The Redmond giant made several changes to its Software Assurance licensing program, under which users pay a subscription fee and receive upgrades for free. Microsoft made introduce SA in 2001, and despite the relatively high costs, managed to convince a … Read More
Monthly Archives: September 2005
The Danger of Pushing Margin per Transaction too Far
Something to lighten up your Monday… This piece neatly illustrates the logical extreme of following the pricing consultant’s insistence that fewer transactions at higher margin is better.
Next Gen Price Comparison Sites
An alert reader sent in this WSJ article on The Next Generation of Price-Comparison Sites. Price comparison websites are almost as old as the internet as a commerce medium. The idea is that the internet would facilitate an Adam-Smith-like perfect … Read More
Justice Dept Sues Realtors
An alert reader in New York City sent in a link to this Wall Street Journal article, U.S. Sues Realtors, Claims Web Rules Limit Discounting. The suit alleges illegal restriction of competition, which in turn costs consumers substantial amounts of … Read More
Big 3 Vow End to Employee Discounts
GM plans to end the popular discount program on September 30, while Ford and DaimlerChrysler will end their on October 3. The programs led to surging sales and cleared out 2005 inventory, but did little to boost the bottom line. … Read More
Apple Pulls Promo After 12 Hours
Apple launched, then quickly pulled, a promotion called “Mac Mini Test Drive” which allowed users to try a Mac Mini for 30 days and return it for a full refund if unsatisfied (see news.com article). There was no official explanation … Read More
Hurricane Creates Pricing Trouble, Opportunity
In the wake of Katrina’s devestation, so many people have so much more critical things on their minds than pricing that it almost seems frivolous to talk about pricing. At the same time, businesses must function when possible and a … Read More