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Factors That Affect Pricing Decisions

15 January, 2016 - 09:19

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  1. Understand the factors that affect a firm’s pricing decisions.
  2. Understand why companies must conduct research before setting prices in international markets.
  3. Learn how to calculate the breakeven point.

Having a pricing objective isn’t enough. A firm also has to look at a myriad of other factors before setting its prices. Those factors include the offering’s costs, the demand, the customers whose needs it is designed to meet, the external environment—such as the competition, the economy, and government regulations—and other aspects of the marketing mix, such as the nature of the offering, the current stage of its product life cycle, and its promotion and distribution. If a company plans to sell its products or services in international markets, research on the factors for each market must be analyzed before setting prices. Organizations must understand buyers, competitors, the economic conditions, and political regulations in other markets before they can compete successfully. Next we look at each of the factors and what they entail.