New-Product Pricing Strategies

 Pricing strategies usually change as the product passes

through its life cycle.
 The introductory stage is especially challenging.
 Companies bringing out a new product face the challenge
of setting prices for the first time.
 They can choose between two broad strategies: market-
skimming pricing and market-penetration pricing.
Market-Skimming Pricing
 Market-skimming pricing (or price skimming)
set a high price for a new product to skim
maximum revenues layer by layer from the
segments willing to pay the high price; the
company makes fewer but more profitable sales.
Market-Penetration Pricing
 Market-penetration pricing sets a low price for
a new product in order to attract a large number
of buyers and a large market share.
Product Mix Pricing Strategies
 The strategy for setting a product’s price often has to be
changed when the product is part of a product mix.
 In this case, the firm looks for a set of prices that
maximizes its profits on the total product mix.
 Pricing is difficult because the various products have
related demand and costs and face different degrees of
competition.
Product Line Pricing
 Product line pricing sets the price steps between various
products in a product line based on cost differences
between the products, customer evaluations of different
features, and competitors’ prices.
 In product line pricing, management must determine the
price steps to set between the various products in a line.
 The price steps should take into account cost differences
between products in the line.
 More importantly, they should account for differences in
customer perceptions of the value of different features.
Optional Product Pricing
 Many companies use optional product pricing
─ offering to sell optional or accessory products
along with the main product.
 And when you order a new computer, you can
select from a bewildering array of processors,
hard drives, docking systems, software options,
and service plans.
Captive Product Pricing
 Captive-product pricing sets a price for
products that must be used along with a main
product, such as blades for razor and games for a
video-games console.
By-Product Pricing
 Using by-product pricing, the company seeks a
market for these by-products to help offset the
costs of disposing of them and help make the
price of the main product more competitive.
 The by-products themselves can even turn to be
profitable ─ turning trash into cash.
Product Bundle Pricing
 Using product bundle pricing, sellers often
several products and offer the bundle at a reduced
price.
Price Adjustment Strategies
 Companies usually adjust their basic prices to
account for various customer differences and
changing situations.
 Discount and Allowance Pricing
Functional Discount
Cash Discount
 Discount is a straight (Trade
reduction Discount)
in price on
purchases
A price reduction toduring
buyers a stated
who pay period of time
A sellers offers or in
a discount to trade-
larger
their bills quantities.
promptly. channel members who perform
certain functions, such as selling,
 Discount has many forms. storing, and record keeping.
Quantity Discount

A price reduction to buyers who buy

large volumes. Seasonal Discount

A price reduction to buyers who

buy merchandise or services out
of season.
 Discount and Allowance Pricing
Trade-in allowance
Allowance is promotional money paid by
manufacturers to retailers in return for an
• A price reduction given for turning in an old
agreement
item to afeature
when buying new one.the manufacturer’s products
inmost
• It’s some way. in the automobile industry
common
but are also given for other durable goods.
 It has two types.

Promotional allowance

It’s the payments or price reductions that

reward dealers for participating in
advertising and sales support programs.
 Customer-segment pricing
Segmented Pricing
Different customers pay different prices for the same product or
service.
 In segmented pricing, the company sells a
Product-form
product pricing at two or more prices, even
or service
though
Differentthe difference
versions in prices
of the product is notdifferently
are priced based on but not
according to differences
differences in costs. in their costs.
 It takes several forms.
Location pricing
A company charges different prices for different locations, even
though the cost of offering each location is the same.

Time pricing
A firm varies its price by the season, the month, the day, and
even the hour.
Psychological Pricing
 In using psychological pricing, sellers consider the
psychology of prices, not simply the economics.
 Another aspect of psychological pricing is reference
prices ─ prices that buyers carry in their minds and refer
to when looking at a given product.
 The reference price might be formed by noting current
prices, remembering past prices, or assessing the buying
situation.
Promotional Pricing

• With promotional pricing, companies will temporarily price their

products below list price ─ and sometimes even below cost ─ to
create buying excitement and urgency.

• Promotional pricing takes several forms.

• A seller may simply offer discounts from normal prices to
increase sales and reduce inventories.
• Sellers also use special-event pricing in certain seasons to draw
more customers.
• Manufacturers sometimes offer cash rebates to consumers who
buy the product from dealers within a specified time; the
manufacturer sends the rebate directly to the customer.
• Some manufacturers offer low-interest financing, longer
warranties, or free maintenance to reduce the consumer’s “price.”
Geographical Pricing
 Geographical pricing sets prices for customers
located in different parts of the country or world.
 We will look at five geographical pricing
strategies for the following hypothetical
situation.
Dynamic and Internet Pricing
 They are using dynamic pricing ─ adjusting
prices continually to meet the characteristics and
needs of individual customers and situations.
 For example, online companies can mine their
databases to gauge a specific shopper’s behavior,
and price products accordingly.
International Pricing
 Companies that market their products internationally
must decide what prices to charge in different countries.
 The price that a company should charge in a specific
country depends on many factors, including economic
conditions, competitive situations, laws and regulations,
and the nature of the wholesaling and retailing system.
Price Changes
 After developing their pricing structures and
strategies, companies often face situations in
which they must initiate price changes or respond
to price changes by competitors.
Initiating Price Changes
 In some cases, the company may find it desirable
to initiate either a price cut or a price increase.
 In both cases, it must anticipate possible buyer
and competitor reactions.
Initiating Price Cuts
 Several situations may lead a firm to consider
cutting its price.
 One such circumstance is excess capacity.
 Another is falling demand in the face of strong
price competition or a weakened economy.
Initiating Price Increases
 A successful price increase can greatly improve
profits.
 There are two factors that influences price
increases.

Reason 12

• Another factor leading to price increases is over-demand.

• A major factor in price increases is cost inflation.
• When a company cannot supply all that its customers need, it may
• Rising costs squeeze profit margins and lead companies to pass
raise its prices, ration products to customers, or both.
cost increases along to customers.
• Consider today’s worldwide oil and gas industry.
Buyer Reactions to Price Changes
 A price increase, which would normally lower sales, may
have some positive meanings for buyers.
 A brand’s price and image are often closely linked.
 A price change, especially a drop in price, can adversely
affect how consumers view the brand.
Competitor Reactions to Price Changes
 The competitor can interpret a company price cut
in many ways.
• It might think the company is trying to grab a larger
market share or that it’s doing poorly and trying to boost
its sales.
• Or it might think that the company wants the whole
industry to cut prices to increase total demand.
Responding to Price Changes
Responding to Price Changes
 If the company decides that effective action can
Company could reduce its price to match the competitor’s
First
and should
price. be taken, it might make any of four
responses.
Company might maintain its price but raise the perceived
Second
value of its offer.

Company might improve quality and increase price, moving

Third
its brand into a higher price-value position.

Company might launch a low-price “fighter brand” ─

Fourth adding a lower-price item to the line or creating a separate
lower-price brand.