>I guess I just don't see what your objection is to their flow
...they're asking for my email in order to let me see the prices. Why do they need my email in order to let me see the prices? Answer: they don't. So, uh, why are they asking for it? I find this bonkers. There are all kinds of Hackers on this site; I consider myself a Computer subtype, but I suppose from the perspective of the Growth Hacker, this isn't strange at all.
>And honestly I see that as sorta worse: it feels dark-patterny to get people to engage with you (in this case, by putting the various hardware option selections first), and then after they've invested the time, require an email address to make that time worthwhile
Question, would you engage in business with a physical store that made you provide ID (or even just an email) before letting you see how much things cost? Personally I go to the liquor store, select some liquor based on price and whimsy, and then I show them my ID to complete the flow. Placing roadblocks in the path of that flow -- I can't see the price without ID, and I can't just whimsically browse the shelves if I have to signal my intent to be there by digging out my ID before I enter -- seems like a bad idea.
...they're asking for my email in order to let me see the prices. Why do they need my email in order to let me see the prices? Answer: they don't. So, uh, why are they asking for it? I find this bonkers. There are all kinds of Hackers on this site; I consider myself a Computer subtype, but I suppose from the perspective of the Growth Hacker, this isn't strange at all.
>And honestly I see that as sorta worse: it feels dark-patterny to get people to engage with you (in this case, by putting the various hardware option selections first), and then after they've invested the time, require an email address to make that time worthwhile
Question, would you engage in business with a physical store that made you provide ID (or even just an email) before letting you see how much things cost? Personally I go to the liquor store, select some liquor based on price and whimsy, and then I show them my ID to complete the flow. Placing roadblocks in the path of that flow -- I can't see the price without ID, and I can't just whimsically browse the shelves if I have to signal my intent to be there by digging out my ID before I enter -- seems like a bad idea.