pricing

Choose a value metric that scales with the value customers receive, such as per user, per usage, or per transaction. Ask whether customers get more value as they consume more of the metric; if yes, price aligns with value. Common options include per seat for collaboration tools and per usage for consumption products.

Use the Van Westendorp price sensitivity meter, which asks four questions about too expensive, too cheap, expensive, and bargain price points to identify an acceptable range. Complement it with MaxDiff analysis to rank feature value and competitive benchmarking for context.

Raise prices when conversion rates exceed 40%, churn is under 3% monthly, or significant value has been added since the last change. Grandfather existing customers or give 3-6 months notice, and tie the increase to new value to soften the impact.

Run the paste test: give your pricing URL to a browsing-capable AI and ask for the plans and prices. If it cannot answer, your prices may be locked in images, rendered only by JavaScript, or hidden behind Contact us forms, which the teardown rubric flags as AI-readiness gaps.

Use freemium when the product has network effects, low marginal cost per free user, and clear upgrade triggers. Use a free trial when the product needs time to demonstrate value, targets higher price points, or involves B2B buying committees.

Pricing strategy covers what to charge, how to package tiers, and which value metric to use. Pricing page conversion optimization is a separate concern handled by the cro skill, while this Skill's teardown focuses on clarity, transparency, and AI-agent readability.