©2017 Mr. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks (www.breitlinks.com) All Rights Reserved Pricing Research Project, Page 1 of 4
Functions of Marketing: Pricing
Pricing involves more than just putting a sticker or tag on an item. It entails determining the point at
which both buyer and seller perceive the best value.
Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Explain different pricing strategies and functions.
Describe the role of pricing in marketing.
Pricing Concepts
A company can use a variety of methods or even a combination of methods in pricing its products,
including:
Cost-based pricing—setting prices based on production and marketing costs, rather
than conditions in the marketplace
Value-based pricing—setting prices based on customer perceptions of value
Optimal pricing—a computer-based pricing method that creates a demand curve for
every product to help managers select a price that meets specific marketing objectives
Skim pricing—charging a high price for a new product during the introductory stage
and lowering the price later
Penetration pricing—introducing a new product at a low price in order to build sales
volume quickly
Loss-leader pricing—setting a price on one product at a loss as a way to entice
customers to consider other products
Auction pricing—buyers competitively bid on products being sold
Participative pricing—allowing customers to pay the amount they think a product is
worth
Free and freemium pricing—offering some products for free while charging for
others
After a company has established its initial price, it can also use a number of price adjustment tactics
to adjust the prices up or down over time, including:
Discounts—temporary price reductions to stimulate sales or lower prices to encourage
certain behaviors (e.g., paying cash)
Bundling—offering several products for a single price that is presumably lower than
the total of the products’ individual prices (e.g., Microsoft Office)
Dynamic pricing—continually adjusting prices to reflect changes in supply and
demand (e.g.,airline seats)