MM SAS#09 - Marketing Mix - Price PDF
MM SAS#09 - Marketing Mix - Price PDF
MM SAS#09 - Marketing Mix - Price PDF
Module #9
A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
1) Introduction
Welcome back! How was your exploration activity from our previous session? Did it shed
some light to the path that you would like to take in the future? Hoping that it did because that
knowledge is very useful in your forthcoming endeavor.
Last time, we introduced to you the first aspect of the Marketing Mix, which is the Product
and today, you will learn about the next aspect, which is the Pricing. Before, we will continue
learning the new topic; illustrate in an informative and detailed diagram the levels of product to
reminisce the lessons we had previously.
What is Price?
In the narrowest sense, price is the amount of money charged for a product or service. More broadly,
price is the sum of all the values that consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product
or service. Previously, pricing was the most important consideration for buyers. This is still true in poorer
Historically, prices were established through negotiations between buyers and sellers. They would reach
an acceptable price through negotiation. Depending on their wants and bargaining skills, different
purchasers paid varying rates for the same things. Fixed price plans, on the other hand, are a relatively
new concept that emerged with the emergence of large-scale retailing at the end of the nineteenth
century.
The only aspect of the marketing mix that generates income is price; all other elements are costs. One of
the most adaptable aspects of the marketing mix is price. Price, unlike product characteristics and channel
obligations, is easily adjusted. At the same time, many marketers' primary concern is pricing and price
competition. Yet, many companies do not handle pricing well. One frequent problem is that companies are
too quick to cut prices to gain a sale rather than convincing buyers that their products or services are
worth a higher price. Other common mistakes are pricing that is too cost oriented rather than customer-
value oriented; prices that are not revised often enough to reflect market changes; pricing that does not
take the rest of the marketing mix into account; and prices that are not varied enough for different
products, market segments and buying occasions.
Price is simply the cost plus mark up. Cost refers to the amount of money spent in producing
goods/services or the amount charge to a product. Revenue is the average price charged to a customer
times the total number of units sold (i.e. price x units sold). Profit is revenue minus total costs.
Pricing Objectives
1. Profit-oriented objectives call for profit generation. This may either be:
a. The target return objective refers to the pricing objective requiring certain level of profit.
b. The profit maximization objective refers to the pricing objective of seeking as much
profit as possible.
2. Sales-oriented objectives refer to those that will provide higher sales volumes which may be
achieved through any of the following:
a. Increasing sales volume requires an increase in sales volume for a given period.
b. Maintaining or increasing market share requires maintaining or increasing the
company’s market share.
3. A status quo-oriented objective requires maintaining the same prices for the company’s
products. This may be due to any of the following:
a. To stabilize prices;
b. To meet competition
c. To avoid competition
2. Marketing-mix Strategy
Price is only one of the marketing-mix tools that a company uses to achieve its marketing
objectives. To create a consistent and effective marketing program, price considerations must be linked
with product design, distribution, and promotion decisions. Pricing considerations may be influenced by
decisions made for other marketing-mix variables. Producers who rely on a large number of resellers to
support and advertise their products, for example, may need to include higher reseller margins in their
prices. The decision to position the product on high performance quality will mean that the seller must
charge a higher price to cover higher costs.
Pricing decisions are frequently made first, followed by marketing mix considerations. Price is a
critical product-positioning aspect that defines the market, competition, and design of the product. The
product characteristics that can be offered and the production costs that can be incurred are
determined by the targeted pricing. Target costing, a powerful strategic weapon, is used by many
businesses to support such price-positioning tactics. Target costing is the process of creating a new
product, calculating its cost, and then asking, "Can we sell it for that?" 'Rather, it begins with a target
cost and works backwards.'
3. Costs
The company wants to charge a price that covers all of its costs of manufacturing, distributing,
and selling the product while also providing a reasonable return on investment for its time and risk. The
expenses of a company's pricing strategy could be crucial. Many businesses strive to be among the
industry's top ten "low-cost producers." Lower-cost companies can set lower prices, resulting in higher
sales and profits.
4. Organizational Considerations
Management must decide who in the organization is in charge of pricing. Pricing is handled in
many ways by businesses. In tiny businesses, top management sets prices rather than marketing or
sales teams. Pricing is usually handled by divisional or product line managers in major corporations.
Salespeople in industrial markets may be permitted to negotiate with customers within defined pricing
ranges. Nonetheless, top management establishes pricing goals and rules, and it frequently authorizes
rates recommended by lower-level management or salespeople. Companies in industries where pricing
is important (such as aerospace, steel, and oil) may often include a pricing department to set the
optimal prices or assist others in doing so. This department reports to high management or the
marketing department. Sales managers, production managers, finance managers, and accountants are
among those who have a say in pricing.
Pricing Strategies refer to the processes and methodologies businesses use to set prices for their
products and services. If pricing is how much you charge for your products, then product pricing strategy
is how you determine what that amount should be.
The benefits of pricing approaches/strategies are: (1) ability to compare different prices (2)
meet customer expectations (3) portrays value (4) convinces customers to buy and (5) transform the
perceived value of your products or services in the long run. There are different pricing strategies to
choose from but some of the more common ones include:
1. Value-Based Pricing - setting your prices according to what consumers think your product is worth.
2. Competitive Pricing - setting your prices based on what the competition is charging
3. Price Skimming - setting your prices as high as the market will possibly tolerate and then lower them
over time, you will be using the price skimming strategy. The goal is to skim the top off the market and
the lower prices to reach everyone else. With the right product it can work, but you should be very
cautious using it.
4. Cost-Plus Pricing - This is one of the simplest pricing strategies. You just take the product production
cost and add a certain percentage to it. While simple, it is less than ideal for anything but physical
products.
5. Penetration Pricing - is a marketing strategy used by businesses to attract customers to a new product
or service by offering a lower price during its initial offering. The lower price helps a new product or
service penetrate the market and attract customers away from competitors.
6. Psychological Pricing - is the practice of setting prices slightly lower than a whole number. This
practice is based on the belief that customers do not round up these prices, and so will treat them as
lower prices than they really are.
Guided Questions:
➢ Should penetration pricing be used or would skimming be better? Support your answer.
Since Cowing concluded that production would have a lower cost, and considering that other
companies have already started selling similar products, penetration pricing will be more useful in this
situation. Using the skimming will be a bit disadvantageous since consumers have already experienced
the other company’s products and selling a more expensive of similar product will only take the
customers away from the UT. However, using penetration pricing, UT can establish a firmer ground on
the market since they have lower price range with a product of similar features and effectivity.
3) Activity 3: Assessment
Direction: Encircle the correct answer.
TRUE or FALSE: Write True if the statement is correct and write False if it is incorrect.
__True_ 1. Before setting price, the company must decide on its strategy for the product.
__True _ 2. Price is the only element in the marketing mix that produces revenue; all other elements
represent costs.
__True_ 3. Internal factors affecting pricing include the company’s marketing objectives, marketing-mix
strategy, costs, and organization.
_False_ 4. Price the only marketing-mix tools that a company uses to achieve its marketing objectives.
__True_ 5. Pricing decisions are affected by external factors such as the nature of the organization and
its costs.
C. Reflection
1. I have learned that there are several factors to consider when it comes to placing a price on a product or
service, not only cost and the profit that you want to get.
2. I have realized that in creating a price for a product or service, there should be several steps to consider
and strategies to use depending on the situation and the kind/nature of business that you have.