What if your purchase could also help someone else? Robin Good refurbishes used laptops, tablets and other IT equipment and offers them through a social pricing model. People who can afford it pay the regular price, while those with less financial means can buy the device at cost price.

At Into The Great Wide Open, Robin Good explored whether visitors would be willing to pay a little extra for someone else. Of the 221 registered votes, 73% said ‘yes’, 21% were unsure and 6% said they didn’t think so. The amount people were willing to pay varied widely, from €5 or €10 to €50, €100 or €150. Some preferred to contribute a percentage of the purchase price.

The test also showed that transparency matters. People want to know who their contribution is helping and what it will make possible. Some visitors were also more willing to pay extra for essential IT, such as a laptop for school or work, than for a festival ticket.

One striking discovery: almost nobody knew that Into The Great Wide Open already offered the option to contribute towards a ticket for someone else. The option was easy to miss during the ticket-buying process.

The next step is a pilot in the Robin Good webshop. Customers will be able to choose between paying the cost price or the regular price. This will help Robin Good test what people actually do and which way of communicating the option works best.