Framing the Unlikely Pair: “Free Gifts” Heuristic in Evaluation of Non-Complementary Product Bundles

Firms increasingly offer non-complementary product bundles, yet marketing these ‘unlikely pairs’ effectively remains a significant challenge. This study investigates a solution by examining the psychological impact of promotional framing. Using a 2 × 2 between-subject online experiment (N = 342), we test how a ‘free gift’ versus a ‘price discount’ frame moderates the effect of bundle complementarity on purchase intention. Our findings reveal that while non-complementary bundles typically reduce consumers’ smart shopper feelings and purchase intentions, this negative effect is pronounced under a price discount frame but attenuated under a free gift frame. Specifically, the free gift framing prevented the decline in smart shopper feelings observed in the discount condition, resulting in non-complementary bundles being evaluated as favorably as complementary ones. These findings indicate that the challenge of marketing non-complementary bundles can be mitigated by using a free gift frame, which leverages a powerful psychological heuristic to sustain consumers’ feelings of savvy consumption and enhance the appeal of otherwise incongruent offers.