific retailer pricing tactics — the degree to which consumers understand that particular pricing strategies are designed to influence their purchase decisions and perceptions of value. Hardesty, Bearden, and Carlson (2007) drew on Friestad and Wright's (1994) Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM) to argue that consumers develop lay theories about retailer pricing tactics that moderate the tactics' persuasive effectiveness. The PTPK operationalises persuasion knowledge for four commonly used retail pricing tactics. Comparative Price Advertising Knowledge captures awareness that advertised 'was/now' or 'regular/sale' price comparisons may be strategically inflated or misleading. Bundle Pricing Knowledge captures awareness that bundled prices may obscure individual item costs and induce incremental spending. Limited-Time Offer Knowledge captures awareness that time pressure tactics ('today only', 'while supplies last') are designed to reduce deliberation and accelerate purchase. Odd-Ending Price Knowledge captures awareness that prices ending in .99 or .95 are designed to create the perception of a significantly lower price tier. High-PTPK consumers — those with well-developed pricing tactic knowledge — are less susceptible to each tactic's intended influence and are more likely to make price comparisons that counteract the tactic's effect. PTPK scores are positively correlated with marketplace experience, price consciousness, and need for cognition, and negatively correlated with susceptibility to reference price anchoring and deal framing effects.
Hardesty, D.M., Bearden, W.O., & Carlson, J.P. (2007). Persuasion knowledge and consumer reactions to pricing tactics. Journal of Marketing, 71(2), 192–205.
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