In this study, we investigate the image communicated
by the 99 price ending by testing components of
both a favorable price image and an unfavorable quality
image. The study consists of an experiment in
which the dependent variables are the reactions of
subjects to a set of advertisements that prominently
display a price. Two versions of each ad were created,
one in which the price was expressed with a 99 ending
(e.g., $49.99) and the other in which the price was
expressed with a 00 ending (e.g., $50.00). Each subject
saw only one of these two versions of each ad and
responded to a set of questions pertaining to the price
and quality images communicated by the ad.