Monthly Archives: June 2005

Why Variable Pricing Fails at the Vending Machines

The New York Times (free registration required) ran a piece on variable pricing today called Why Variable Pricing Fails at the Vending Machines. The article centers on Coca Cola’s infamous proposal to vary vending machine prices with temperature back in … Read More

Anyone at PriceX?

I had been planning to attend the Institute for International Research‘s PriceX Conference, going on now in Chicago, but couldn’t make it due to client committments. I’d love to hear about particularly interesting presentations topics or news if anyone has … Read More

Oracle, Intel Tussle Over Software Pricing

If there’s controversy in the enterprise software industry, chances are Oracle is somehow involved. It’s cheaper than advertising, after all. Today, Forbes reported that Intel is still trying to get Oracle to reconsider its dual-core licensing policy, and Oracle is … Read More

Dell Hits Magic Price with $99 Printer

Certain prices have almost magical powers, altering buyers perceptions powerfully enough to play havoc with rational economic theory and smooth demand curves. Dell may have hit one of those prices with its $99 black and white laser printer. This is … Read More

Another Way to Set Prices– Ask Customers to Do It For You

Internet service provider CI Host introduced a “name your own price” program last week, allowing customers to bid on hosting services. CI Host then accepts or rejects the bid. Essentially, you can bid on an existing hosting package, but you … Read More

GM Continues Price Push

Auto giant GM will be lowering sticker prices for ’06, on the heels of its Employee Pricing for All program. For years, GM was happy to skim off customers who were willing to pay close to sticker price, while offering … Read More

Not a Problem My Clients are Likely to Have

Today’s Dilbert.

More Pricing Charges Against Drug Firms

As I noted earlier, you really need to have your pricing process in order to stay in compliance with the law, especially in healthcare, where the government is spending our tax dollars on medicine. A lot of the violations of … Read More

Tobacco Company Wins Pricing Lawsuit– Broad Implications

A judge threw out a lawsuit brought against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., saying their wholesaler discount program did not violate fair pricing laws. RJR offers discounts not based on the volume of business through a particular wholesaler, but based on … Read More

Oracle Updates per-CPU Licensing on Sun

As I’ve noted (Hardware Makes Software Pricing Harder and Software Pricing Followup: Fractional CPU Pricing) technical advances are muddying the waters for enterprise software vendors. Until now, Oracle had insisted that customers purchase licenses for every CPU on a Sun … Read More