Questions
What is the Trump plan for fiscal policy? Incorporate a definition of fiscal policy for both...

What is the Trump plan for fiscal policy? Incorporate a definition of fiscal policy for both recession and inflation, and explain how having Congress and the Presidency from the same party will influence taxing, spending, and the budget deficit.

In: Economics

if you could order a cut of $700 billion in federal spending, which programs would you...

if you could order a cut of $700 billion in federal spending, which programs would you cut and why would you cut them? Be specific about the programs, the dollar amounts, and your reasoning.

In: Economics

problems 20-9 the federal government increases spending on national defense on the golliwing graph indicate the...

problems 20-9 the federal government increases spending on national defense on the golliwing graph indicate the short run and long run effects of this change on the evonomy assuming policy makers take no further
action

In: Economics

Why do governments sometimes pay for their spending by printing more money? Why do economists refer...

Why do governments sometimes pay for their spending by printing more money? Why do economists refer to this as an ‘inflation tax” that can result in very harmful results?

MUST BE OVER 250 WORD RESPONSE

In: Economics

How do store closures affect wages and spending? How do these factors affect employment? How do...

How do store closures affect wages and spending? How do these factors affect employment? How do these factors affect the demand curve? Will these factors cause the demand curve to move or shift? Explain.

In: Economics

Suppose the central bank targets the money supply. As a result, the interest rate will ______...

Suppose the central bank targets the money supply. As a result, the interest rate will ______ and output will ______ following an increase in government spending

A fall;rise

B rise;fall

C rise;rise

D fall; fall

In: Economics

Ratio analysis is used to make relative comparisons between organizations. Given that, why might an organization’s...

Ratio analysis is used to make relative comparisons between organizations. Given that, why might an organization’s ratios on HIT spending differ from their peers? Might those differences be a good, bad, or indifferent thing?

In: Finance

Discussion topic: Are campaign contributions and associated campaign spending corrosive to democracy? Why or why not?...

Discussion topic: Are campaign contributions and associated campaign spending corrosive to democracy? Why or why not? Would you support strong limits on campaign contributions? Explain why or why not. Must be 300 words minimum

In: Economics

HOW STARBUCKS USES PRICING STRATEGY FOR PROFIT MAXIMIZATION In January 2020, Starbucks raised their beverage prices...

HOW STARBUCKS USES PRICING
STRATEGY FOR PROFIT
MAXIMIZATION




In January 2020, Starbucks raised their beverage prices by an average of 1% across the U.S, a move that represented the company’s first significant price increase in 18 months. I failed to notice because the price change didn’t affect grande or venti (medium and large) brewed coffees and I don’t mess with smaller sizes, but anyone who purchases tall size (small) brews saw as much as a 10 cent increase. The company’s third quarter revenue rose 25% to $417.8 million from $333.1 million a year earlier, and green coffee prices have plummeted, so what gives?


Starbucks claims the price increase is due to rising labor and non-coffee commodity costs, but with the significantly lower coffee costs already improving their profit margins, it seems unlikely this justification is the true reason for the hike in prices. In addition, the price hike was applied to less than a third of their beverages and only targets certain regions. Implementing such a specific and minor price increase when the bottom line is already in great shape might seem like a greedy tactic, but the Starbucks approach to pricing is one we can all use to improve our margins. As we’ve said before, it only takes a 1% increase in prices to raise revenues by an average of 11%.




Value Based Pricing Can Boost Margins
For the most part, Starbucks is a master of employing value based pricing to maximize profits, and they use research and customer analysis to formulate targeted price increases that capture the greatest amount consumers are willing to pay without driving them off. Profit maximization is the process by which a company determines the price and product output level that generates the most profit. While that may seem obvious to anyone involved in running a business, it’s rare to see companies using a value based pricing approach to effectively uncover the maximum amount a customer base is willing to spend on their products. As such, let’s take a look at how Starbucks introduces price hikes and see how you can use their approach to generate higher profits.


An Overview of the Starbucks Pricing
Strategy:
The Right Customers and the Right Market

While cutting prices is widely accepted as the best way to keep customers during tough times, the practice is rarely based on a deeper analysis or testing of an actual customer base. In Starbucks’ case, price increases throughout the company’s history have already deterred the most price sensitive customers, leaving a loyal, higher-income consumer base that perceives these coffee beverages as an affordable luxury. In order to compensate for the customers lost to cheaper alternatives like Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks raises prices to maximize profits from these price insensitive customers who now depend on their strong gourmet coffee.

Rather than trying to compete with cheaper chains like Dunkin, Starbucks uses price hikes to separate itself from the pack and reinforce the premium image of their brand and products. Since their loyal following isn’t especially price sensitive, Starbucks coffee maintains a fairly inelastic demand curve, and a small price increase can have a huge positive impact on their margins without decreasing demand for beverages. In addition, only certain regions are targeted for each price increase, and prices vary across the U.S. depending on the current markets in those areas (the most recent hike affects the Northeast and Sunbelt regions, but Florida and California prices remain the same).

Product Versioning & Price Communication

They also apply price increases to specific drinks and sizes rather than the whole lot. By raising the price of the tall size brewed coffee exclusively, Starbucks is able to capture consumer surplus from the customers who find more value in upgrading to Grande after witnessing the price of a small drip with tax climb over the $2 mark. By versioning the product in this way, the company can enjoy a slightly higher margin from these customers who were persuaded by the price hike to purchase larger sizes.

Starbucks also expertly communicates their price increases to manipulate consumer perception. The price hike might be based on an analysis of the customer’s willingness to pay, but they associate the increase with what appears to be a fair reason. Using increased commodity costs to justify the price as well as statements that aim to make the hike look insignificant (less than a third of beverages will be affected, for example) help foster an attitude of acceptance.
on Wednesday April 8, Starbucks announced that it expects its fiscal second-quarter earnings to be cut nearly in half as the coronavirus pandemic causes sales to plunge in its two largest markets.















After reading, answer the following questions:

1- What would happen to Starbucks’ profit if the prices of all three go down, holding other things fixed?

2- On Wednesday April 8, Starbucks announced that it expects its fiscal second-quarter earnings to be cut nearly in half as the coronavirus pandemic causes sales to plunge in its two largest markets. What would be the right pricing strategy to maximize revenues for Starbucks in the current circumstances?

3- If you have your own business, what do you learn From Starbucks case study?

In: Economics

HOW STARBUCKS USES PRICING STRATEGY FOR PROFIT MAXIMIZATION In January 2020, Starbucks raised their beverage prices...

HOW STARBUCKS USES PRICING

STRATEGY FOR PROFIT

MAXIMIZATION

In January 2020, Starbucks raised their beverage prices by an average of 1% across the U.S, a move that represented the company’s first significant price increase in 18 months. I failed to notice because the price change didn’t affect grande or venti (medium and large) brewed coffees and I don’t mess with smaller sizes, but anyone who purchases tall size (small) brews saw as much as a 10 cent increase. The company’s third quarter revenue rose 25% to $417.8 million from $333.1 million a year earlier, and green coffee prices have plummeted, so what gives?

Starbucks claims the price increase is due to rising labor and non-coffee commodity costs, but with the significantly lower coffee costs already improving their profit margins, it seems unlikely this justification is the true reason for the hike in prices. In addition, the price hike was applied to less than a third of their beverages and only targets certain regions. Implementing such a specific and minor price increase when the bottom line is already in great shape might seem like a greedy tactic, but the Starbucks approach to pricing is one we can all use to improve our margins. As we’ve said before, it only takes a 1% increase in prices to raise revenues by an average of 11%.

Value Based Pricing Can Boost Margins

For the most part, Starbucks is a master of employing value based pricing to maximize profits, and they use research and customer analysis to formulate targeted price increases that capture the greatest amount consumers are willing to pay without driving them off. Profit maximization is the process by which a company determines the price and product output level that generates the most profit. While that may seem obvious to anyone involved in running a business, it’s rare to see companies using a value based pricing approach to effectively uncover the maximum amount a customer base is willing to spend on their products. As such, let’s take a look at how Starbucks introduces price hikes and see how you can use their approach to generate higher profits.

An Overview of the Starbucks Pricing

Strategy:

The Right Customers and the Right Market

While cutting prices is widely accepted as the best way to keep customers during tough times, the practice is rarely based on a deeper analysis or testing of an actual customer base. In Starbucks’ case, price increases throughout the company’s history have already deterred the most price sensitive customers, leaving a loyal, higher-income consumer base that perceives these coffee beverages as an affordable luxury. In order to compensate for the customers lost to cheaper alternatives like Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks raises prices to maximize profits from these price insensitive customers who now depend on their strong gourmet coffee.

Rather than trying to compete with cheaper chains like Dunkin, Starbucks uses price hikes to separate itself from the pack and reinforce the premium image of their brand and products. Since their loyal following isn’t especially price sensitive, Starbucks coffee maintains a fairly inelastic demand curve, and a small price increase can have a huge positive impact on their margins without decreasing demand for beverages. In addition, only certain regions are targeted for each price increase, and prices vary across the U.S. depending on the current markets in those areas (the most recent hike affects the Northeast and Sunbelt regions, but Florida and California prices remain the same).

Product Versioning & Price Communication

They also apply price increases to specific drinks and sizes rather than the whole lot. By raising the price of the tall size brewed coffee exclusively, Starbucks is able to capture consumer surplus from the customers who find more value in upgrading to Grande after witnessing the price of a small drip with tax climb over the $2 mark. By versioning the product in this way, the company can enjoy a slightly higher margin from these customers who were persuaded by the price hike to purchase larger sizes.

Starbucks also expertly communicates their price increases to manipulate consumer perception. The price hike might be based on an analysis of the customer’s willingness to pay, but they associate the increase with what appears to be a fair reason. Using increased commodity costs to justify the price as well as statements that aim to make the hike look insignificant (less than a third of beverages will be affected, for example) help foster an attitude of acceptance.

on Wednesday April 8, Starbucks announced that it expects its fiscal second-quarter earnings to be cut nearly in half as the coronavirus pandemic causes sales to plunge in its two largest markets.

After reading, answer the following questions:

5- Did Starbucks make a good economic decision in raising the prices? Why?

6- What are the Starbucks’ maximum profit conditions?

7- What are the main three items groups that contribute to Starbucks variable costs?

8-What would happen to Starbucks’ profit if the prices of all three go down, holding other things fixed?

9- On Wednesday April 8, Starbucks announced that it expects its fiscal second-quarter earnings to be cut nearly in half as the coronavirus pandemic causes sales to plunge in its two largest markets. What would be the right pricing strategy to maximize revenues for Starbucks in the current circumstances?

10- If you have your own business, what do you learn From Starbucks case study

In: Economics