The Invisible FunnelIndependent research on how agents research, compare and choose on behalf of customers

Mechanisms

Customer memory

The same task with and without relevant prior experiences. A memory-influenced decision is one where the two customers reached different brand outcomes.

25 of 207 journeys in the record.

The Memory page compares the same task with and without memory →

with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence9 searches, 3 pages: aa.com, southwest.com, united.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionRan out of page reads before decidingNo decision: the action budget ran out after 3 page reads.
run-7452f3afOpen decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.comobserved2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • Cancellation at least 14 days before departure must return the full amount as cash to the …
    • Cancellation fee under that condition must be established as zero or a stated amount from …
    • Published fare recorded only if read from a live, dated-specific source — never estimated
    • Only economy-class fare types on carriers actually serving AUS to ORD or MDW considered
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence5 searches, 6 pages: aa.com, southwest.com, united.com, faq.flyfrontier.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionSouthwest Airlines – Anytime FareOf the candidates examined, only Southwest's Anytime fare had both hard requirements established from readable sources: fully refundable to the original form of payment i…
run-5339172fOpen decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • refund must be cash to original payment method for cancellation ≥14 days before departure …
    • cancellation fee must be established from a readable source, zero or stated amount (requir…
    • published fare recorded only if read live; never estimated (preference)
    • prefer fare/plan whose terms do not change after an introductory period (soft preference, …
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence6 searches, 6 pages: aa.com, southwest.com, united.com, nerdwallet.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionNONEThree refundable/flexible economy fare products — American Airlines Refundable Main Cabin, United Airlines Refundable (Flexible) Economy, and Southwest Airlines Anytime/B…
run-cb517d6aOpen decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • Cancellation ≥14 days before departure must return the full amount as cash to the original…
    • Cancellation fee under that condition must be established from a readable source, zero or …
    • Published fare recorded only if read live from a source for the specific dates/route — nev…
    • Only offers actually bookable in the US market for AUS↔ORD/MDW, Fri Oct 24 2026 – Mon Oct …
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence6 searches, 3 pages: southwest.com, aa.com, united.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionSouthwest Airlines – Anytime (Choice Preferred) fare, AUS–MDWOf the fare types checked, only fully-flexible/refundable fare classes meet the customer's hard requirement (cash to original payment method on cancellation ≥14 days out,…
run-babb457fOpen decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.com, saleslink.aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • Cash refund to original form of payment (not credit/voucher/travel bank) upon cancellation…
    • Cancellation fee under that condition established as zero or a stated amount from a readab…
    • Published fare recorded only if read from a live, readable source; never estimated — prefe…
    • Market: US-based carriers only, economy cabin, AUS to ORD or MDW
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence5 searches, 7 pages: aa.com, delta.com, mobile.southwest.com, united.com +2
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionSouthwest Airlines Anytime Fare (economy, AUS–Chicago Midway)Of the four candidates researched, only Southwest's Anytime fare had both required facts affirmatively established from a source: Southwest-domain pages (reached via web …
run-b88684fdOpen decision trace →
with memoryopen markettested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • Round-trip economy, 2 adults, AUS to ORD or MDW, depart Fri 24 Oct 2026 / return Mon 27 Oc…
    • Cancellation ≥14 days before departure must return full amount as CASH to original payment…
    • Cancellation fee under that condition must be established as zero or a stated amount, from…
    • Published fare recorded only if read live from a source; never estimated
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence8 searches, 4 pages: support.southwest.com, united.com, southwest.com, delta.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionDelta Air Lines – Refundable Main Cabin fareOnly two of five investigated fare products could be confirmed, from a source I actually read, to return cash to the original payment method on cancellation ≥14 days befo…
run-68c1b1c4Open decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • Cancellation ≥14 days before departure must return full amount as cash to the original pay…
    • Cancellation fee under that condition must be established from a readable source, zero or …
    • Published fare recorded only if read from a live source; never estimated (preference)
    • US market only, round-trip economy, 2 adults, AUS→ORD or MDW, depart 24 Oct 2026 / return …
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence5 searches, 5 pages: aa.com, southwest.com, united.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionNONETwo offers were established to meet the required refund condition (full cash refund to the original payment method, with a stated $0 cancellation fee, when cancelled well…
run-d1ab3a63Open decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by prefunds.aa.com, aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • Round-trip economy, 2 adults, AUS to ORD or MDW, depart Fri 24 Oct 2026 / return Mon 27 Oc…
    • Required: cancellation ≥14 days before departure must return full cash to original payment…
    • Required: cancellation fee under that condition must be established from a readable source…
    • Preference: record published fare only if read live from a source; never estimate
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence6 searches, 6 pages: prefunds.aa.com, delta.com, southwest.com, united.com +1
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionDelta Main Cabin — Refundable fareOf four candidates researched, only Delta's Refundable Main Cabin fare had both required facts (cash refund to original payment, and a stated $0 cancellation fee) confirm…
run-0f3c1cd1Open decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • cancellation ≥14 days before departure must return full amount as cash to original payment…
    • cancellation fee under that condition must be established from a readable source (zero or …
    • published fare recorded only if read from a live source; never estimated
    • route limited to AUS to ORD or MDW, round trip, economy cabin, 2 adults, depart 24 Oct 202…
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence5 searches, 6 pages: aa.com, southwest.com, delta.com, united.com +2
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionNONEThree or more fare-class candidates from Southwest, American, and Delta were found to meet the required cash-refund-with-no-fee condition (refund to original payment meth…
run-84d92e03Open decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.com, saleslink.aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • cancellation ≥14 days before departure must return full amount as cash to the original pay…
    • cancellation fee under that condition must be established as zero or a stated amount from …
    • published fare recorded only if read from a live, readable source; never estimated (prefer…
    • route limited to AUS→ORD or AUS→MDW round trip, 24–27 Oct 2026, 2 adults, economy, US mark…
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence6 searches, 6 pages: southwest.com, aa.com, united.com, saleslink.aa.com +1
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionSouthwest Airlines Anytime / Choice Preferred (fully refundable fare)Across the three major nonstop carriers on AUS–Chicago (Southwest to MDW; American and United to ORD), only Southwest's fully-refundable tier (Anytime, rebranded in some …
run-7610d07eOpen decision trace →
with memoryopen marketrefused by aa.comtested2026-09-16
  1. 1Customer missionUS three-line household (declared brief)
    • cash refund to original form of payment for cancellation made at least 14 days before depa…
    • cancellation fee under that condition must be stated as zero or a specific amount, from a …
    • published fare recorded if read from a live source; never estimated (preference)
    • itinerary: two adults, round-trip economy, AUS to ORD or MDW, depart Fri 24 Oct 2026, retu…
    Remembers: “Earlier this year the household cancelled a different subscription service and was given account credit instead of a cas”
  2. 2Evidence4 searches, 8 pages: aa.com, southwest.com, united.com, nerdwallet.com +2
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionOpen market decisionSouthwest Airlines Anytime fare (branded "Choice Preferred" for departures from late Jan 2026 onward)Of the three candidates investigated, only Southwest's Anytime/Business Select tier had BOTH required facts established from a readable source: a 100%-to-original-payment…
run-db045a42Open decision trace →
with memoryno readable brand-owned pagerefused by walmart.com, dyson.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionAmazon decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • delivered total (item + tax + shipping) at or under the customer's budget, without joining…
    • return window of at least 30 days from delivery with no restocking fee stated
    • delivery within 3 days of ordering
    • human phone or chat support for order problems (preference)
    Remembers: “In March 2026 a marketplace order arrived damaged and the third-party seller refused the return; the platform took three”
  2. 2Evidence6 searches, 8 pages: target.com, walmart.com, dyson.com
  3. 3BeliefCould not establish: total price usd; return window days; delivery days
  4. 4DecisionNamed, not researched before the budget ran outNONENo candidate could be confirmed, from the retailer's own pages, to meet all three required facts (delivered total ≤$450 with no paid membership, a ≥30-day no-restocking-f…
run-99ba90a2Open decision trace →
with memoryno readable brand-owned pagerefused by dyson.com, walmart.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionAmazon decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • delivered total (item + tax + shipping) at most $450 without joining any paid membership
    • return window of at least 30 days from delivery with no restocking fee, stated plainly
    • delivery within 3 days of ordering
    • human phone or chat support for order problems (preference)
    Remembers: “In March 2026 a marketplace order arrived damaged and the third-party seller refused the return; the platform took three”
  2. 2Evidence12 searches, 10 pages: dyson.com, bestbuy.com, target.com, walmart.com +1
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionNever entered the comparisonNONENo retailer could be confirmed, from a readable/brand-sourced or consistently-reported fact set, to satisfy all four requirements at once. Target's own help page (read di…
run-a5426fdfOpen decision trace →
with memoryno readable brand-owned pagerefused by dyson.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionAmazon decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • delivered total (item + tax + shipping) at most $450 without joining a paid membership
    • return window of at least 30 days from delivery with no stated restocking fee
    • delivery within 3 days of ordering
    • availability of human phone or chat support for order problems (preference)
    Remembers: “In March 2026 a marketplace order arrived damaged and the third-party seller refused the return; the platform took three”
  2. 2Evidence10 searches, 13 pages: dyson.com, target.com, walmart.com, bestbuy.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionNever entered the comparisonNONENone of the four investigated offers could be confirmed, from sources I could actually read this session, to satisfy all three required facts (delivered total ≤$450 with …
run-e3b9954aOpen decision trace →
with memorybrand page reachedobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionAirbnb decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • total for 7 nights incl. cleaning/service fees and taxes <= 1800 USD
    • cancellation 10 days before check-in refunded in money to original payment method, not tra…
    • free cancellation available until at least 7 days before check-in
    • human reachable by phone during the stay if something goes wrong (preference)
    Remembers: “In 2025 an airline cancelled the customer's flight and paid the refund as a voucher that expired unused; the customer lo”
  2. 2Evidence3 searches, 19 pages: vrbo.com, booking.com, airbnb.com, news.airbnb.com
    • refund original payment: Airbnb states: 'We'll automatically send any eligible refund to the payment meth brand page
    • human phone support: Airbnb offers an in-app 'Urgent Support Line' giving 'direct access within 30 se brand page
  3. 3BeliefCould not establish: total price usd; free cancellation days before
  4. 4DecisionNot selected: a decisive fact stayed unresolvedNONETwo Airbnb entire-apartment/guest-suite listings in San Juan, Puerto Rico (a warm, USD, no-passport-needed destination reachable from Chicago) appeared on Airbnb's own se…
run-afd7e1a4Open decision trace →
with memorybrand page reachedobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionAirbnb decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • total for 7 nights, all-in (cleaning + service fees + taxes), must be ≤ $1800 USD
    • refund for a cancellation 10 days before check-in must be money to the original payment me…
    • free cancellation must remain available up to at least 7 days before check-in (cutoff ≤7 d…
    • preference: a human reachable by phone during the stay if something goes wrong
    Remembers: “In 2025 an airline cancelled the customer's flight and paid the refund as a voucher that expired unused; the customer lo”
  2. 2Evidence9 searches, 15 pages: help.vrbo.com, booking.com, stayotium.com, hotels.com +1
    • refund original payment: Airbnb's general policy: eligible refunds are sent to the original payment metho brand page
  3. 3BeliefCould not establish: total price usd; free cancellation days before; human phone support
  4. 4DecisionNot selected: a decisive fact stayed unresolvedNONENo single candidate could be verified, from the provider's own readable pages, on all three required facts together (all-in 7-night total ≤$1800, exact free-cancellation …
run-aad95753Open decision trace →
with memorybrand page reachedobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionAirbnb decision — same customer with relevant memoryRemembers: “In 2025 an airline cancelled the customer's flight and paid the refund as a voucher that expired unused; the customer lo”
  2. 2Evidence12 searches, 10 pages: airbnb.com, help.vrbo.com, secure.booking.com, vrbo.com +1
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionRan out of page reads before decidingNo decision: the action budget ran out after 10 page reads.
run-c0175242Open decision trace →
with memorybrand page reachedobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionCostco decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • annual fee at most $70
    • membership fee refundable in full on cancellation
    • general return window at least 60 days for most items
    • electronics return window at least 60 days (preference)
    Remembers: “The household paid for a warehouse-club membership in 2024, used it four times, and could not get the unused months refu”
  2. 2Evidence4 searches, 6 pages: costco.com, customerservice.costco.com
    • membership fee usd: 65 brand page
    • membership refundable: Yes — 'We will refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissati brand page
    • return window days: No specific day limit stated for most merchandise (open-ended 'Risk-Free 100% Sa brand page
    • electronics return window days: 90 brand page
  3. 3BeliefRequirements met on the evidence found
  4. 4DecisionSelectedCostco Gold Star MembershipAll four requirement facts were established directly from Costco's own domains (costco.com and customerservice.costco.com). The Gold Star annual fee is $65, which is at o…
run-a4b7c007Open decision trace →
with memorybrand page reachedobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionCostco decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • membership fee at most 70 USD
    • membership fee fully refundable on cancellation
    • most items returnable for at least 60 days
    • electronics returnable for at least 60 days (preference)
    Remembers: “The household paid for a warehouse-club membership in 2024, used it four times, and could not get the unused months refu”
  2. 2Evidence3 searches, 6 pages: customerservice.costco.com, costco.com
    • membership fee usd: 65 brand page
    • membership refundable: Yes — 'We will refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissati brand page
    • return window days: No stated day limit for most merchandise — described as a 'Risk-Free 100% Satisf brand page
    • electronics return window days: 90 brand page
  3. 3BeliefRequirements met on the evidence found
  4. 4DecisionSelectedCostco Gold Star MembershipAll four requirement facts were established directly on Costco's own domains (costco.com and customerservice.costco.com). The Gold Star fee is $65/year (≤ $70 requirement…
run-70e4f466Open decision trace →
with memorybrand page reachedrefused by help.ryanair.com, help.vueling.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionRyanair decision — same customer with relevant memoryRemembers: “In 2025 the customer paid a 55 EUR fee at the airport for not checking in online and a 45 EUR fee for a bag that was cal”
  2. 2Evidence12 searches, 12 pages: help.ryanair.com, aerlingus.com, vueling.com, ryanair.com +1
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionRan out of page reads before decidingNo decision: the action budget ran out after 12 page reads.
run-321d0ca3Open decision trace →
with memorybrand page reachedrefused by help.ryanair.com, help.vueling.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionRyanair decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • all-in total for 2 adults, return, 1×20kg bag each, seats together, airport check-in ≤ €48…
    • every charge established from the airline's own pages before booking
    • date-change cost ≤ €60/passenger + fare difference
    • human phone support reachable if disrupted (preference)
    Remembers: “In 2025 the customer paid a 55 EUR fee at the airport for not checking in online and a 45 EUR fee for a bag that was cal”
  2. 2Evidence15 searches, 9 pages: ryanair.com, aerlingus.com, vueling.com, help.ryanair.com +1
  3. 3BeliefCould not establish: total price eur; all in price established; change fee eur
  4. 4DecisionNot selected: a decisive fact stayed unresolvedNONENone of the three carriers serving Dublin–Barcelona (Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Vueling) could have a verified all-in total established from their own pages within the research…
run-e794a4bbOpen decision trace →
with memoryno readable brand-owned pagerefused by walmart.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionTemu decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • set of five matching containers with lids
    • each container 1-2 litres (glass or BPA-free plastic)
    • delivered total at most the customer's budget ceiling
    • delivery within 8 days, as stated on retailer's own pages
    Remembers: “A 2025 order from a discount marketplace arrived after 26 days, and the refund for a wrong item took six weeks and three”
  2. 2Evidence16 searches, 8 pages: amazon.com, walmart.com, target.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionNever entered the comparisonNONEAfter 24 page/search actions, no offer could be confirmed against all required facts using the retailer's own pages. Walmart.com and Amazon.com blocked every direct page …
run-f79d1c2fOpen decision trace →
with memoryno readable brand-owned pageobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionTemu decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • delivered total for the set of five ≤ $45 USD, as stated by the retailer
    • delivery within 8 days of ordering, as promised on the retailer's own pages
    • return window of at least 30 days, as stated by the retailer
    • refund paid within 10 days of return receipt, as stated by the retailer (preference)
    Remembers: “A 2025 order from a discount marketplace arrived after 26 days, and the refund for a wrong item took six weeks and three”
  2. 2Evidence13 searches, 11 pages: walmart.com, target.com, help.target.com, amazon.com
  3. 3BeliefNothing established about the brand
  4. 4DecisionNever entered the comparisonNONEThe best physical match found was the NutriChef 5-Piece Superior Glass Food Storage Containers Set sold via Target.com's Target Plus marketplace: all five containers are …
run-6732da0cOpen decision trace →
with memorybrand page requested, refusedrefused by tesla.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionTesla decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • purchase price incl. destination+order fees ≤ $48,000
    • basic vehicle warranty ≥ 4 years
    • battery and drive unit warranty ≥ 8 years
    • manufacturer service location within 30 miles of central Phoenix
    Remembers: “A friend's electric car waited eleven weeks for a service appointment in 2025 because the nearest centre was 90 miles aw”
  2. 2Evidence7 searches, 6 pages: tesla.com
    • purchase price usd: 39990 base + 1390 destination + 250 order fee = 41630 total, before incentives/t edmunds.com
    • basic warranty years: 4 years / 50,000 miles, whichever comes first attributed to a page that refused the agent
    • battery warranty years: 8 years / 100,000 miles (RWD trim; Premium AWD trims get 120,000 miles), minimum attributed to a page that refused the agent
    • service center within miles: ~15 miles (Tesla Service Deer Valley, 21030 N 19th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85027) attributed to a page that refused the agent
  3. 3BeliefRequirements met on the evidence found
  4. 4DecisionSelectedTesla Model Y (Standard RWD trim)All four required facts were established with reported values that corroborate consistently across independent secondary sources (comparison/pricing sites and search-inde…
run-3031ee60Open decision trace →
with memorybrand page requested, refusedrefused by tesla.comobserved2026-09-20
  1. 1Customer missionTesla decision — same customer with relevant memory
    • purchase price incl. destination+order fees <= $48,000 (required)
    • basic vehicle warranty >= 4 years (required)
    • battery/drive unit warranty >= 8 years (required)
    • manufacturer service location within 30 miles of central Phoenix (required)
    Remembers: “A friend's electric car waited eleven weeks for a service appointment in 2025 because the nearest centre was 90 miles aw”
  2. 2Evidence6 searches, 11 pages: tesla.com, kbb.com, geocords.com, mapsof.net +1
    • purchase price usd: 41630 no source
    • basic warranty years: 4 years / 50,000 miles no source
    • battery warranty years: 8 years / 100,000 miles (varies slightly by trim) no source
    • service center within miles: ~20.6 driving miles (Tesla Service Deer Valley, 21030 N 19th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85 mapsof.net
  3. 3BeliefCould not establish: order fee refundable
  4. 4DecisionSelectedTesla Model Y (Rear-Wheel Drive, base trim)Using the customer's own thresholds: the base Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive lists at $41,630 total including destination and order fees (well under the $48,000 ceiling), the B…
run-e1718662Open decision trace →