Why finding competitor pricing information using Competitive Intelligence is the way forward.

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Why finding competitor pricing information using Competitive Intelligence is the way forward.

For a new business entrant, pricing the product or service can be overwhelming. Depending on your existing products and those of your competitors, pricing can pose a challenge. So to maximise revenue and profit, you must develop an effective pricing strategy. And this article suggests why finding competitor pricing information using Competitive Intelligence is the way forward.

How to find competitor pricing information using Competitive Intelligence

Knowing what works and what doesn’t shows why an effective pricing strategy is important. A company can opt for various pricing strategies based on many factors determining where the focus is. Either units sold, overall market share or pricing to stop competitors from entering a market.

Thus, pricing is a crucial component of Competitive Intelligence and marketing strategies. The price is the first thing consumers notice about your service or product. And it remains a deciding factor when it comes to making a purchasing decision. So it’s making a pricing strategy error could be disastrous for the product.

Competitor-based pricing method

The competitor-based pricing method is used to test your product pricing and is recommended for those who are new to the market. Requires detailed research on what competitors are offering and at what price to arrive at a pricing strategy. At first, a startup will only supply a few customers, so it’s challenging to understand your ideal pricing sweet spot. And competitive information based on a more extensive consumer base of other more established companies will assist you in finding your perfect pricing fit.

How to find competitor-based pricing?

To make a pricing decision, you must collect and collate competitors’ data and the sort in a relevant, usually ascending order. And this exercise will also assist you in recognising where your brand and product fit within the competitive market.

What is Competitive Intelligence?
Competitive Intelligence is the finding, sorting and critical analysis of information. To make sense of what’s happening and why. Predict what’s going to happen and give the options to help you control the outcome. Competitive Intelligence offers more certainty, competitive advantage, and insight.

As you know there, there are two types of competitors: direct and indirect competitors. Direct competitors provide similar services or products for the same value as your product. While indirect competitors offer some products or services that overlap with yours and may also solve the potential customer’s problem.

Moreover, some competitor products might have a few similarities to yours but may not even compete with your market. So, after figuring out which competitor group is relevant for you, pricing the products becomes more manageable. After the competitor pricing analysis, there are a few methods to price the product after

Pricing below the competition

Pricing below the competition should be used with extreme caution. And pricing lower than a competitor conveys a message that your product is lacking in some features or services compared to the competitor’s offerings. However, setting a price below the competition could offer a competitive price for your consumers and help grab their attention. It can help increase sales and brand value when you are new in the market.

Pricing on the same level

Pricing on the same level is also called price matching. A strategy where you set the product’s price similar to the market value. However, your focus has to be directed at the added value of your product offering. Features are usually identical to that of competitors.

Pricing above the competition

Pricing above the competitor is where your products or services are priced above the current competitors’ prices. This technique is a way to tell the market that your services and quality are superior to your competitors.

Why finding competitor pricing information using Competitive Intelligence is the way forward

In conclusion, a competitive-based pricing strategy is simple to understand and adopt. Some basic research about competitors helps in a long way and aids in recognising your brand value. Moreover, it takes only a few hours to decide and involves low risks. And As there are already well-known players in the market, the chances are low that your pricing strategy fails if you base it based on their products.

Swamini Kulkarni

This is a guest post written by Swamini Kulkarni of Allied Market Research. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Instrumentation and control engineering from Pune University. And she is fascinated by the impact of technology on human life and loves to talk about science and mythology.

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