Pricing policy and pricing strategy. Pricing policy of the organization

Price policy — an extremely important tool of a commodity producer, however, its use is fraught with risk, since if it is handled ineptly, the most unpredictable and negative results in terms of their economic consequences can be obtained. And it is absolutely unacceptable for the company to have no pricing policy as such.

In order to differentiate these factors in the process of determining the pricing policy, one should rely on clearly formulated main corporate and marketing goals for one or another sufficiently long period. In other words, when developing and implementing a pricing policy, one should be based on the company's strategic attitudes and the tasks they define. Figure 13.1 shows a relatively broad set of pricing objectives. Of course, it does not at all follow from it that a company, even a very large one, strives to achieve all the listed goals (the number of which, by the way, can be significantly expanded): firstly, simultaneous work to achieve them is ineffective due to the dispersal of forces and means; secondly, there are mutually exclusive goals - for example, obtaining the maximum profit during the period of large-scale development of new markets, requiring large expenditures of funds.

Figure 13.1 - Main objectives of the pricing policy

The nature of the goals and objectives of the company is reflected in the features of the pricing policy: the larger, more diverse and more difficult to achieve the company-wide goals, strategic goals and objectives in the field of marketing, the more difficult the goals and objectives of the pricing policy, which, in addition, depends on firm size, product differentiation policy, industry affiliation of firms.

We list several aspects of the formation of pricing policy:

· determination of the place of the price among other factors of market competition;

application of methods that help optimize settlement prices;

choice of leadership strategy or strategy following the leader when setting prices;

Determining the nature of the pricing policy for new products;

· formation of a pricing policy that takes into account the phases of the life cycle;

· the use of basic prices when working in different markets and segments;

· Accounting in the pricing policy of the results, comparative analysis of the ratios of "costs / profits" and "costs / quality" for your company and competing firms.

The pricing policy implies the need to establish a firm-my initial (base) price for their goods, which it reasonably varies when working with intermediaries and buyers.

The general scheme for determining such a price is as follows:

1) formulation of pricing objectives;

2) determination of demand;

3) cost estimation;

4) analysis of prices and products of competitors;

5) choice of pricing methods;

6) setting the base price.

Subsequently, when working in markets with different and changing conditions, a system of price modifications is developed.

Price modification system:

1. Geographic price modifications take into account the requirements of consumers of individual regions of the country, occupying large areas, or individual countries in whose markets the company operates.

In this case, five main geographic strategy options are used:

- strategy 1: manufacturer's selling price at the place of production (ex-works). Transportation costs are borne by the buyer (customer). The disadvantages and advantages of such a strategy for the seller and the buyer are obvious;

- strategy 2: single price. The manufacturer sets a single price for all consumers, regardless of their location. This price setting strategy is the opposite of the previous one. In this case, consumers located in the most remote territory win the price;

- strategy 3: zone prices. This price setting strategy is intermediate between the first two. The market is divided into zones, and consumers within each of the zones pay the same price. The disadvantage of the strategy is that in the territories located near the conditional boundaries of the division of zones, the prices for goods differ significantly;

- strategy 4: accrual to all buyers, regardless of the actual place of dispatch of the goods, of additional freight costs to the selling price, accrued from the selected basis point to the buyer's location. In the process of implementing this strategy, the manufacturer may consider several cities as a base point (freight basis);

- strategy 5: payment of freight costs (their part) at the expense of the manufacturer. It is used as a method of competition to enter new markets or to maintain its position in the market when competition intensifies. By fully or partially paying for the delivery of goods to the destination, the manufacturer creates additional advantages for himself and thereby strengthens his position in comparison with competitors.

2. Price modifications through a discount system in the form of cash discount (discount for cash or early payment), wholesale discounts (price reduction when buying a large quantity of goods), functional discounts (trade discounts provided to intermediary firms and agents that are part of the manufacturer's distribution network), seasonal discounts (offer after - or pre-season discounts), other discounts (offset of the price of a similar old product handed over by the buyer; discounts on the occasion of a holiday, etc.).

3. Price modification for sales promotion carried out in a variety of forms: price-bait (a sharp temporary reduction in retail prices for well-known brands); prices set for the time of special events (valid only for certain events or when using special forms of offering goods - seasonal or other sales); premiums (cash payments to the final buyer who bought the product in retail trade and presented the coupon to the manufacturer); favorable interest rates when selling on credit (a form of sales promotion without price reduction; widely used in the automotive industry); warranty conditions and maintenance contracts (may be included in the price by the manufacturer; services are provided free of charge or on preferential terms); psychological modification of prices (the possibility of offering one's own similar product at a lower price, for example, the price tag may indicate: “Price reduction from 500 thousand to 400 thousand rubles”).

4. Price discrimination occurs when a manufacturer offers the same products at different prices. The main forms of discrimination, which are often an integral part of pricing policy, are: price modification depending on the segment of consumers (the same product is offered to different categories of consumers at different prices); modification of prices depending on the forms of the product and differences in its application (with small differences in the forms of manufacture and use, the price can be significantly differentiated, and at constant production costs); modification of prices depending on the image of the company and its specific product; differentiation of prices depending on the location (for example, the sale of the same product in the city center, on its outskirts, in the countryside); modification of prices depending on the time (for example, telephone tariffs may depend on the time of day and days of the week).

However, price discrimination is justified under the following conditions: its compliance with laws, invisibility of its implementation, a clear division of the market into segments, the exclusion or reduction to a minimum of the possibility of resale of "discriminated" goods, not exceeding the costs of segmenting and controlling the market of additional revenues from price discrimination .

The pricing policy of the manufacturer, presented in a condensed form, reflects mainly world practice. However, as market relations develop in Russia, domestic producers begin to develop and use a well-thought-out pricing policy that takes into account the specifics of local conditions.

The main material goal of European business, embodied in its pricing policy, is to make a profit. Other goals (the maximum possible turnover, the maximum possible sales) are also of subordinate importance. The predominance of one or another material goal essentially depends on the size of the firm. Thus, approximately 55% of small firms named "profit commensurate with costs" and "industry-wide profit" as goals, while large firms - "maximum profit". The responses also varied considerably across industries. For example, the setting for “profit commensurate with costs” was most often called in the textile and clothing industries, the market of which had already passed the stage of maturity, and the desire for “maximum profit” was typical for representatives of the fields of electronics, electrical engineering and precision mechanics, the market of which is in the stage of dynamic development.

Two-thirds of the surveyed firms stated that they were striving to expand their market share in the profile of their main products - moreover, they consider the achievement of this goal to be realistically achievable; 3/4 of the surveyed firms from sectors whose markets are in the growth stage would like to increase their market share. In weaker industries, more than half of the firms surveyed would only like to maintain their market share. In addition, according to the survey, large firms with strong market positions (80% of firms) seek to further strengthen them - among small businesses, this share is 60%

Decisions to develop a new product also depend on the size of firms. Small firms usually decide to develop a new product only if there is a specific order for it. Large firms, having significant financial reserves and the ability to maneuver, make appropriate decisions after conducting large-scale marketing research and market experiments.

As a result of studying this chapter, the student should:

know

• distinctive features of the pricing policy of trade enterprises;
• main types of pricing strategies;
• principles of their formation and main stages of development;

be able to

• to be guided by the pricing policy of the trade enterprise;
• types of pricing strategies and principles of their formation;

own

Information on the significance and impact of pricing policy on the economic situation of a trading enterprise.

The concept of price policy

Price policy- these are the general principles that the company is going to adhere to in the field of setting prices for its products or services.

The subject of the pricing policy of a commercial enterprise is not the price of the goods as a whole, but only one of its elements - trade allowance, which characterizes the price of trading services offered to the buyer when it is sold to trading enterprises. Only this element of the price, taking into account the conjuncture of the consumer market, the conditions of its economic activity, the level of the price of the manufacturer and other factors, the trade enterprise forms independently. Despite the high degree of connection with the producer price, the level of the trade markup is not always determined by the level of the price of the goods. So, at a low price level for a product offered by its manufacturer, a high level of trade markup can be formed, and vice versa - at a high level of producer price, trade enterprises are often limited to a low level of trade markup. This specificity of trading activity determines the features of the formation of the pricing policy of a trading enterprise.

Under formation of the pricing policy of the trade enterprise is understood as the rationale for a system of differentiated levels of trade margins for goods sold and the development of measures to ensure their prompt adjustment, depending on changes in the situation in the consumer market and business conditions.

The pricing policy should be focused on certain long-term and short-term goals, achieved with the help of various tools and organizational decisions (Fig. 5.1).

Rice. 5.1.

The objectives of the pricing policy may be different. In the long term, they are somehow expressed in maximizing profits and strengthening the market position of the enterprise. In the short term, i.e. as a specific goal that can be achieved in a given period with the help of price, it can be any actual problem related to meeting customer needs, attracting new customers, expanding sales markets, or the financial situation of the enterprise.

Traditionally, as the goals achieved by the enterprise through the use of pricing policy, it is customary to single out the following:

• maximizing the profitability of sales, i.e. the ratio of profit (as a percentage) to the total amount of sales revenue;
• maximizing the return on net equity of the enterprise (i.e. the ratio of profit to total assets on the balance sheet minus all liabilities);
• maximizing the profitability of all assets of the enterprise (i.e. the ratio of profit to the total amount of accounting assets generated from both own and borrowed funds);
• stabilization of prices, profitability and market position, i.e. the enterprise's share in total sales in a given product market (this goal may be of particular importance for enterprises operating in a market where any price fluctuations generate significant changes in sales volumes);
• achieving the highest sales growth rates.

However, this list is not exhaustive. Each company independently determines the most important areas, defining for itself long-term and short-term goals and objectives in relation to certain aspects of the company's activities and the existence of the company in the market as a whole and its further development. Thus, among main objectives also include the following:

• continued existence of the enterprise can be considered as both a long-term and a short-term goal. On the one hand, each company is interested in long-term efficient operation in the market, and pricing policy can help to adapt to constantly changing market conditions, on the other hand, by changing prices, enterprises solve short-term problems, such as eliminating stocks, having excess production capacity, changing consumer preferences and others;
• short term profit maximization – is actively used in unstable conditions of the transitional economy. In its implementation, emphasis is placed on short-term profit expectations based on the forecast value of demand indicators and production costs, and such important points as long-term prospects, the counteracting policy of competitors that regulate the activities of the state are not taken into account;
• short-term turnover maximization – can ensure maximum profit and market share in the long term. In the short term, resellers are set a commission percentage of sales based on demand data, as often

it is difficult to determine the structure and level of production costs;

• maximum increase in sales – "pricing policy of attack on the market". It is used on the assumption that an increase in sales will lead to a decrease in unit costs and, consequently, an increase in profits. However, it should be taken into account that this policy can give the desired result only if a number of conditions are met:
• high sensitivity of the market to prices;
• the possibility of reducing production and sales costs as a result of expanding production volumes;
• competitors will not use similar pricing policies;
• "skimming cream " Withmarket through high prices - premium pricing. It is most effective for new products, when even at higher prices, individual market segments receive cost savings, better satisfying their needs. But it is necessary to monitor the achievement of the maximum possible turnover in each target segment and, if sales are reduced at given prices, also reduce the price;
• leadership in quality – such a reputation makes it possible to set high prices for goods, thereby covering the high costs associated with improving quality and R&D.

The objectives of the pricing policy determine the choice of its strategy and operational-tactical tools. The starting point for developing a pricing strategy should always be the so-called triangle "firm - client - competitor".

Operational-tactical tools pricing is a large group of pricing policy tools that allows you to solve short-term strategic tasks, as well as quickly respond to unexpected changes in various pricing factors or the aggressive pricing policy of competitors.

As essential grounds for the use of these tools, experts note three basic cases.

• 1. Entering the market and making the first decision about the price and its role in the marketing mix (price as an element of the marketing mix of the enterprise).
• 2. The need for changes, active actions to improve price efficiency in the system of elements of the marketing mix.
• 3. Rapid adaptation of pricing policy instruments to changes in internal and external pricing factors (increase in costs, introduction of product and marketing innovations by competitors, changes in consumer price perception, etc.).

Main operational and tactical instruments of pricing policy in modern conditions are called the following:

• short-term change in prices (or their elements);
• price differentiation (for different consumers);
• price variations (over time periods);
• price line policy (borders, groups, price levels);
• price organization and control (collection of price information, negotiations, price recommendations, guarantees, etc.).

The pricing policy should correlate with the general policy and be formed on the basis of the company's strategic goals. In view of the above scheme for the formation of the company's pricing policy can be represented as follows. At the beginning, information is collected and a preliminary analysis of external and internal factors is carried out, which are the initial information for analyzing the current situation and future market prospects. Next, a strategic analysis of the collected information is carried out, on the basis of which the company's pricing policy is formed (Fig. 5.2).

The price policy management process takes into account the successive stages building pricing policy at the enterprise: setting goals and developing pricing goals, finding solutions and alternatives, coordinating and summarizing price information, making price decisions, their implementation and control. Thus, it employs specialists from various departments and levels of the company. Financial managers calculate the value of costs and determine the level of prices for goods, which allows covering costs and bringing the planned profit. Marketing and sales people conduct consumer research and determine how low prices can be to meet sales targets. In this way, pricing policy management process is based on the analysis of market information and financial performance of the company and consists in finding alternative options for achieving the company's goals and objectives and their financial justification. An effective pricing policy involves the optimal combination of internal financial constraints and external market conditions. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the company's pricing strategy should be made depending on whether the goals set for the company when choosing a pricing strategy have been achieved.

Rice. 5.2.

Not all trading enterprises can independently and independently form prices for goods, implementing their pricing policy in the consumer market. The basis of pricing policy for a product in the consumer market is formed by its manufacturer, positioning its product in a certain way and choosing one or another marketing strategy. In this regard, when forming their pricing policy, trading enterprises are forced to focus largely on the pricing policy of the manufacturer.

Unlike production, trade enterprises in the overwhelming majority of cases form their pricing policy not for individual goods, but for certain groups of goods. Thus, at trade enterprises, the pricing policy is not single-commodity, but political character.

The pricing policy of commercial enterprises is influenced by level of trading services. This is due to the fact that the level of prices at which goods are sold at trade enterprises is inseparable from the specific level of service offered to buyers at these enterprises.

The price system at trade enterprises is, as a rule, more rigidly standardized than at manufacturing enterprises. This is determined by the fact that the trading company focuses on the average profitability of operations for all goods of all assortment groups. In this way, any change in the price of a single product above the standard may lead to a change in the results of the enterprise.

In retail trade, even the concept of "basic price" is not used, which is subject to negotiation during the sale process. And even the system of price discounts used by individual retailers is standard in relation to individual price situations or categories of buyers. This makes it difficult to implement the pricing policy at trade enterprises.

Trade enterprises do not usually apply a number of price strategies of manufacturers associated with a long-term unfavorable situation in the market for a particular consumer product. As a rule, the conditions of trading activity allow a trading enterprise to quickly leave such a commodity market, i.e. stop purchasing and selling this product, while the manufacturer must actively fight for the return of funds invested in its production.

If a company asks itself the question: “What price do we need to set in order to cover costs and get a good profit?”, This means that it does not have its own pricing policy and, accordingly, there can be no question of any strategy for its implementation. . We can talk about price policy if the question is put in a completely different way: " What costs must be incurred in order to earn a profit at the market prices that we can achieve?".

In the same way, it is impermissible to talk about the presence of a pricing policy or strategy for a company if it asks itself a seemingly quite “market” question: “What price will the buyer be willing to pay for this product?”. The formation of a pricing policy should begin with the question: "What value does this product provide to our customers, and how can the firm convince them that the price matches that value?"

Finally, the pricing specialist will not pose the question: "What prices will allow us to achieve the desired sales volumes or market share?" He will look at the problem in a different way: " What sales volume or market share can be most profitable for us?".

The greatest contradiction arises here between financial managers and marketing departments of firms. However, conflicts between financiers and marketers on the issue of pricing policy usually arise in those firms where management has not made a clear choice between two alternative approaches to pricing: cost and value.

The main goal of pricing policy in marketing- maximize profit for a given volume of sales per unit of time. When developing a pricing policy, each enterprise independently determines for itself the tasks to be solved, which can be diametrically opposed, for example:

revenue maximization when revenue is more important than profit. For example, for seasonal goods or goods with a limited shelf life;

price maximization, when the image of the product is more important than sales volumes. For example, to artificially limit demand due to the inability to satisfy it (demarketing);

maximizing sales volumes when market retention is more important than profit. For example, to hold or conquer the market;

increasing competitiveness when sales volume is determined by price. For example, when selling goods with high elasticity of demand;

ensuring a given profitability, when maintaining profitability comes first. For example, in the production and sale of consumer goods.

Types of pricing policy

Cost-based pricing policy (setting prices by adding target profits to calculated production costs; setting prices with reimbursement of production costs). This is the easiest way to set a price.

Suppose that the unit cost of goods (production costs) is 100 rubles. The manufacturer intends to set a margin (planned profit) at 20% of the cost of goods. The final price of the item is calculated as follows:

This method is acceptable only if the price found with its help allows you to achieve the expected sales volume. This method, however, is still popular for a number of reasons.

First, this method does not require constant price adjustments in line with changes in demand.

Second, when all companies in an industry use this pricing method, prices are set at about the same level and price competition is minimized.

High price policy (price level policy; cream skimming policy). A pricing strategy that consists in setting a high initial price for a new product in order to maximize profit from all market segments willing to pay the required price; provides a smaller volume of sales with more income from each sale.

Companies entering the market with new products often set high prices for them in order to “take off” profit layer by layer. The benefits of this pricing policy include:

creating an image (image) of a quality product with the buyer as a result of a high initial price, which facilitates the sale in the future with a price reduction;

ensuring a sufficiently large amount of profit at relatively high costs in the initial period of the release of goods;

facilitating a change in the price level, as buyers are more accepting of price cuts than price increases.

The main disadvantages of this pricing policy is that its implementation, as a rule, is limited in time. A high price level encourages competitors to quickly create similar products or their substitutes. Therefore, an important task is to determine the moment when it is necessary to start reducing prices in order to suppress the activity of competitors, stay in the developed market and conquer its new segments.

Market penetration policy (P breakthrough policy; low price policy). A pricing strategy that consists in setting a relatively low price for a new product in order to attract the maximum number of buyers and gain a larger market share.

Not all companies start by setting high prices for new products, most turn to to market penetration. In order to quickly and deeply penetrate the market, i.e. to quickly attract the maximum number of buyers and win a large market share, they set a relatively low price for a new product. A company that uses such prices takes a certain risk, expecting that the growth in sales and revenue will compensate for the shortfall in profits due to lower unit prices. This type of pricing policy is available for large firms with a large volume of production.

To establish low prices, the following conditions are necessary:

the market should be highly price sensitive, then a low price will lead to an increase in sales;

with an increase in sales, the costs of production and marketing should decrease;

the price must be so low that the company can avoid competition, otherwise the price advantage will be short-lived.

Market segmentation policy (differentiated pricing policy; differential pricing). A type of pricing in which a product is sold at several different prices without taking into account differences in costs.

Differentiated pricing takes several forms. Price differentiation by consumer type means that different categories of consumers pay different prices for the same product or service depending on their financial situation. Losses or shortfall in profits from the sale of goods at low prices to less wealthy buyers are compensated by selling them at high prices to buyers whose level of well-being allows it. Museums, for example, give discounts to students and pensioners.

At the price differentiationby type of goods Different product variants are priced differently, but the difference is not based on differences in cost.

Price location differentiation means that the company assigns different prices for the same product in different regions, even if the costs of producing and selling them in these regions do not differ. For example, theaters charge different prices for different seats based on the preferences of the public.

At the price differentiationby time prices vary depending on the season, month, day of the week and even time of day. Rates for utility services provided to commercial organizations vary depending on the time of day, and are lower on weekends than on weekdays. Telephone companies offer reduced rates at night and resorts offer seasonal discounts.

In order for differential pricing to be effective, certain conditions must exist:

the market must be segmentable, and the segments must differ in terms of demand;

consumers of the segment that received a lower price should not be able to resell the product to consumers of other segments where a higher price is set for it;

in the segment to which the company offers a product at a higher price, there should not be competitors who could sell the same product cheaper;

the costs associated with segmenting the market and tracking its state should not exceed the additional profit received due to the difference in prices for goods in different segments;

differential pricing should be legal.

Psychological pricing policy (non-rounded price policy). One of the types of pricing, taking into account not only the economic component, but also the psychological impact of the price; the price is used as a source of information about the product.

Price is one way to convey some information about a product. So, many buyers judge the quality of a product, primarily by its price. A bottle of perfume priced at 3,000 rubles may contain perfume for only 100 rubles, but there are many buyers who are willing to pay these 3,000 rubles, because such a price says a lot.

For example, according to one study examining the relationship between price and quality perceptions, more expensive cars are perceived by buyers as higher quality.

Target rate of return policy is carried out in those cases when the market offers not a fundamentally new product, but some kind of mass production that has been produced for many years, but is modernized from time to time. Prices are set on the basis of a rate of return, which is determined on the basis of production costs, prices and sales volume over a number of recent years, as well as taking into account the competitive position occupied by the firm in the market.

Follow the leader policy(price leader policy)

Using this approach to new product pricing does not mean setting the price of your company's new products in strict accordance with the price level of the leading company in the market. The point here is only to take into account the price policy of the leader in the industry or market. The price of a new product may deviate from the price of the leading company, but only within certain limits. These limits are determined by the quality and technical superiority of your company's products over those of the leading firms on the market. And the less different your firm's new products are compared to the majority of products offered in a particular market, the closer the price level for new products to the "standards" set by the industry leader.

The firm's pricing policy represents the overall goals that the firm intends to achieve by setting prices for its products. However, setting prices for the company's products is largely an art: a low price causes the buyer to associate with the low quality of the goods, a high one excludes the possibility of purchasing the goods by many buyers. Under these conditions, it is necessary to correctly formulate the firm's pricing policy, keeping in mind the interconnections.

In accordance with the Methodological Recommendations of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation (Order No. 118 dated October 1, 1997), price policy refers to the general goals that an enterprise intends to achieve with the help of prices for its products. The development of a pricing policy includes several successive stages:

Target selection;

Definition of demand;

Cost analysis;

Competitor price analysis;

Choice of pricing method;

Setting the final price;

Development of a price modification system.

Each price setting step comes with its own set of limitations, problems and complexities that the thoughtful entrepreneur should be aware of in advance.

Pricing Goals

The pricing policy of many enterprises is to cover costs and get a certain profit. Individual enterprises try to sell goods as expensive as possible. This practice indicates the lack of necessary experience and knowledge in the field of pricing. Therefore, it is important for an enterprise to study various pricing policy options, evaluate their features, conditions, areas, advantages and disadvantages of using them.

The main objectives of the pricing policy of any enterprise are the following.

Ensuring the continued existence of the company. In the presence of excess capacity, intense competition in the market, changes in demand and consumer preferences, enterprises often reduce prices in order to continue production, eliminate stocks. In this case, the profit loses its value. As long as the price covers at least the variable and part of the fixed costs, production can continue. However, the question of the survival of the enterprise can be seen as a short-term goal.

Profit maximization, profitability assurance. Setting this goal means that the company seeks to maximize current profit. It estimates demand and costs at different price levels and chooses the price that will provide the maximum cost recovery.

The goal, pursuing the retention of the market, involves the preservation of the company's existing position in the market or favorable conditions for its activities, which requires the adoption of various measures to prevent a decline in sales and intensify competition.

Short-term achievement of turnover maximization of prices Incentive turnover maximization is chosen when the goods are produced corporately and it is difficult to determine the structure and level of production costs. Therefore, it is considered sufficient to know only the demand. To achieve this goal, for intermediaries set a percentage of commission on sales. Maximizing turnover in the short term can also maximize profits and market share in the long term.

Ensuring maximum sales growth. Firms pursuing this goal believe that an increase in sales will lead to a decrease in the cost of producing a unit of output and, on this basis, to an increase in profits. Given the reaction of the market to the price level, such firms set them as low as possible. This approach is called the pricing policy of the attack on the market. If an enterprise reduces the prices of its products to the minimum acceptable level, increases its share in the market, achieving, as output increases, a reduction in the cost of producing a unit of goods, then on this basis it will be able to continue to reduce prices. However, such a policy can give a positive result only if there are a number of conditions: a) if the market's sensitivity to prices is very high (lower prices - increased demand); b) if it is possible to reduce production and sales costs as a result of an increase in output volumes; c) if other market participants also do not start, reduce prices or fail to compete.

"Cream skimming" from the market. It comes at the cost of high prices. This occurs when a firm sets the highest possible prices for its new products, which are significantly higher than the production prices. This pricing is called "premium". Separate market segments from the appearance of new products, even at a high price, receive cost savings, better satisfy their needs. As soon as sales at a given price are reduced, the firm lowers the price to attract the next group of customers, thereby achieving the maximum possible turnover in each segment of the target market.

Achieving leadership in quality. A firm that manages to establish itself as a leader in quality sets a high price for its product in order to cover the high costs associated with improving quality and the costs of research and development carried out for this.

The listed goals of pricing policy can be implemented at different times, at different prices, there may be a different ratio between them, but in the aggregate they all serve to achieve a common goal - long-term profit maximization.

For the implementation of all work related to the development and successful implementation of the pricing policy, a special structural unit is created at large and medium-sized enterprises - the pricing department. In enterprises with small and irregular sales volumes, as well as small staff, this function is performed by the head of the company.

The activities of the price department are constantly built in close contact with other departments of the enterprise, and above all with the departments of marketing, sales, and the financial service. Much attention is paid to collecting information about the current market conditions, determining the structure of the company's product market, compiling alternative sales forecasts for products that are possible at different price levels, studying the expected response of competitors to the company's pricing policy, as well as analyzing a possible increase in sales and revenue without changing prices.

Tasks and mechanism for developing pricing policy

The enterprise independently determines the scheme for developing a pricing policy based on the goals and objectives of the development of the company, organizational structure and management methods, established traditions at the enterprise, the level of production costs and other internal factors, as well as the state and development of the business environment, i.e. external factors.

When developing a pricing policy, the following questions are usually addressed:

in what cases it is necessary to use the pricing policy;

when it is necessary to respond with the help of price to the market policy of competitors;

what pricing policy measures should accompany the introduction of a new product to the market;

for which goods from the assortment sold it is necessary to change prices;

in which markets it is necessary to pursue an active pricing policy, change the pricing strategy;

how to distribute certain price changes over time;

what price measures can be used to increase sales efficiency;

how to take into account the existing internal and external restrictions of entrepreneurial activity in the pricing policy.