Q. Describe briefly the concept of pricing and the factors that influence pricing.
Ans.: Price is all around us. We pay rent for our apartment, tuition for our, railways, education, buses charge, airline you a fare, local bank charge interest for the money a fee to your doctor etc. therefore price is not just a number on a tag or an item.Traditionally, price has been the main determinant of a buyer's option and it is the only element in the marketing mix that produces revenue. Costing acquires its significance on account of yet another factor. It is a highly risky decision area and mistakes in costing seriously affect the firm, its, growth, profits & future.
Factors Influencing Pricing: There are internal along with external factors that affect pricing:-
Internal Factors:
- The image sought by the firm throughout pricing
- Marketing and Corporate objectives of the firm.
- Price elasticity of demand of that particular product.
- The feature of the product
- Use pattern and turnaround rate of the product. charge of manufacturing & marketing.
- Various Stage of product in its life cycle.
- Other fundamentals of the marketing mix and their interaction with pricing
- Extent of differentiation practiced
- Composition of the product line of the particular firm.
External Factors:
- purchaser behavior in respect of the product
- Market characteristics (relative to customer, demand & competition)
- Bargaining power of chief suppliers
- Bargaining power of chief customers
- Government controls and regulation on pricing
- Competitor's pricing policy
- Societal consideration.
- Other relevant legal aspects.