Archives posted in: Pricing

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Economic Price Optimization with Locally Measured Elasticity of Demand — Unreliable

By Tim J. Smith, PhD March 4, 2013

Theoretically, if you know the elasticity of demand you can optimize the price through economic price optimization. You may think that this approach would give the best price in practice as well since the word “optimal” is implied in its name alone. But dig beneath its sexy title you will generally find an ugly mess. So what do we do with it?

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Bombardier CSeries: How will Boeing/Airbus Duopoly Respond?

By Curry W. Hilton February 4, 2013

The much-anticipated Bombardier CSeries commercial airplane line provides a uniquely positioned offering, boasting 20% fewer CO2 emissions, 20% fuel savings, and 15%…

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Low price guarantees have adverse effects on consumer behavior

By Reims Management School (RMS) February 4, 2013

A study conducted by Reims Management School (RMS) reveals that consumers are often put off by promises of lowest prices which are coupled with high refund guarantees – contrary to the usual strategies of many top retailers.

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Economic Price Optimization with Globally Linear Demand — Both Useful and Useless

By Tim J. Smith, PhD February 4, 2013

Economic price optimization has a lot to tell us, but not necessarily the price which optimizes the firm’s profits. Economic price optimization relies on a defined demand curve. Unfortunately, defining the demand curve with sufficient precision and reliability for decision making can be done for only a subset of challenges. So if this method is not useful for pricing in many cases, what use is it?

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Lufthansa Systems Goes to Market with iPad In-flight Entertainment Systems: EVM Case Study

By Tim J. Smith, PhD December 3, 2012

Thales SA and Panasonic Corp. have recently begun marketing Wi-Fi-enabled iPad in-flight entertainment systems alongside traditional wired and seatback entertainment systems. Does handing out iPads to passengers and going Wi-Fi make sense for other airlines or is this a frivolous luxury for the elite that commoners will never see? A modeling of the Exchange Value can determine.

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Hawk-Dove Pricing: Avoiding a Price War

By Curry W. Hilton December 3, 2012

The ever-so-dreaded prisoner’s dilemma outcome achieved in most pricing wars can be avoided in some instances by applying games of coexistence. In particular, the Hawk-Dove game offers a unique result that fosters mutual benefit and healthy market competition. The value contributed by the Hawk-Dove model involves understanding the cost of waging a price war, the potential strategy-dependent profit realized, and the managerial security expressed.

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Information Is Currency

By Spider Lockhart December 3, 2012

“Sellers don’t control their product, quality, marketing, customers, competitors, or pricing. What they do control is, what they know, and how and when to apply what they know.“ Read a controversial approach to sales and price quoting from Spider Lockhart and ask yourself: when should prices be transparent and when should they stay opaque?

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Promotional Pricing…click click boom

By Curry W. Hilton November 1, 2012

After engaging in a brief conversation on “promotional pricing” with a business operations executive at a global manufacturer in consumer goods industry, I was inspired to address some misconceptions discussed and provide further insight on how firms in the B2B space implement profit-enhancing promotional pricing tactics.  First of all, promotional pricing should be viewed as a means to price segment according to consumers’ willingness to pay, not as a pure promotional strategy.  Case in point, consider Remington Arm’s Promotion of Nitro-Steel Load.

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Best practice for starting Strategic Pricing

By Steve Wilkins November 1, 2012

Declining profit margins are forcing companies to find new ways to improve profitability. Most companies have been through the cost cutting and strategic procurement processes and are now looking for the next level to pull. Strategic pricing is starting to become more popular as more senior executive have begun to leverage the power of pricing.

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Avoiding Price Wars

By Curry W. Hilton September 4, 2012

The negative impact on industry profit due to price compression from firms engaging in price wars can possibly be avoided by a better understanding of strategic games. Observing competing firm’s historical behavior and current price announcements offers valuable indications of future actions. Modeling such strategies in a game theoretical scope allows for more informed pricing decisions and possible profit saving maneuvers.

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