Additional SaaS pricing strategies to combat Stagflation

May 27, 2023

     The presentation was first made in the past on SaaS pricing as well as packaging for tackling inflation in 2022. The article was based on the presentation, which was re-written in March 2023 by David Vogelpohl. To learn more or to view the prior presentation, please refer to further details at the bottom of the article.

The cost for pricing the software you offer in the form of services (SaaS) isn't simple enough during the best of times. Finding out how to establish the right pricing to drive more revenue in the event of Stagflation can be a challenge.

This article provides tips for improving pricing and packaging for your SaaS products in an uncertain market

What is Stagflation exactly?

In simple terms, stagflation is an economic phenomenon that is influenced by three main elements:

  • A low rate of growth.
  • The inflation rate is very excessive.
  • The unemployment rate is extremely high.

There's more pressure than ever before

  • The wallets of potential customers are potential clients you'd love to impress.
  • Customers' wallets that you currently have and would rather upgrade.

So, taking time to consider how to structure your SaaS cost structure crucial to ensure that you continue expanding your business, even in an economic climate that is limited.

Using Your SaaS Pricing Model to Fight Stagflation

It's the easiest way to boost your prices, and you wouldn't be all alone in doing this.

A third of SaaS Software, software, or digital goods clients are reducing their prices in the past 12 months.

Graphs showing that over a third of  companies raised prices recently.

Amazingly, SaaS businesses tend to raise prices above the rate of inflation.

This lever -- which isn't a surprise -- usually will result in a rise in revenue however, it can be difficult to achieve when customers aren't having as much money to spend in a down economy.

It is imperative to think about pricing and packaging is just among the a few options that are not designed into SaaS.

Why do price increases? Do you want to test the market for something else?

There are many different ways you can make more money even when markets are tight which isn't only causing prices to rise.

Increased acquisition rates or conversion rate, and also reducing the rate of churn could be the possibilities.

All of those options take lots of time in terms of the time and energy required to implement them.

Think about the funds and time that must invest in increasing sales, or decrease the frequency of churn using strategies like PLG Also known as Product-led Growth (PLG) or more effective initiatives that improve the customer experience It can become a difficult and overwhelming method, illustrated by big and medium-sized T-shirts.

Table with headers Strategy, Acquisition, and Churn, then rows labeled PLG, Customer Success, and Pricing and Packaging. Each cell includes a t-shirt of Small, Medium, or Large.

Every one of the large and medium-sized tshirts represent the effort, time and cost. It is the work required to implement PLG and strategies for customer success to increase customer loyalty and lower the percentage of churn.

However, making changes to pricing of products requires little effort and can be done fast, as evidenced by a t-shirt sporting an incredibly small size higher.

Like Patrick McKenzie points out, it's as easy as replacing the lower number with an even larger number.

A screenshot of a tweet quoting Patrick McKenzie.

It is the final option changing your pricing could be the easiest, simplest option to make when you're looking to boost your income quickly.

Enhancing your SaaS Pricing Strategy to meet the new MRR standards and. Net revenue retention is growing. Mustache

If you're thinking about alternative pricing methods, a other thing to think about is whether you'd like to optimize for the future MRR and net retention, or both.

There's also there's"the "growth mustache."

A graphic of a sideways bracket with Growth at the top and New MRR and NRR at the bottom.

The"grow" mustache is a bracket with an angled angle towards the side that an ex-CFO from my past often was referring to. (I also included the "mustache" designation, since it resembles a mustache for me.)

It is driven by the growth of the monthly regular revenue (MRR) as well as new customers coming into the market, as well as net revenue retention (NRR) which is the amount of your current customers' MRR or ARR you're retaining or increasing.

In the event that your NRR exceeds 100%, that means you'll make more money. It is the same for the value of your company.

There is generally a benefit to businesses that use various pricing and packaging, however it is important to be aware of the conditions which customers are put in. It may result in lower sales coming into the store and possibly more leaving. The way you decide to set the price of your product could affect your ability to gain new customers, keep and increase the number of customers you already have in addition, so keep this in mind as you alter your prices.

Explore a new pricing model for SaaS that uses innovative Combinations that can increase the possibilities of income

After you've concluded that changing price plans would be the best option you have a myriad of ways are available to try. Plans that charge per feature, pay-as you-go as well as freemium pricing options with flat rates versus usage-based pricing as well as per-user pricing Which one is best for your SaaS business?

There are a variety of options to consider, such as:

  • SKUs:
  • Platform tiered plans
  • Product(s) tiered plans
  • Persona tiered plans
  • One-time add-ons
  • Bundles of accessories
  • Entitlements:
  • Features
  • Use
  • Support
  • Pricing:
  • Price
  • Recurrence
  • Geography
  • The payment method
  • Discounts
  • Free trials

Check out those possibilities for ways to boost the impact you can make within your business.

A few customers could require models based on their personas to generate an additional percentage of the amount of revenue per client (ARPU).

In the case of others the same situation, they will need to implement a new feature that will enable them to raise their cost.

If you're unsure regarding the likelihood of moving from a flat rate structure or user-based pricing, towards an alternative built around characteristics or usage.

Evaluate the effects of any Changes to Your pricing strategy for SaaS.

For instance, if clients can see their base shrinking due to an increase in cost but others have a larger cost and are earning more, some firms may benefit from the increased cost.

You should be aware of modifications that will influence your business plan. A well-established SaaS company may have different goals than one that is a brand new company will.

The word "success" can be written in three letters.

When we look at price and packaging, we are combining the potential to earn more profits along with our capability to think of new ideas.

For instance, consider for instance, the for instance an example, think about the S curve the curve which states: you create something and it grows in acceptance; it then stalls. It's easy to become stuck with the notion that the only way to come up with a completely new revenue source is to design a completely innovative product.

Then, we cease thinking and look at how different income S curves could be developed by changing packages, plans, and expansions. You can also provide customers with fresh ways to purchase from your business and also benefit from your offerings.

If we take into account a measure of use based on a value measurement that takes into account excesses, these plans as well as additions could boost ARPU with time.

SaaS Pricing and Packaging Equipment

These can be potential to improve the amount of revenue that users earn in both the case of existing and new customers who are on an income-based plan since they can have the choice of choosing what products they would like to purchase from you, instead of being required to pay fixed-rate pricing for bigger packages that include options they do not want or don't require.

In other words are you able to offer already a set of entitlements you could provide as an additional feature without creating other engineering functions? Do you have any of these capabilities that can be separated to form the new SKU but without having create a brand new product?

The accessories available come of a variety, and you are able to add any number of accessories, or build bundles.

There is a risk that they pose - they can lower the upgrade MRR should there are fewer people who upgrade to a bigger package. Accessories can play a major impact on the NRR.

To minimize the possibility to minimize the risk, it is important to carefully consider the timeframe of your upgrade upgrade before you start making adjustments to your add-ons and packages items.

However, you can hold off pitching other products until the time customers have signed up to the main service. After having used the product that they purchased and are satisfied with itwhen they've made all their purchases are deemed to be upsells that can increase your retention rate of sales You can pitch these add-ons to further improve the users' experience using your product.

Customers can buy the SaaS product for a fair cost, which allows users to increase their MRR and ARPU with those profits.

Also, a cheaper initial price can give you an edge when pursuing market shares. This is especially true if you are able to reduce costs of opponents by only a few dollars.

The creation of a new pricing structure to increase an increase in the average Revenue per User (ARPU)

It's likely that the ARPU level you require exists within your current plans?

If, for example, you're using a tiered price model that offers $25, $150, and $300 choices, perhaps the ideal price level for generating more sales could be located somewhere in between them, roughly 75 dollars.

Segmenting SaaS Plans can assist in understanding the value of your Product, and help you increase ARPU

Another option is to separate the packaging according to individual needs of each customer.

In this instance, WP Engine is a managed WordPress platform that manages various kinds of sites, but they came across the idea of focusing on WooCommerce users specifically, which is why they developed an application aimed at this particular audience.

A screenshot of the WP Engine pricing page for a segmented pricing plan for WooCommerce users.

It allowed them to emphasize the demands of their customers specifically in this segment, to draw their attention as well as to encourage signing-up. In the course of time, WP Engine was able to increase its value for the people that were using it. This helped increase revenues from WP Engine.

The Payment Frequency can increase the leverage

The annualized pricing model offers buyers the benefit of saving cash by agreeing to an entire calendar year ahead and also provides customers with the benefit of cutting down the amount of churn as well as increasing the value over a client's lifetime this is often referred to as LTV.

To further reap the benefits of this technique to benefit from the strategy, you may give special discount on annual fees to subscribers who are new, or for those who wish to change from monthly charges to annual fees.

Pricing for the intro period can help in gaining acceptance to customers.

Tip If you are offering the Enterprise plan and the price begins to look a bit more costly in the case that you have to make a monthly payment, be sure to limit the amount to $5000. A lot of procurement departments follow a policy of requiring employees to obtain approval on purchases that are higher than this, and when you keep costs under the limits, it'll be a possibility for your customers to make payments using credit cards without any hassles in their organizations. There are different rules that may be in place but aren't necessarily a requirement, however it's an excellent idea to check.

There's no flat surface: Change your Strategy

As you consider making changes in the manner you manage your SaaS firm's pricing policy and potential clients' desire to be able to afford your services isn't all you have to think about. Inflation rates can vary dramatically over a short duration. Change rates can be different across every region or nation.

An inflation graph of the annual percent change in consumer price index in Brazil, US, India, Germany, and China from 2008 to 2022.

Financial headwinds relating to different geographical areas can be a sign of how important localization is for your Saas product internationally.

Reduce unnecessary tensions on purchases by implementing Localization

Localization typically involves a number of different elements that could include the following, but are not restricted to:

  • Accepting preferred payments from the countries you're selling your product to.
  • The price is local.
  • It is one that is local in nature.

Each one has its own advantages, each with its own benefits and advantages, not just for purchasers but for your profits margins as well.

The rate for conversion utilized in pricing localization is two times than that used by B2C SaaS companies. Make sure that you provide solid reasons for your various pricing across different nations and regions in the event that a prospective client comes across several pricing.

Local currency is easier to be approved for as well as people who are in the market to understand. If new customers can see the SaaS pricing in a format that they know and can comprehend, it's simpler for them to make purchases and eliminates the hassle of maths required for conversion before making an action.

How Can help?

This article was presented recently by David Vogelpohl in a webinar presented by Cumul.io. The video presentation is available from the beginning on YouTube. YouTube channel.

Additional articles about SaaS costs and pricing might you find informative:

David Vogelpohl For more than 25 years, David Vogelpohl has led teams that have built elite engines of development, as well as apps for top brands like WP Engine, Genesis, AWS, Cloudflare, and various other. David is a practical-insights presenter who concentrates on the practical methods to help you boost growth.

This post was first seen on here

This post was posted on here