Effective Pricing is Central to Financial Success
Pricing Strategy as Represented by the Pricing Tripod
Revenue Management: What it is and How it Works
Ethical Concerns in Service Pricing
Putting Service Pricing into Practice
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
2
Effective Pricing is
Central to Financial Success
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
3
What Makes Service Pricing Strategy Different and Difficult?
Harder to calculate financial costs of creating a service process or performance than a manufactured good
Variability of inputs and outputs:
How can firms define a “unit of service” and establish basis for pricing?
Importance of time factor – same service may have more value to customers when delivered faster
Customers find service pricing difficult to understand, risky, and sometimes even unethical
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
4
Objectives for Pricing of Services
Revenue and Profit Objectives
Seek profit
Cover costs
Patronage and User-Based Objectives
Build demand
Demand maximization
Full capacity utilization
Build a user base
Stimulate trial and adoption of new service
Build market share/large user base
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
5
Pricing Strategy
As Represented by the Pricing Tripod
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
6
The Pricing Tripod
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
7
Costs
Value to customer
Competition
Floor and Ceiling of Price
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
8
Three Main Approaches to Pricing
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
9
Cost-Based Pricing
Set prices relative to financial costs
Value-Based Pricing
Relate price to value perceived by customer
Competition-Based Pricing
Monitor competitors’ pricing strategy
Pricing implications of cost analysis
Activity-Based Costing
Dependent on the price leader
Cost-Based Pricing: Traditional vs. Activity-Based Costing
Traditional costing approach
Emphasizes expense categories (arbitrary overheads allocation)
May result in reducing value generated for customers
ABC management systems
Link resource expenses to variety and complexity of goods/services produced
Yields accurate cost information
BUT, customers care about value to themselves, not what service production costs the firm
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
10
Value-Based Pricing: Understanding Net Value
Net Value = Perceived Benefits to Customer (Gross Value) minus All Perceived Outlays (Money, Time, Mental/Physical Effort)
Consumer surplus: difference between price paid and amount customer would have been willing to pay in absence of other options
Competing services are then evaluated via comparison of net value
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
11
Value-Based Pricing: Strategies for Enhancing Net Value
Enhance gross value – benefits delivered
Add benefits to core product
Enhance supplementary service
Manage perceptions of benefits delivered
Reduce costs incurred by
Reducing monetary costs of acquisition and usage
Cutting amount of time required to evaluate, buy, use service
Lowering effort associated with purchase and use
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
12
Defining Total User Cost
Physical Effort
Psychological Burdens
Sensory
Burdens
Incidental Expenses
Operating Costs
Purchase
Time
* Includes all five
cost categories
Purchase and Service Encounter Costs
Search Costs*
Post Purchase Costs*
Necessary
Follow-up
Problem
Solving
Money
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
13
Competition-Based Pricing
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
However under these circumstances, price competition can decrease:
High non-price-related costs of using alternatives
Personal relationships matter
Switching costs are high
Time and location specificity reduces choice
Managers should examine all related financial and non-monetary costs
Price competition increases due to:
Increasing competition
Increase in substituting offers
Wider distribution of competitor
Increasing surplus capacity in the industry
Competitive-Based Pricing
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
15
Revenue Management:
What it is and How it works
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
16
Maximizing Revenue from Available Capacity at a Given Time
Most effective in the following conditions:
High fixed cost structure
Relatively fixed capacity
Perishable inventory
Variable and uncertain demand
Varying customer price sensitivity
Revenue management (RM) is price customization
Charge different value segments different prices for same product based on price sensitivity
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
17
Maximizing Revenue from Available Capacity at a Given Time
RM uses mathematical models to examine historical data and real time information to determine
What prices to charge within each price bucket
How many service units to allocate to each bucket
Rate fences deter customers willing to pay more from trading down to lower prices (minimize consumer surplus)
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
Price Elasticity
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
19
Key Categories of Rate Fences: Physical (Product-Related) Fences
| Rate Fences | Examples |
| Basic Product | Class of travel (Business/Economy class) Size and furnishing of a hotel room Seat location in a theater |
| Amenities | Free breakfast at a hotel, airport pick up, etc. Free golf cart at a golf course |
| Service Level | Priority wait listing Increase in baggage allowances Dedicated service hotlines Dedicated account management team |
Product-Related Fences
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
20
Key Categories of Rate Fences: Non Physical Fences
| Rate Fences | Examples |
| Time of booking or reservation | Requirements for advance purchase Must pay full fare two weeks before departure |
| Location of booking or reservation | Passengers booking air tickets for an identical route in different countries are charged different prices |
| Flexibility of ticket usage | Fees/penalties for canceling or changing a reservation (up to loss of entire ticket price) Non-refundable reservation fees |
Transaction Characteristics
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
21
Key Categories of Rate Fences: Non Physical Fences
| Rate Fences | Example |
| Time or duration of use | Early bird special in restaurant before 6pm Must stay over on Sat for airline, hotel Must stay at least five days |
| Location of consumption | Price depends on departure location, especially in international travel Prices vary by location (between cities, city centre vs. edges of city) |
Consumption Characteristics
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
22
Key Categories of Rate Fences: Non Physical Fences
| Rate Fences | Examples |
| Frequency or volume of consumption | Member of certain loyalty tier with the firm get priority pricing, discounts or loyalty benefits |
| Group membership | Child, student, senior citizen discounts Affiliation with certain groups (e.g., Alumni) |
| Size of customer group | Group discounts based on size of group |
Buyer Characteristics
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
23
Relating Price Buckets and Fences to Demand Curve
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
24
Ethical Concerns in Service Pricing
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
25
Ethical Concerns in Pricing
Many services have complex pricing schedules
hard to understand
difficult to calculate full costs in advance of service
Unfairness and misrepresentation in price promotions
misleading advertising
hidden charges
Too many rules and regulations
customers feel constrained, exploited
customers unfairly penalized when plans change
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
26
Designing Fairness into Revenue Management
Design clear, logical, and fair price schedules and fences
Use high published prices and present fences as opportunities for discounts
Communicate consumer benefits of revenue management
Use bundling to “hide” discounts
Take care of loyal customers
Use service recovery to compensate for overbooking
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
27
Putting Service
Pricing into Practice
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
28
Pricing Issues: Putting Strategy into Practice
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
29
1. How much to charge?
2. What basis for pricing?
3. Who should collect payment?
4. Where should payment be made?
5. When should payment be made?
6. How should payment be made?
7. How to communicate prices?
Putting Service Pricing into Practice
How much to charge?
Pricing tripod provides a useful starting point
A specific figure must be set for the price
Need to consider the pros and cons, and ethical issues
What basis for pricing?
Completing a task
Admission to a service performance
Time based
Monetary value of service delivered (e.g., commission)
Consumption of physical resources (e.g., food and beverages)
1. How much to charge?
2. What basis for pricing?
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
30
Putting Service Pricing into Practice
Who should collect payment?
Service provider or specialist intermediaries
Direct or non-direct channels
Where should payment be made?
Conveniently located intermediaries
Mail/bank transfer
When should payment be made?
In advance
Once service delivery has been completed
3. Who should collect payment?
4. Where should payment be made?
5. When should payment be made?
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
31
How should payment be made?
Cash
Token
Stored value card
Electronic fund transfer
Charge Card (Debit/Credit)
Vouchers
How to communicate prices?
Relate the price to that of competing products
Ensure price is accurate and intelligible
6. How should payment be made?
7. How to communicate prices?
Putting Service Pricing into Practice
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
32
Summary
Pricing objectives can include
Generating revenues and profit, building demand, and developing user base
Three main foundations to pricing a service
Cost-based pricing
Competition-based pricing
Value-based pricing
Firm must be aware of competitive pricing but may be harder to compare for services than for goods
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›
33
Summary
Revenue management
Maximizes revenue from a given capacity at a point in time
Manage demand and set prices for each segment closer to perceived value
Use of rate fences
Ethical issues in pricing
Complex pricing schedules
Unfairness and misrepresentation in advertising
Hidden charges
Too many rules and regulations
Services Marketing
Slide © 2010 by Lovelock & Wirtz
Services Marketing 7/e
Chapter 6 – Page ‹#›