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Optimisation · Scale-up

Pricing Strategy Framework

Pricing is the most powerful lever in marketing — a 1% improvement in price typically has 3-4x more impact on profit than a 1% improvement in volume. This framework combines Van Westendorp's Price Sensitivity Meter (to find acceptable price ranges) with value-based pricing principles (price based on value delivered, not cost). It helps you move beyond cost-plus pricing to understand what customers are truly willing to pay.

When to use this framework

  • You're launching a new product and need to set the price
  • You suspect you're underpricing relative to the value you deliver
  • You want to introduce pricing tiers (good/better/best)
  • You're preparing to raise prices and need data to support the decision
  • Competitors have changed pricing and you need to respond strategically

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Worked Example

Figma (design tool, pre-2020 pricing)

1. Value Analysis

What's the quantifiable value your product delivers? Revenue generated, cost saved, time saved, risk reduced. Be specific.

For a product design team of 5: eliminates file versioning issues (save ~3 hours/designer/week), removes the need for separate prototyping tool ($15/user/mo saved), enables real-time collaboration (saves 2 hours/week of feedback rounds). Total value: ~5 designers × 5 hours saved/week × $50/hr = $1,250/week = $65,000/year. Plus elimination of 2-3 other tools ($5,000-10,000/year).

What would the customer use instead? What does it cost? Your price should be anchored to this.

Adobe XD ($22.99/mo bundled with Creative Cloud) or Sketch ($9/editor/month + $0 viewers). Key difference: neither offers real-time multiplayer collaboration. Figma's browser-based, no-install model is uniquely valuable — stakeholders can view and comment without buying a license.

2. Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity

Survey customers with four questions. Enter the median responses to find the acceptable price range.

At what price would the product be so cheap that you'd question its quality?

5

At what price would the product be a bargain — a great deal?

10

At what price would the product start to seem expensive — you'd have to think twice?

18

At what price would the product be too expensive — you'd never consider buying it?

30

Midpoint between 'too cheap' and 'too expensive.' This is where resistance is minimised.

Between 'bargain' and 'getting expensive.' Your price should fall within this range.

3. Pricing Tier Design

Stripped-down version for price-sensitive buyers. What's included and what's the price?

Free tier: 3 Figma files, unlimited viewers, basic prototyping. Purpose: let individuals and small teams fall in love with the product. This is the growth engine — free users invite paid users.

The tier you want most people to buy. Anchor tier. What's the price?

Professional ($12/editor/month): Unlimited files, unlimited projects, team libraries, advanced prototyping, version history. This is the anchor tier — where most teams land. Price is below the 'getting expensive' threshold and above the 'bargain' point.

Full-featured for power users or enterprises. Makes the standard tier look like a good deal.

Organization ($45/editor/month): Everything in Pro + design systems, org-wide libraries, SSO, advanced admin, private plugins, centralised billing. The price jump from $12 to $45 makes Pro look like a great deal (anchoring effect). Enterprise features justify the premium for large companies.

4. Pricing Decision

What price will you set and why? Reference the data above.

$12/editor/month for Professional (the anchor tier). Rationale: (1) Falls within the acceptable range ($10-18). (2) Below the $22.99 Adobe CC price but above Sketch's $9 — positioning as premium but accessible. (3) Free viewers mean the effective cost per team member is much lower than per-seat pricing suggests. (4) The free tier ensures product-led growth — no one needs to make a purchase decision to start using Figma.

How will you charge? Per user/month, per transaction, flat fee, usage-based, freemium.

freemium
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