Pricing Observer

Pricing Observer

Pricing Observer  //  An ongoing collection of various approaches to pricing strategy, pricing structure and pricing process.

Provided by: www.pricingwire.com

Mar 29 / 10:17pm

Wufoo Pricing Page Update

Quick update on Wufoo’s pricing page shows they have increased both the Bona Fide and Ad Hoc plans by $5 per month (appears to be the only changes to the page).  Prior post for Wufoo is found here.

 

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Feb 10 / 11:35am

Bantam Live Post Beta Pricing Page

To follow up on our previous post around Bantam Live pricing, I have included a screenshot of the pricing page they deemed worthy of their post beta launch.

Some brief notes:

a.  They have done their homework and clearly incorporated elements (best practices) that have worked for other companies.

b.  “30-DAY FREE TRIAL ON ALL ACCOUNTS" addresses the prospect’s natural aversion to risk.

c.  “ACTIVATE YOUR PRIVATE WORKSPACE IN 60 SECONDS”  implies simplicity and answers a question all prospects ask: “how long will this take”

d.  Top value plan is first on left to establish reference price and value, then works high to low from left to right, with “Most Popular” (sweet spot) plan front and center.

e.  Sweet spot plan,
as mentioned above, is front and center with green background on header and called out as “Most Popular”

f.  Excellent headers regarding : plan names, price placement and suggestive plan segments (e.g. – for business teams, for small groups).

g.  8 plan comparative elements (e.g. – workspace, workgroups, users, storage, etc.) is right about the limit. I typically would recommend 4 to 7, with 10 max.

h.  10 max (mentioned above) speaks to prioritized value drivers above the fold, page load viewable. Enabling expanding sections for more details is another topic / option.

i.  They repeat the comparative element text for each plan (e.g. - "Storage” next to value under each plan), rather than listing these once on the left with only the value under each plan.

j.  Hover details is always a must, which they do well with the hover display design, although the hover detail links may not be obvious enough (should be, but is it).

k.  Interesting to only enable the hover details on the Most Popular Plan. Again repeating comparative elements text adds to the appearance of complexity / adds friction to the decision process.

l.  “Today’s Offer” is intended to create a sense of urgency and encourage sign-up today at the expense of the offer not being available if the prospect delays their decision.

m.  I like the Sign Up buttons and if you visit their pricing page { https://app.bantamlive.com/plans } note the additional information below what I provide in the screenshot and comment on today (e.g.  de-emphasizing a FREE Plan).

I have not provided what areas need improvement and where opportunities exist, but as with all my comments above . . . what really matters is what performs best and A/B testing must be leveraged to fine tune, incorporate improvements to their solutions / offerings  and continuously address changes in the market.


Note: you can always click the images on this site to view a larger version

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Filed under  //  Bantam Live  

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Dec 23 / 3:20pm

Bantam Live Announces End of Beta & Pricing Plans

Bantam Live announced via email today that they will exit public beta on January 26th and provided a preview of the their tentative offerings and pricing.  They do not mention extending a perpetually free offering, but do offer an extended 30 day free trial period to those who sign-up for a paid subscription plan when Bantam Live formally distributes their “go-live” pricing plans.

Announcing this, roughly one month in advance, gives them time to assess and evaluate the nature of the responses they receive and make some key business decisions with respect to any possible adjustments or updates to their Offerings and Pricing.

I do not have access to the information they have available to base their decisions on, but I “quickly” put together a possible Pricing Structure they might consider instead.  The two suggestions (in color) are quickly provided without the benefits of the information Bantam Live has access to (between my two possibilities, the only difference is the price points).  Additionally, there is much more that goes into optimizing a pricing page to best position your value proposition for maximum conversions, which I do not cover here.

http://www.bantamlive.com/

- As always, you may click the larger image below to view an even larger image -

         

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Nov 6 / 11:36am

Network Solutions - Domain Name Purchase Process

So I had another one of my “brilliant” ideas recently and decided I should secure the relevant domain name, of course fully expecting the idea will pan out.

Network Solutions has been around for a long time, in fact if you click the link you will discover . . . . much longer than you may think.  I have registered a number of domain names over the years and have also used other providers such as GoDaddy.com and Register.com.  If you were to conduct a Google search for “domain name registration” the top three results (as well as top 3 sponsored links) are those three companies; Network Solutions, Register.com, and GoDaddy.com.

Because Network Solutions has been at this for so long, wouldn’t you think they have become really good at optimizing the process and have fine-tuned what content to include, content location, content format and overall design.  You decide.

Below I have captured the complete purchase process from the point where I have decided to check-out.  Total time was around 5 minutes (I subtracted the time it took me to grab screenshots).

Some brief elements I’d like to point out:

1) Initially, you get the impression that the process is going to take 3 steps, but really each of those first 3 steps are communicating additional offerings (upgrades, add-ons) they want you to consider.  Perhaps a bit misleading though, as the user likely is initially thinking the whole process is only 3 steps.

2) To advance through the first 3 steps, the user must scroll down the page, exposing the offers along the way, to find the “continue” button.

3) Next, is the real check out process which is 4 steps.  The first step is to decide the registration duration (and thus pricing) for each domain you are purchasing.  Note the Slidebar approach, which I have provided a few shots on how sliding the bar changes the price.  Five years is the default setting and note the “Did You Know” statement.

4) Throughout the rest of the process there are a number of noteworthy elements (e.g. – suggestions) that I won’t call out here, but take a look, observe and consider.  I also included screenshots of what happens if you click on the "feedback" or "follow us on Twitter" links, as well as the email confirmation.

Watch for a future post on PricingWire ( http://www.pricingwire.com ) if you want to know more about the compelling idea I have in mind for The Best Solution Summit.

 - - as always, click the larger image to see an even larger image - -

                           

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Oct 23 / 11:21pm

Producteev Updates Pricing Page

It has been almost seven months since I first posted Producteev’s pricing page on PricingWire back in March, when they were launching public beta.

Producteev is now out of beta and with this recent pricing page update they appear to have gained some insight into what they believe customers are willing to pay (or perhaps they are just giving it a go with little to no data to support their decision).

Across most of their offerings, not only have they changed prices (increased), but they also modified file storage allocation and number of users.  They have also de-emphasized the Free offering for non-students, as well as now make mention of a white label version which is an idea I like a lot.  Additionally, they have picked up on the best practice of including testimonials.

Overall, they have made some nice improvements and I like that they are attempting to raise prices now that they are out of beta.  It is always easier to lower prices than raise them (messaging is critical in both cases).  Briefly, a couple areas I’d like to see them address would be the spacing between the different offering boxes . . . it just seems a little off and not uniform.  Also, they could use a good once over by a copy editor.  For example, this copy at the top of the pricing page just doesn’t sound right, “Try any of those plans for free during 14 days!”.

One more nice touch, is that they include three offerings with sign-up buttons below the fold, at the bottom of each page on their site.  It would be interesting to see how many clicks come from these.

I personally still prefer the organization of the beta pricing page (note beta next to logo), but keep in mind what matters is which page performs the best, not personal preference. 

- - as always, you can click the larger image to see an even larger version - -

         

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Aug 25 / 12:14am

Harvard Business Review - Subscription Offerings & Process

I have personally been to the HBR Subscription page at least 3 times in the past year and decided not to proceed each time.  Tonight, nothing on the site compelled me to go ahead and get out my credit card, rather it is a project that I am working on that tipped my curiosity to the point of being willing to pay to search their database and determine if similar efforts have been undertaken by others.

Below is the series of pages I was guided through.  It took me longer to decide which of the three offerings to choose, than it did to complete the subscription process (total time 7mins 38secs).

         

A few notes:

 -  Prices are not displayed until you select your country

 -  Risk Messaging:

     “You may cancel at any time and receive a full refund on the remainder of your
     subscription”

 -  On Screen 3 my “subscriber id” is referenced, but on Screen 4 reference is made
     to “account number"

     If my Subscriber ID hadn’t been auto-populated in the Account Number field,
     this inconsistent terminology is an unnecessary time consumer for their new
     customers

 -  Numbering the steps on Screen 4, is a simple method to guide customers and
    communicate simplicity

 -  As always, simply click any image to see an even larger view

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Aug 21 / 3:32pm

The Value Play Book - First Look . . . More to Come

Get ready to transform the way you think about the world you operate your business within.

This is a first look at a project I am working on named:

The Value Play Book

Simplified steps of clarity to quickly achieve sustainable market success.

I really look forward to sharing more soon, if you would like to receive updates or simply learn more . . . let me know.

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Aug 18 / 6:43pm

TypePad - Great Take Aways For You To Consider

Please take note of :

  - Calls to action

  - Clean design

  - Testimonial (only one, better than none)

  - Hover over question-mark for more information

  - Limited info (which is good, not overwhelming), but includes link “Show more details” for those that want more

  -  Free Trial Sign-up Page includes: Live Chat option and Process Progress Steps “visualizer” at top

     

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Aug 4 / 11:30pm

A Tale of Two Segments for Bill.com

Bill.com is clearly targeting two segments and doing so allows them to craft more compelling value messaging that should resonate more effectively with businesses and accountants.

Aside from some needed design enhancements, Bill.com has included many key elements that help translate into more conversions.

Key elements such as:

  -  Benefits

  -  Testimonials

  -  “Risk Free” messaging

  -  Cost Savings Example

The design would benefit from achieving a less text heavy appearance, which can be accomplished without losing what they are trying to convey.

* As always, click on the larger image to view an even larger image.

         

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Jul 12 / 5:15pm

On Vacation until July 30th

In the interim, consider spending some time pondering posts at PricingWire . . .

    http://www.pricingwire.com

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