The Transformative Power of Digital Pricing

The following blog post summarizes a chapter I recently contributed to “Digital Pricing Strategy,” a comprehensive, hands-on guide to understanding digital pricing by Stephan M. Liozu and Andreas Hinterhuber. The book shares case studies and best practices from industry and academia worldwide, shining light on crucial topics like the value and pricing of data, how to price platforms, subscription pricing, and making the most out of the global environment. It’s available here.

In today's digital age, companies are constantly striving to optimize their operations and stay ahead of the competition. One area where digitalization can be particularly beneficial is in B2B pricing. By digitalizing pricing processes, businesses can streamline their operations, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. 

In the past, B2B pricing was typically done manually, with sales representatives negotiating prices with customers on an individual basis. This process was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often prone to errors. Additionally, it was difficult for companies to track their pricing history, making it challenging to make informed decisions about future pricing. 

However, with the advent of digital technology, companies now have the opportunity to automate their pricing processes, which can bring a host of benefits. Here are some of the ways that digitalizing B2B pricing can help companies: 

• Improved accuracy: By digitalizing their pricing processes, companies can reduce the risk of errors that can occur with manual pricing. Automated systems can help to ensure that all pricing is accurate and up-to-date, which can help to improve customer satisfaction. 
• Increased efficiency: Automated pricing systems can also help to improve the efficiency of the pricing process. This can free up sales representatives to focus on other tasks, such as building relationships with customers. 
• Better pricing data: With digital pricing, companies can gather internal and external data on what impacts customer willingness to pay, and market competitive price levels. This can help them to make informed decisions about future pricing, as they can use AI appropriately respond to trends and patterns. 
• Greater flexibility: Automated pricing systems can be more flexible than manual pricing, as they can be programmed to adjust pricing in response to changes in market conditions or customer demand.  Missing out on market movements are often costly to revenue and profit, especially in dynamic markets.
• Improved customer experience: Digital pricing can also help to improve the customer experience. By providing customers with accurate and up-to-date pricing information, businesses can build trust and increase customer satisfaction. Customers are increasingly impatient when companies do not make market relevant pricing immediately available, and many will switch suppliers who offer a more frictionless buying experience.

Of course, there is some work to do when digitalizing B2B pricing. For example, companies will need to invest in the technology and resources required to build and maintain automated pricing systems. Additionally, they will need to ensure that their pricing and market data is accurate and up-to-date, and that their systems are configured correctly. 

Overall, however, the benefits of digitalizing B2B pricing are significant. By automating their pricing processes, businesses can improve accuracy, efficiency, and customer satisfaction, while also gathering valuable pricing data that can inform future decisions. As such, companies that have not yet embraced digitization in their pricing processes may want to consider doing so to stay competitive in today's digital marketplace.