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E-MarketingDr. Karim KobeissiArts, Sciences and Technology University in Lebanon
Chapter 10: Price
The Net is Convenient (24/7) & Time Saving (Quick Search - Overnight Delivery)
One Stop Shopping Website (Google Shopping)
The winners curse = Some people actually pay a higher price for online auctioned products than they would pay an online retailer, In the B2B market: car dealers pay significantly more for used automobiles online than they do offline.
8Reverse Auction
Internal Factors: Pricing ObjectivesProfit-oriented objective (most common strategy) :Focuses on short run profit maximization rather than long-term performance,First estimate what demand and costs will be at different prices (Elasticity of demand),Then choose the price that will produce the maximum current profit, cash flow, ROI. Market-oriented objective: Building a larger customer base = lower costs & higher long-run profit, Low prices generally build market share. AOL broadband Internet connection services is low to increase market share. Product-quality leadership = high price to cover higher performance quality and high cost of R&D (e.g. Samsung). Negotiation and bidding. Competition-based pricing objective:Price according to what competitors charge for similar products, paying less attention to the company's own costs or to demand. When one airline drops prices, its competitors usually follow suit. The Internet gives firms quicker access to competitive price changes.Internal Factors: Marketing Mix StrategySuccessful companies use an integrated and consistent marketing mix strategyVolvo = upscale brand image:Sells high priced automobiles through dealerships, Marketing communication = a Web site + offline, More than 80% of its customers shop online, Highly educated men + live in urban areas = customize a new Volvo on the Web site, price it, + talk to dealers via e-mail ( Dealers close 10-15% of these leads): core good + complementary services (8PS).Volvo uses the Internet to generate lead customers (qualified prospect), knowing that its customers are not likely to buy a high priced item directly from the Internet. The Internet is one sales channel + must be used in concert with other marketing mix elements. No proven rules or standard practices on how to price the same product for sale in both online and offline channels.
The Internet Puts Downward Pressure on Prices
Order processingself-service:Customers fill out their own order forms = no order entry personnel & paper processing. Average retail banking transaction costs $0.15 - $0.20 online versus $1.50 offline. Just-in-time inventory:Electronic data interchange (EDI) drives down costs by coordinating value-chain activities & allows for just-in-time (JIT) delivery of parts and reduced inventories. Some online retailers and offline retailers do not even hold inventory but buy in response to customer orders.Overhead (operating fixed costs):Online storefronts lower overhead costs = no rent for retail space & staff . Warehouses can be located in areas with low rents, low wages, low taxes, and quick access to shipping hubs.
The Internet Puts Downward Pressure on Prices (con)
4. Customer service:$3 - $5 in an offline call center versus $0.5 - $1 when customers help themselves on the Internet.5. Printing and mailing:No mail distribution & printing costs for their product catalogs. Once the catalog is placed online, access carries little or no incremental costs. The same holds true for e-mail promotions.6. Digital product distribution costs: Distribution costs for digital products are extremely low in the Internet channel.
The Internet Puts Upward Pressure on Prices
Factors that put upward pressure on Internet pricing:Distribution: The last mile problem = each product must be shipped separately to its destination. Retailers pass shipping costs on to their customers & reveal it at the conclusion of the order. Some vendors inflate the shipping cost to recoup some of the discount offered.
Affiliate programs and commissions costs:Affiliate sponsors reward the referring Web sites 7- 15% commission on each reference that leads to a sale. This commission inflates the price of the item or lowers company profits.
The Internet Puts Upward Pressure on Prices (con)
3. Site Development and Maintenance:Web site development and maintenance is not cheap. Development of a conservative site = $1000 - $5,000, an aggressive site = $100,000 or more. Maintenance = expensive, with hardware, software, and monthly Internet connection costs. Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC).The cost of acquiring new customers online is quite high,The average CAC for online retailers was $82. How many orders must a firm receive to recoup that cost, and at what price? BUT customers are not nearly as brand loyal online as offline.
External Factors Affecting Online Pricing: Market StructureEconomists recognize 4 types of markets:1) Pure MonopolyOne firm--sole seller of a specific product (e.g., electricity), the price is usually regulated by the government.2) OligopolyFew sellers (e.g., cars producers), differentiated products, must take prices of others into account when determining its own price and strategies.3) Monopolistic Competition- Many sellers (e.g., clothes producers), who trade over a range of prices. - Sellers can differentiate their offers to buyers .4) Perfect or Pure CompetitionMany sellers of an identical product (e.g., sugar), price takers.
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Efficient Markets Mean Loss of Pricing ControlThe market structure distinction is extremely important for online sellers because if price transparency eventually results in a completely efficient market, sellers will have no control over online prices (they become price takers)the result will be pure competition. One example of a nearly-efficient market is the stock market.
External Market Factors Placing Downward Pressure on Online Prices Shopping Agents:Facilitate consumer searches for low prices by displaying the results in a comparative format. 2) High Price Elasticity: Price elasticity refers to the variability of purchase behavior with changes in price. Leisure travel is very elastic: When the airlines engage in fare wars, consumers snap up ticket inventories creating huge demand. For books and CDs, the online market is more elastic than the offline market.3) Reverse Auctions:Allow buyers to name their price and have sellers try to match that price. This pits sellers against one another and usually drives prices down.
Shopping Agents
Example of a VCR search at mySimon.com. Since the results are listed in order with the lowest price first, outlets that are not price competitive risk being left off of the first screen and might as well be invisible.
External Market Factors Placing Downward Pressure on Online Prices 4) Tax-free zones: Most online retailing takes place across state lines, Buyers pay no sales taxes on purchases, Reduce total out-of-pocket expenditures by 5-8% per transaction. 5) Frequent price changes (than the offline market) :Online suppliers want to attract price-sensitive consumers,Vendors alter their pricing to place higher on the results provided by shopping agents,In a computerized environment firms can offer volume discounts in smaller increments, Experimentation is easy online, firms see how demand changes + adjust & change prices as competition and other factors emerge.
External Market Factors Placing Downward Pressure on Online Prices 6) Competition:Fierce and very visible. 7) Smaller price change increments:Smallest offline price change = $0.35 / online = $0.01,Price-sensitive consumers may respond to even a small price advantage,Shopping agents rank their results by price (even small advantage earn a higher ranking),It is difficult to change prices offline = retailers wait until the need for a price change is even greater.
Is The Net an Inefficient Market?The Web does not act like an efficient market with respect to narrow price dispersion: Greater spread was found between high/low prices online versus high/low prices offline for the same items:33% for books and 25% for CDs,Price dispersion may occur because many buyers do not know about or use shopping agents.
Is The Net an Inefficient Market?Branding Strength The top Web sites get most of the traffic,Consumers show a preference for brand when using shopping agents even if that brand does not offer the lowest price, The best-branded Web sites spend millions of dollars to attract customers: Amazon spends 24% of revenues on promotion, but it can charge 7-12% more than bargain online retailers.Delivery options:The same product delivered under contrary conditions (place and time) have different value to the consumer. A product delivered to the door may have considerably more value for some consumers than one that is bought at the store = Online grocery shopping. Time sensitive consumers may have considerably more value for a product bought online than one that is bought at a store because they are familiar with online shopping and can quickly find what they need and have it delivered overnight. Is The Net an Inefficient Market?Differentiation:Strong branding = perceived/real product differentiation + different pricing strategy.Switching costs: Customers face switching costs when they choose a different online retailer. Some customers are not willing to incur those costs and stick with a familiar online retailer. Why? The customer loses access to a familiar interface. In the B2B market: it is more effective to build relationships with a limited number of suppliers rather than offer all items out for bid (credit facilities). Is The Net an Inefficient Market?Second-generation shopping agents:Guide the consumer through the process of quantifying benefits + evaluating the value equation. For benefits ranked high, customers may be willing to pay more. BizRate & Google allows consumers to evaluate products based on ratings collected from previous customers.
Second-generation shopping agents
Fixed PricingFixed pricing (also called menu pricing):Sellers set the price and buyers take it or leave it = same price for everyone. This is the model most brick-and-mortar retailers use.Two common Fixed Pricing strategies used online: Price leadership:A price leader = lowest-priced product entry + set the typical price for other retailers. To implement this strategy, costs must be minimum.Largest producer = price leader because of economies of scale. The second-lowest-priced item also gain sales, especially if it offers advantages (e.g., overnight delivery) over the price leader.
Fixed Pricing2. Promotional pricing:
Used to encourage a first purchase, encourage repeat business, and close a sale. Carry an expiration date (e.g., price valid till 31-02-2015) to create a sense of urgency. Promotional pricing on the Internet can be highly targeted through e-mail messages and research shows high customer satisfaction with Internet purchases. Dynamic PricingThe strategy of offering different prices to different customers.To optimize inventory management (High Inventory Low Price; Low Inventory High Price),To segment customers by product use or other variables. Airlines have long used dynamic pricing software to price air travel.
Web-based technology + database marketing make this pricing strategy much more practical for companies to apply to segments of any size. Online music retailer CDNow offers lower prices on selected products to loyal customers,These customers receive an e-mail message directing them to a special Web page to view and buy these featured products.
With the right technology, segments as small as one can be targeted with different pricesPrices can be changed daily or even hourly,Depending on changes in demand, supply, competition, costs, or other factors.
Dynamic PricingDynamic pricing can be initiated by the seller or the buyer. Two types of dynamic pricing:Segmented pricing = the company sells a good/service at two or more prices, based on segment differentiation rather than cost alone. Segmented pricing is usually set by the seller.Negotiation = the company negotiates prices with individual customers. Segmented pricing involves a one-time price = may be different for different customers + may change many times before buyers and sellers agree. Negotiation is more often initiated by the buyer.
Network Solutions Practices Segmented Pricing for ServicesSource: www.networksolutions.com Reprinted with express permission. Copyright 2000 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
Customer Value SegmentsA+ customers:A small group that contribute disproportionately to the firms revenues and profits. The most loyal customers who may become brand advocates to their friends and associates = The frequent flyers. They are also brand-loyal frequent customers who provide significant value to the seller. When A+ or A customers appear at the Web site, they will be recognized and receive special attention. They may not be price sensitive = they perceive that the brand/firm offers greater benefits + has earned their loyalty.
Customer Value Segments (con)B customers: are price sensitive + use the product category more than do C customers. C customers: large group + may be price shoppers or infrequent users of the product category, not accounting for much of the sellers revenue. The sellers goal is to keep A customers brand loyal and to move all groups up to a higher level of value. Pricing strategies can help.Giving high-value customers the first shot at discounts will reinforce their loyalty. B and C customers: might enjoy e-mail flashs with fixed prices so they can be informed of the firms price +The seller can use this technique to build a database for moving customers up in value.
Customer Value Segments From Low (C) to High (A+)Source: Adapted from (Pitt et al. 2001)
BarteringGoods or services are exchanged for other products rather than cash.
Users may enjoy tax benefits, but otherwise this is not a particularly profitable pricing strategy especially for new products.
Consumers exchanging/auctioning used items online can hurt sales of new products.
