Related implications to micropayments (Score 2)

The telephone studies describing consumer preferences for flat-rate over usage-blled have been out for some time and are also cited in discussions of behavioral finance. I've long thought this would be relevant to micropayment systems, as a similar economic decision exists.

The assumption is that micropayments are so small that no one will care. But this isn't true. There is still the floating anxiety and bother of "mentally counting" each minute (pun intended) purchase. Also related, if what you are purchasing with micropayments has clearly perceiveable "high value", such a system will likely be trivially accepted by users. If your prospective users do not clearly perceive value (whatever that means to them, not to you as a marketer), either due to the type of product offered or the way you've "positioned" your product, micropayment economics will fail.

I suspect that micropayments haven't really taken off in part because this fundamental piece of psychology was never integrated into either the protocols or the business plans of those creating micropayment systems.