{"id":7850,"date":"2024-02-27T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T06:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.valuwit.com\/?p=7850"},"modified":"2025-01-14T21:54:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T18:54:15","slug":"pricing-strategies-services-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.valuwit.com\/ar\/pricing-strategies-services-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 8 Pricing Strategies for New Services and Products"},"content":{"rendered":"
Customers, whether you\u2019re a business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) company, care about the price versus the value of an offering.<\/span><\/p>\n While price isn\u2019t the only factor to impact decision-making, it\u2019s certainly one of the most important factors buyers consider.<\/span> Research publication Demand Gen\u2019s <\/span>B2B Buyer\u2019s Survey: Economic Uncertainties Renew Buyer\u2019s Focus on Price & Functionality<\/span><\/a> showed that 79% of buyers prioritize price, while only 76% consider features and functionality.<\/span><\/p>\n The report highlighted three key elements that influence business decision-making.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that some pricing strategies work for some industries, while others don\u2019t. B2C companies like Pepsi, Nike, Netflix, and others use different pricing strategies compared to mega B2B players.<\/span><\/p>\n When pricing a new product or service, there are several factors to consider, such as the type of business, the offering, the size of your target market, and their expectations to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n These are the most common pricing strategies for software-as-a-service (SaaS) and service companies.<\/span><\/p>\n As the name suggests, competition-based pricing is based on benchmarking with your competitors, their offerings, and their pricing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This pricing strategy is quite common among B2C and direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies.<\/span><\/p>\n Two examples of companies using competitive pricing are Amazon and Walmart. Both retailers are constantly changing\u2013or adjusting\u2013the prices of various products. That said, Amazon and Walmart use a combination of competitive and dynamic pricing strategies to generate more sales.<\/span><\/p>\n The major downsides of competitor-based pricing are its lack of sustainability and how it eats away at a business\u2019 bottom line<\/span><\/p>\n Also known as the markup pricing method, cost-plus pricing involves adding a fixed percentage, or markup, to the cost of producing a product.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, if it costs $2 to make a cup of coffee and the brand wants to make a 50% profit, then they\u2019d sell each cup for $3. This would include each unit\u2019s share of the rent, baristas, electricity, and all incurred costs.<\/span><\/p>\n As its name suggests, the price penetration strategy is about getting your product in front of a wide audience. You enter the market with a low starting price to get the largest number of customers. This method is sometimes referred to as market penetration pricing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike cost-plus pricing, which doesn\u2019t take the customer buying trends into consideration, price penetration has a different goal. It\u2019s often used with price-sensitive customers and in saturated markets.<\/span><\/p>\n With price penetration, businesses seek to increase their revenues and profits by boosting sales, despite the lower profit margin.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the top disadvantages of this pricing strategy is it may cause consumers to expect low prices all the time. A brand may end up with sales from bargain seekers, and acquiring customers only because they are the cheapest in the market.<\/span><\/p>\n The price skimming strategy involves launching new products at a high price and gradually reducing that price over time. Typically, the company reduces prices as competition increases. However, if it prices its services too high, it risks being able to sell its products to customers to begin with.<\/span><\/p>\n Athletic wear retailer Nike uses the price skimming strategy for its products. Price skimming isn\u2019t common among service-based businesses like consulting firms or SaaS.<\/span><\/p>\n This method is considered the opposite of the price penetration) strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n Also known as consumer-based pricing, the value-based pricing strategy is about uncovering your customers\u2019 willingness to buy your products.<\/span><\/p>\n As its name suggests, consumer-based pricing focuses on the consumer, their expectations, and the value they\u2019re getting.<\/span><\/p>\n Companies using this pricing method have an opportunity to listen to customer feedback, improve their products, and increase customer retention and loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most popular companies using value-based pricing is Starbucks. They combine research with customer analysis to set their target price for new products and price maximization for price increases.<\/span><\/p>\n The biggest downside with the consumer-based pricing strategy is the amount of time needed and research involved.<\/span><\/p>\n Also known as flexible pricing, the dynamic pricing strategy relies on companies adjusting the prices of their products and services based on demand.<\/span><\/p>\n When demand is high, they increase their prices; when it\u2019s low, their prices drop.<\/span><\/p>\n Amazon and Walmart use a combination of dynamic pricing and competitive pricing. Their dynamic pricing relies on algorithms and data of how many people add a product to their wish list or cart, and frequent purchases, among other variables.<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, AC, heating, and ventilation maintenance-offering companies increase the maintenance service fees in seasons when demand is high.<\/span><\/p>\n The tier-based pricing method is the most common among tech businesses. It works well because it accommodates different customers and needs.<\/span><\/p>\n Companies using the tiered pricing method offer 3 to 4 tiers or levels. Each tier has several features and benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n A major advantage of this method is how it allows companies to cater to different target audiences, whether individuals, small startups, or large corporations.<\/span><\/p>\n It offers customers the freedom of choice and upgrading when needed, in addition to discounts on annual subscriptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is more of a pricing tier, usually associated with the tiered pricing method. However, it\u2019s one of the most common approaches in SaaS businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n Freemium pricing involves offering a basic tier or set of services free of charge. The purpose here is to give a taste of the software or service for free, where many users will opt to upgrade to a paid tier to enjoy the rest of the features.<\/span><\/p>\n Design platform Canva is one of the most popular SaaS businesses using the freemium pricing method. Email marketing giant, Mailchimp is another example.<\/span><\/p>\n Before you choose which pricing strategy to use for your service-based or tech business, there are pricing pitfalls to avoid.<\/span><\/p>\n The biggest mistake you can make with your service pricing strategy is to assume one price suits all your audiences. That\u2019s why most SaaS businesses use a tier-based pricing strategy. Each tier has some features or perks and serves different types of customers.<\/span><\/p>\n Another mistake companies make, especially when they\u2019re just starting out is not being clear about how their pricing is calculated.<\/span><\/p>\n They keep their pricing under wraps in the hopes of giving a different price for each customer. Not only does this make the sales process unnecessarily long, but it also overuses the company\u2019s resources. While companies may claim that this is some form of tailored pricing, it may result in unfair pricing for different customers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Companies will often price their products or services too low to beat the competition, going too far in terms of a penetration-pricing strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Top Pricing Strategies for Services and Software<\/b><\/h2>\n
1- Competition-Based Pricing<\/b><\/h3>\n
2- Cost-Plus Pricing<\/b><\/h3>\n
3- Price Penetration<\/b><\/h3>\n
4- Price Skimming<\/b><\/h3>\n
5- Value-based pricing Pricing<\/b><\/h3>\n
6- Dynamic Pricing<\/b><\/h3>\n
7- Tiered Pricing<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
8- Freemium Pricing<\/b><\/h3>\n
Pricing Pitfalls to Avoid<\/b><\/h2>\n
One-Price-Fits-All<\/b><\/h3>\n
Being Vague About Pricing<\/b><\/h3>\n
Pricing Too High or Too Low<\/b><\/h3>\n