WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing Strategies to Increase Sales

October 2, 2023,
WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing Strategies to Increase Sales
You've carefully planned out your WooCommerce store's setup, selected the most affordable hosting option, and lined up all of your carefully thought-out products, but hold on. Why isn't your eCommerce site achieving its ROI objectives? You see, the online retail industry is getting more and more cutthroat. No matter how alluring your product may appear, in this very dynamic business environment, you cannot guarantee high conversions if your pricing is not optimized. Choosing a quality product line to sell is just one factor in eCommerce success; another important one is how you plan your price. Do you really need to offer discounts? What is your method? Is it necessary to provide coupons? When should it be delivered?

Why Is WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing Strategy Important?

Pricing determines whether a WooCommerce store makes a large profit, a breakeven profit, or a loss. Cheap product pricing doesn't always ensure you'll get the market share for your niche; even if you have enormous conversion rates, you may still come out at break-even. Hence, implementing a dynamic pricing strategy will increase the chances of:
  • Products sold at a price that covers all costs
  • High-profit margins
  • An advantage in the market share
No matter how lucrative your business idea may seem, if you don't plan your price, you'll be losing a significant amount of revenue for your company. Let's avoid creating a massive word wall to try to explain that to you. Let's get directly to the price techniques you can employ.

Role-Based Pricing for WooComemrce

The first pricing strategy on our list is role-based pricing for WooCommerce. Role-based pricing is what it sounds like. Offering different prices to customers based on their user roles. WooCommerce role-based pricing can boost your sales by tailoring prices to specific customer groups. When you offer discounted rates or exclusive deals to different customer roles, such as loyal customers or wholesale buyers, it makes them feel valued and encourages them to make more purchases. This personalization helps create a sense of belonging and loyalty among your customers, which can ultimately lead to increased sales and a stronger customer base.

Keystone Pricing

Keystone pricing, also known as rule-of-thumb pricing, is a pricing approach commonly used by brick-and-mortar retail stores. Essentially, this strategy involves doubling the base price to determine the selling price. For instance, if an item costs $10 to produce, it is sold for $20, as simple as that. However, it doesn't always guarantee a high conversion rate, particularly for heavily commoditized products, as it can be challenging to generate sales with high-profit margin tactics like this. This approach is most effective when there is a strong demand for the product, often associated with seasonal items like thick coats in winter or trending products like a newly launched iPhone.

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Many product suppliers suggest a fixed product price for your WooCommerce store, which standardizes prices among all sellers to reduce competition in this regard. This allows you to focus less on pricing concerns and devote more attention to improving your services. Typically, WooCommerce store owners dealing in electronic appliances tend to follow the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). While you have the flexibility to set prices above or below the MSRP, it's essential to review your supplier agreement to avoid any potential violations that could lead to the termination of your supplier relationship. Additionally, keep in mind that deviating from the MSRP may result in less accurate sales forecasts.

Seasonal pricing

How to set your seasonal pricing in 5 easy steps | Vacation rentals tips If your products experience peak demand during specific time periods, it's important to establish an appropriate pricing strategy. For instance, if you're in the business of selling running apparel, you should regularly update your inventory to align with the seasons, as certain seasonal clothing items will naturally see increased demand with changing weather. To stay competitive, it's crucial to proactively develop well-defined pricing strategies ahead of time. In contrast to demand-based pricing, this approach offers greater predictability, allowing you to confidently set rules based on past sales patterns. Nonetheless, even in the scenario of selling running gear mentioned earlier, there is hidden potential stemming from unforeseeable outcomes. For instance, an extended winter season might sustain the demand for winter wear beyond the usual patterns. In such instances, you can still successfully sell products without resorting to price reductions, as you typically would.

Competitive Pricing

To implement this pricing strategy effectively, you must conduct research and analysis on successful competitors to devise an improved pricing structure. Competitive pricing not only facilitates negotiations with suppliers but also enables cost reduction. However, consistently researching competitors and their products can be challenging, particularly for startups and smaller WooCommerce stores.

Price Skimming

The price skimming strategy entails setting an initially high price for your product and then gradually reducing it. This approach allows you to capitalize on substantial profit margins during a period when competition is minimal. As more rivals enter the market, you gradually reduce the price to maintain competitiveness and appeal to a broader, price-conscious audience. This strategy is highly effective if your objective is to achieve significant profits quickly.

Economic Pricing

Opting for economic pricing proves most effective for commodity goods. Customers, whether you're a newly established or well-established store, prioritize receiving the utmost value for their money. If your WooCommerce store specializes in selling items like medicine, supplements, or groceries, this pricing approach aligns perfectly with your business needs. Even online restaurant ordering systems should embrace economic pricing, as more people increasingly rely on food deliveries due to social restrictions hindering dining at physical restaurants. Under this strategy, the profit you generate hinges significantly on the quantity of products sold.

Time-Based Pricing

Time-Based Pricing Typically, new product or service launches generate excitement and, consequently, drive up demand. During such moments, you have the opportunity to establish higher price points for your offerings. However, market dynamics can shift due to evolving circumstances. For example, with the onset of the pandemic, a growing number of consumers began favoring online shopping over visiting brick-and-mortar stores. This surge in demand placed a heavier workload on online platforms like Amazon and its sellers. Consequently, as the demand for Amazon increased, so did the demand for pricing management tools tailored for Amazon. During this period, these services had the flexibility to set their prices at a premium.

Loss-Leading Pricing

Loss-Leading Pricing We developed this pricing strategy based on Market-Basket analysis, which involves analyzing products that complement each other. This approach can boost sales by suggesting related products to customers based on their interests. You've likely encountered online stores that display messages like "People who purchased product A also bought product B." These recommendations often lead customers to purchase more than just the discounted product, resulting in additional sales. In essence, this pricing strategy requires pricing managers to identify items that can be paired together to encourage customers to buy complementary products. This upsell and cross-sell strategy enables store owners to offset the discount on one item with the sale of a complementary product. Importantly, it increases the average sales per customer.

Discount Pricing

Discount Pricing Lastly, the WooCommerce pricing strategy includes numerous sub-strategies. According to Statista, 93% of customers actively use coupons and discounts year-round, making this a pricing strategy you must prioritize. Whether you're using segmented lists or not, all customers are drawn to discounts, coupons, and similar offers. Furthermore, it aids in attracting a customer base that values competitive pricing. So, how can you create engaging discount strategies? Here are some practical recommendations:
  • Minimum Purchase Discount
  • Periodic Discounts
  • Abandoned Cart Discount
  • Behavior-Based Pricing
  • Loyalty Discounts
  • Flash Sale
  • Exit-Intent Discount
  • Exclusive Social Media Discounts

Conclusion

When it comes to pricing strategies for your WooCommerce store, there's no single approach that stands out as the best choice. whether you choose to implement role-based pricing for WooCommerce or discount pricing, depends on your priorities. Several factors require your consideration when deciding on a pricing strategy. Is the product considered a commodity? Is there a high demand for the product? Is it a season with limited sales? How are your competitors pricing similar products? These are just a few questions to ponder as you determine the most suitable pricing strategy. Another approach is to conduct A/B testing, trying one strategy for a week and switching to another the following week to identify when sales perform better. The critical factor always to bear in mind when considering pricing strategies is to commence with thorough research. Investigate your market and competitors, learn about their pricing for similar products, and understand the level of competition in your market. Ultimately, implementing one or more of the pricing strategies mentioned above will help you avoid breaking even or incurring losses and allow you to seize the greatest potential market share available.