People trust numbers. They trust them even when those numbers might not tell them the whole story. If something looks better numerically — higher ratings, bigger discounts, or more followers — people assume it’s the better choice, even if that’s not always true.
You can influence choices by showing numbers to make your products and services seem better. Here are three ways:
1. People Pick What Looks Better in Numbers
- Restaurants – A burger joint with a 4.8-star rating attracts more customers than one with 4.5 stars, even if the lower-rated place has better food.
- Colleges – A university ranked #15 in the country seems better than one ranked #20, even if the lower-ranked school has better programs for specific majors.
- Fitness Apps – A workout app with “10,000 downloads” looks more trustworthy than one that says “loved by thousands,” even if both are equally good.
2. People Pick What “Feels” Cheap or Expensive
- Subscription Service – “Only $1.99 per day” sounds cheaper than “$59 per month,” even though they cost the same.
- Car Lease – “$99 per week” feels more affordable than “$5,148 per year,” even though it’s the same price.
- Furniture Sales: “Save $400 today!” sounds like a better deal than “Get 10% off,” even though both discounts are identical.
3. People Use Numbers To Compare Themselves to Others
- Job Hunting – A LinkedIn post that says “500 people applied for this job” might discourage people from applying.
- Social Media – A TikTok with 2 million likes feels more important than one with 100,000 likes, even if the smaller one has better content.
- Gaming – A leaderboard showing “Top 1% of players” makes people more competitive than if it just said “Elite Player.”
You should show numbers highlighting its strengths whenever you want to sell something. If something is causing harm (like social media comparison), removing numbers might help.
Numbers change how we make decisions, and we help people make decisions.
Jeffrey Eisenberg
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