How Suggested Amounts Shape Giving at Ski-Resort Checkout

Status: anonymized partner study. This is a separate experiment from the season-pass preselection study. It tests the suggested amount within a single checkout design and reports its own participant sample and results.

What we tested

One hundred and two Prolific participants completed a simulated ski-resort booking flow. They were randomly assigned to a preselected contribution of $1, $5, or $10. The checkout, charitable recipient, wording, and selected-box design stayed the same across the three groups. The suggested dollar amount varied across the $1, $5, and $10 conditions.

The donation decision had real financial consequences. Participants could keep a bonus payment or donate it to the conservation recipient.

Real-money results

• Average donation revenue increased at every step: $0.73 per participant at $1, $2.65 at $5, and $4.29 at $10.
• The $10 condition generated 5.9× the revenue of the $1 condition on a per-participant basis.
• 42.9% kept the $10 contribution selected, compared with 72.7% at $1 (p = .015). Participation declined as the requested amount rose, while the amount retained by participating donors increased revenue at each step.

What this study supports

The suggested contribution amount is a meaningful checkout decision. In this simulated booking context, higher preselected amounts increased revenue through larger individual contributions. A live A/B test can measure this pattern with an individual resort's guests and operating volume.

Methods and scope

Participants were recruited through Prolific and randomly assigned across three checkout conditions (n = 102). The primary outcome was a real decision to keep or donate a participant bonus. The booking itself was simulated. We report per-participant results publicly because the partner's identity, existing donation program, and annual purchase volume remain confidential.