When Nespresso priced a feature-rich coffee machine the same as its basic model, customers grew suspicious. Assuming a hidden flaw in the advanced version, they overwhelmingly purchased the simpler one, showing how price equality can paradoxically devalue a superior product.
When selling high-ticket services, don't raise prices incrementally. Instead, make a significant jump (e.g., from $3,800 to $8,000). If it doesn't sell, you've gained valuable market data and can simply re-price the next cohort. The upside of finding a new price ceiling far outweighs the risk of a single failed launch.
Instead of imitating successful competitors' tactics, deconstruct them to understand the underlying psychological principle (e.g., scarcity, social proof). This allows for authentic adaptation to your specific context, avoiding the high risk of failure from blind copying which ignores differences in brand and audience.
When a new KFC premium product wasn't selling, they doubled the price instead of discounting it. This aligned the price with consumer expectations for a premium item, signaling quality and causing sales to soar. Low prices can imply low quality for high-end goods.
For sophisticated consumers, branding based on unsubstantiated luxury materials can create skepticism. A marketing message focused on scientific proof, tangible benefits, and performance can be more compelling and build greater trust, especially for a high-price-point product.
When pressured to hit quarterly targets with promotions, use a simple filter: 'Does this action increase the long-term desirability of my full-price product?' This framework helps balance immediate revenue needs with the crucial goal of protecting and building brand equity, preventing a downward spiral of discounting.
The way a price is presented alters a consumer's emotional response, even if the total cost is identical. Breaking a large sum into smaller installments, like Klarna does, makes it feel more manageable and less intimidating, thus boosting sales.
AI uses shopper clickstream and sales data to segment customers and SKUs with precision. This allows brands to offer targeted discounts where needed, maintaining trust by avoiding deceptive practices like shrinkflation and being transparent about necessary price increases on less elastic products.
By introducing a third, strategically priced but less appealing option (the "decoy"), you can manipulate how customers perceive value. A medium popcorn priced close to the large makes the large seem like a much better deal. This proves that value is relative and can be shaped by deliberate choice architecture.
AI analyzes sales, operations, and media data to identify price elasticity across product bands. Brands can then increase prices on premium items where consumers are less sensitive, while keeping prices flat on essentials, thus protecting margins without alienating the entire customer base.
When increasing prices, the communication strategy should be direct and confident. If you truly believe the product delivers value commensurate with the new price, there's no need to hide the change. Evasive language or trying to 'shy away' suggests you doubt your own product's worth.