Packages vs. no packages experiment.

zoomer

Ok so a few months ago I stared an experiment on my site with pricing.
I said I would post the results so here they are.

For the last few years we had used packages to display our pricing.
We did not get a lot of calls but booked pretty much everybody that did call. Most people that called wanted to book the middle priced package.

A few months ago we went to just putting a minimum price on the website and providing a list of additional available services people could add that would increase from the base price. Our intent was to try to raise the average booking price.

The results are in:
Our bookings went down and so did our average booking price.

Almost every call we received was for people who were stretching like crazy just to get into the base price package and they were not interested in adding any of the other available features.

In the past when we had packages they would call already presold on the bigger packages.

So we are going back to using packages, we will let the customers prequalify themselves as before and also let them call being already presold on the more expensive packages.

In my mind the larger prices packages need to be displayed to cater to the customer who wants to spend more money. Greater perceived value.
We did not book any very large weddings while we only had the base price on the website.
All the weddings we booked with only a base price were smaller weddings with lower budgets.

Granted this is not a huge sample. During the test we received 6 calls and booked all 6, and all 6 of them were at the base price with no adders.

Of the previous 10 callers while we still had package prices, we booked all of them also but only 2 of the 10 booked the base package and 2 more of the 10 booked our biggest package with the balance of 6 booking the middle package.

So there you have the results of our experiment.
I am sure your mileage would vary but this was our experience.

We are currently transitioning our price page so if you look at it now you will not see the page as it was during the experiment.

Art Scott

Will there be other wedding packages or is the one showing all there is???
If so then you must have dropped the price and added value to each thing a client gets in the package showing now?

zoomer

Hi Art,
As I said in the last line of my OP the current pricing page is not relevant.
Not what was there during the test and not what will be there in another week or so.
We are currently working on creating our three packages that will be on the site.

heatherfeather

Interesting experiment! Thanks for posting your results!

I am doing my own experiment: I posted my already booked dates online. Results? I have to do waaay fewer "sorry I am already booked for that date" emails and phone calls. I love that.

JayClark79

Heather you could always suggest other photographers and charge them a referral fee.

Nice experiment zoomer!

mmmatt

I have to say this doesn't surprise me Z. Thanks for posting your results.

Matt

WingsOfLovePhoto

Thanks for the info Zoomer...! I would concur with your results.. Other photogs keep trying to get me to ditch the packages but I don't have time or energy and am not a salesman to dicker with people. They call me when the like my work and know what they have to pay for it.... less stressful for me... I don't do stress well :crazy

Surfdog

Thanks for sharing the results. We had similar results a while back when we were trying to settle on our pricing. We are now offering only 1 package which is kind of a fit-all package, although we generally sell alot of add-on prints to the couple and prints to family members. I am still not really happy with our package, but we have had the best results so far in our particular market. We are booked solid into next summer, and no one really questions us on it or asks for something different.

Ed911

Thanks Zoomer,

This is the kind of info that makes this forum worthwhile. I have a friend who owns a camera shop...where I took an advanced lighting course. We got to talking about wedding packages and pricing. His take was, and he is very successful, that his first package at $1800 set up his $2400 middle package, with him selling few, but some for $3600. So, it appears your experiment has similar results to what we have here.

I figured that most of the wedding photographers who didn't post pricing and packages were afraid of showing their pricing strategy to the competition.

Thanks for sharing.

zoomer

HI Ed,
Yes I agree with that philosophy completely the lower and upper packages set up the middle package for sale, when the customer calls they already know what they want.
I don't pay any attention to or even give a thought to anyone being my competition.....since I don't earn a living from this it is not a concern for me

Qarik

zoomer wrote: »

HI Ed,
Yes I agree with that philosophy completely the lower and upper packages set up the middle package for sale, when the customer calls they already know what they want.
I don't pay any attention to or even give a thought to anyone being my competition.....since I don't earn a living from this it is not a concern for me

really? what is yoiur day job zoomer? and can we see a picture of you

zoomer

I think I have a picture of the back of my head around here somewhere, there isn't a picture of me on my website either....guess I am camera shy .

Qarik

were you scarred with acid as a child? oh cmon!

WillCAD

Qarik wrote: »

were you scarred with acid as a child? oh cmon!

Fezzik: Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?

Man in Black: Oh, no, it's just they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.

Qarik

WillCAD wrote: »

Fezzik: Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?

Man in Black: Oh, no, it's just they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.

please don't get me started on princess bride quotes or this thread will never end

WingsOfLovePhoto

Qarik wrote: »

really? what is yoiur day job zoomer? and can we see a picture of you

I've seen a picture of Zoomer... he is quite the handsome dude.... ...no worries about acid from what I can see!

zoomer

WingsOfLovePhoto wrote: »

I've seen a picture of Zoomer... he is quite the handsome dude.... ...no worries about acid from what I can see!

Hey thanks Wings, the checks in the mail

thomasjm

zoomer wrote: »

HI Ed,
Yes I agree with that philosophy completely the lower and upper packages set up the middle package for sale, when the customer calls they already know what they want.
I don't pay any attention to or even give a thought to anyone being my competition.....since I don't earn a living from this it is not a concern for me

Interesting. You think this applies to people who don't post prices at all?

zoomer

thomasjm wrote: »

Interesting. You think this applies to people who don't post prices at all?

I have no idea, certainly don't claim to be an expert.
My own opinion is that I would never call anyone for anything who did not post their prices.

zoomer

Hi Glort,
I think it takes a certain personality to pull it off they way you do it as well, obviously you have your method down to a science.

We have our new packages up on the website now. I feel pretty good about where our prices are and should have no problem booking full for next year.

As you mentioned, if I had never tried it I would have always wondered, now I feel much more confident that I am using the pricing plan that works for us.

I have also stopped all my paid advertising. My website averages 3000 visitors a month with about 600 of those being local hits. The vast majoritiy of people are finding us by typing in our company name...that means word of mouth is working.
We have done a lot of marketing with local wedding vendors and it is really paying off with word of mouth traffic.

DWS

EXCELLENT thread, as I have been struggling with this situation. Kudos, zoomer and Glort.