The document discusses different pricing strategies that companies can use to determine the price of their products. It outlines five main strategies: cost-plus pricing, where price is based on average costs plus a markup; penetration pricing, where an initially low price is used to attract customers before raising it; skimming, where a high initial price is charged to maximize profits from early adopters; destroyer pricing, where price is lowered to drive competitors out of business; and value pricing, where price matches the perceived value of the product. Examples are given for each strategy.

1. Pricing Strategies Price? Cost-Plus Destroyer

2. The Marketing Mix When two or more companies are producing the same product or service in the same market, they are in direct competition. The marketing mix can become the difference in success or survival.

3. The Marketing Mix “4 Ps” P roduct (Is there a market for the product? Are there already similar products? How much would people pay? What size should it be? What should it look like? P rice (What price should the product be?) - “Pricing Strategies” P lace (Where to sell the product?) P romotion (Advertise or promote?)

4. What is a Pricing Strategy? A Pricing Strategy is all about selling a product at the right price Companies might want promote a product or increase the amount of its sales

5. Pricing Strategies There are many ways how a company decides what the price of a product will be. Listed below are just five different strategies: Cost-Plus Pricing Penetration Pricing Skimming Destroyer Pricing Value Pricing

6. Cost-Plus Pricing Average Cost of making the product + a mark up This may be the approach of small businesses who are not market driven.

7. Cost-Plus Pricing Has also been used by large companies securing contracts with the US Government. Although this method has been criticised for wasting taxpayers money. Example: The US Government took on “Cost-Plus” contracts from construction companies after Hurricane Katrina.

8. Penetration Pricing A company will initially set a low price to attract customers. As the demand for the product rises, the company will raise the price. Example: Nestle Ice Cream Snacks

9. Skimming Where a product is sold at a high price – high profit per product but low sales overall. This is usually the approach of Electronics companies. Example: HD TVs

10. Destroyer Pricing Where companies will drive prices so low that competitors can’t compete. Example: Microsoft have been accused of this by offering “free” gifts with its operating system (Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer). This is pricing competitors out the market.

11. Value Pricing Prices will be set at the apparent value of the product. Example: status products, designer brands