【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 onsumers to produce products (or services) that meet consumer needs at the lowest price possible. Fair pricing does not assign any consumer “value” definition into its equation and it should not because each consumer will have differing definitions of “value” according to their prejudices. When marketers try to “assign” a “value definition” to its product, it runs the risks of alienating current customers and missing other potential customers. Therefore, assigning a “fair” price, posed of actual costs plus fair margins, allows the marketer to maximize their customer bases. MARKETING DISCUSSIONThink of the various pricing methods—markup pricing, targetreturn pricing, perceived value pricing, value pricing, going rate pricing, and auctiontype pricing. As a consumer which method do you personally prefer to deal with. Why? If the average price were to stay the same, which would you prefer: (1) for firms to set one price and not deviate, or (2) to employ slightly higher prices most of the year, but slightly lower discounted prices or specials for certain occasions. Student answers will differ. However, the following notation from research is worth reenforcing during the class discussions. The two different pricing strategies have been shown to affect consumer price judgments: Deep discounts (EDLP) can lead to lower perceived prices by consumers over time than frequent shallow discounts (highlow) even if the actual averages are the same. MARKETING SPOTLIGHT—eBayDiscussion Questions:1) What are the key success factors for eBay?a. They have allowed customers to state their perceived value of the product and the buyer’s image of product performance.b. Channel deliverables.c. Warranty quality.d. Customer support.e. Supplier reputation.f. Trustworthiness.g. Esteem.h. Allows customers to view the goingrate pricing of products immediately.i. Accounted for geographical pricing.(i) Marketsegment pricing.(ii) Purchase timing.(iii) Order levels.(iv) Delivery frequencies.(v) Guarantees.j. Allowed panies to adjust prices to acmodate differences in customers, products, locations and so on.k. Allowed panies to test new pricing levels, product specifications, and new products.l. Who has eBay appealed to?(i) Price buyers.(ii) Value buyers. (iii) Loyal buyers.2) Where is eBay vulnerable?a. Changes to technology.b. Problems in/with technology.c. Credibility of the sellers.d. Governmental regulation.e. Competitive reactions:(i) Other auctiontype Web sites. (ii) Companies starting their own auctiontype operations.3) What should eBay watch out for?a. Consumer changes in buying patterns and priorities.b. Consumer’s loss of enthusiasm for the process (newness wears off). c. Competition.d. Governmental controls or changes in laws (taxation). 4) What remendations would you make to senior marketing executives moving forward?a. Continue to build upon the key aspects of the consumer’s image of the firm.b. Continue to build upon the trustworthiness and reputation of the firm.c. Monitor petition. DETAILED CHAPTER OUTLINE Price is the one element of the marketing mix that produces revenue。 the other elements produce costs. Prices are perhaps the easiest element of the marketing program to adjust. Price also municates to the market the pany’s intended value positioning of its product or brand. A welldesigned and marketed product can mand a price premium. Pricing decisions are clearly plex and difficult. Holistic marketers must take into account many factors in making pricing decision—the pany, customers, petition, and marketing environment. Pricing decisions must be consistent with the firm’s marketing strategy and its target markets and brand positionings. UNDERSTANDING PRICING Price is not just a number on a tag or an item. A) Throughout most of history prices were set by negotiation between buyers and sellers. B) Setting one price for all buyers is a relatively modern idea.C) Today the Internet is partially reversing the fixed pricing trend.D) Traditionally, price has operated as the major determinant of buyer choice. E) Price remains one of the most important elements determining market share and profitability. How Companies Price Companies do their pricing in a variety of ways. A) In small panies, prices are often set by the boss.B) In large panies, pricing is handled by division and productline managers.C) In large panies, top management sets general pricing objectives, policies, and often approves the prices proposed by lower levels of management. D) In industries where pricing is a key factor, panies will often establish a pricing department to set or assist others in determining appropriate prices. E) Many panies do not handle pricing well. F) Others use price as a key strategic tool. 1) There are customized prices and offerings based on segment value and costs. G) Effectively designing and implementing pricing strategies requires a thorough understanding of consumer pricing psychology and a systematic approach to setting, adapting, and changing prices. Consumer Psychology and Pricing Marketers recognize that consumers often actively process price information, interpreting prices in terms of their knowledge from prior purchasing experiences, formal munications, and pointofpurchase or online resources. A) Purchase decisions are based on how consumers perceive prices. B) What they consider the current actual price—not the marketer’s stated price. C) Consumers may have a lower price threshold below which prices may signal inferior or unacceptable quality.D) Upper price threshold above which prices are prohibitive and seen as not worth the moneyReference Prices When examining products, consumers often employ reference prices. A) In considering an observed price, consumers often pare it to an internal reference