/17-pricing-strategy-global

name: 17-pricing-strategy-global
description: "Use when a price has to be set or changed — value-based pricing, anchoring, charm pricing, decoy tiers, good-better-best packaging, discount policy, and margin math, with currency psychology for US, EU, SEA, and LATAM plus dropshipping markup and BE-ROAS. Trigger on 'pricing strategy', 'how much should I charge', 'should I raise prices', 'price tiers', 'customers say it is too expensive', 'dropshipping markup'. Also use when the product is not selling and the user suspects price is the reason. Not for — bonuses, guarantee, and value stack around the price, see `31-offer-design-global`; persuasion beyond price, see `16-marketing-psychology-global`; ad budget math, see `10-reverse-kpi-global`."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1
  category: strategy
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "pricing strategy"
  - "price positioning"
  - "charm pricing"
  - "pricing psychology"
  - "dropshipping markup"
related:
  - product-marketing-context-global
  - 16-marketing-psychology-global
  - 29-dropshipping-mastery-global
  - references/global-currency-pricing

Pricing Strategy (Global)

> Price is the most leveraged decision in marketing. A 1% price increase typically yields a 10%+ profit improvement (Bain). Currency psychology, decimal conventions, and installment culture differ HUGELY by region.

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For newbies

Who is this skill for?

| Audience | Concrete example | |----------|------------------| | Founder setting initial pricing | First product launch, no historical data | | DTC brand optimizing pricing page | Already selling, want to lift conversion or margin | | SaaS deciding tier structure | Free / Pro / Enterprise; monthly vs annual | | Dropshipper calculating markup | Importing from supplier, selling DTC | | Service business packaging offers | Coaching, consulting, agency retainers |

Who is this NOT for?

• **Vietnam-only pricing** -> Use `17-pricing-strategy` (VN skill) — covers VND psychology
• **Already at scale with strong data team** -> You probably have proprietary models; this skill gives you starting frameworks

30-second pre-read

This skill produces ONE pricing strategy file with 7 components: pricing model selection, price ladder design (3-5 tiers), charm/anchor/decoy mechanics, break-even analysis, competitor benchmarking, A/B test plan, and pricing page layout. Pick 1 of 4 region variants — the variant tunes currency formatting, decimal convention, charm pricing styles, and installment culture.

3 common errors

1. **Using US charm pricing in EU** -> EU shoppers see `$9.99` as "American" not "low" — feels foreign 2. **Ignoring installment culture in LATAM** -> "BRL 1,200 to MXN 8,000" pricing flops without "12x R$100" or "8 cuotas sin intereses" 3. **Underpricing dropship products** -> 2x markup leaves no room for ad spend; need 3-5x minimum

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Why do you need this skill?

Without pricing strategy:

• Charm formatting wrong for region -> "feels off" -> conversion drop
• No anchor -> middle tier doesn't feel like value -> wrong tier wins
• No installment option in LATAM -> abandoned cart 60%+
• Dropship markup too thin -> can't afford ads -> stalls
• No charm psychology in B2C -> leaving money on the table

Pick the right region defaults, apply proven frameworks, layer on dropshipping math when relevant.

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Workflow

Step 0: Check global context file
    |-- exists -> read product / customer / region info
    |-- missing -> suggest user run product-marketing-context-global first
Step 1: Pick region variant (US / EU / SEA / LATAM)
Step 2: Choose pricing model (One-time / Subscription / Tiered / Bundle / Freemium / Pay-as-you-go)
Step 3: If dropshipping product -> apply markup math (this file, see below)
Step 4: Design price ladder (3-tier with charm + anchor + decoy)
Step 5: Calculate break-even
Step 6: Compare with 2-3 competitors
Step 7: Write pricing page copy + A/B test plan

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Step 0: Check global context

Check `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md`:

• **Yes** -> Read product, customer, region. Do NOT re-ask.
• **No** -> Suggest running `product-marketing-context-global` first.

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Step 1: Pick region variant

Ask: **"Which is your PRIMARY region: US, EU, SEA, or LATAM?"**

Where do you primarily sell?
    |-- US / Canada            --> 01-us.md    (USD, charm $9.99, monthly subs)
    |-- EU / EEA / UK          --> 02-eu.md    (EUR, charm EUR 9,99, VAT-inclusive)
    |-- Southeast Asia         --> 03-sea.md   (SGD/MYR/IDR/THB/PHP, discount-heavy)
    |-- Latin America          --> 04-latam.md (BRL/MXN/ARS, parcelado / cuotas common)
    |-- Vietnam only           --> Use `17-pricing-strategy` (VN skill)

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Step 2: Pricing models

| Model | Best for | Examples | |-------|---------|---------| | **One-time** | Physical products, courses | T-shirt, ebook, lifetime license | | **Subscription** | Recurring value, software | SaaS, streaming, gym, supplement | | **Tiered** | Differentiated buyers | SaaS Free/Pro/Enterprise | | **Bundle** | Bigger AOV, perceived savings | Spa package, software bundle | | **Freemium** | Large funnel, low conversion | Slack, Zoom, Notion | | **Pay-as-you-go** | Variable usage | Cloud, API, AWS | | **Hybrid** | Combination of models | Subscription + add-on usage credits |

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Step 3: DROPSHIPPING MARKUP MATH (CRITICAL)

> **This section applies only if you're sourcing products from suppliers (AliExpress, Spocket, CJDropshipping, etc.) and reselling DTC.**

The 3-5x markup rule

Dropshipping requires HIGH markup because:

• Ad spend is ~40-60% of revenue (paid acquisition is your only growth channel)
• Returns/refunds: 5-10% loss
• Payment processing: 2-3% per transaction
• Platform fees (Shopify): 1-2%
• Customs/duties (if cross-border): 5-15%

**If your markup is only 2x cost, you have ZERO budget for ads.** You need 3-5x minimum.

The math

Cost from supplier:    USD 5.00
Shipping to customer:  USD 3.00
Total cost: