dailyprompt-2015 - Mazlan Abbas

1. Introduction

Embarking on a startup journey is both exhilarating and challenging. Among the multitude of tasks that startup founders grapple with, understanding how to price their products stands as one of the most complex and crucial. This task turns into a labyrinth especially when there is no direct competitor for benchmarking, or the local market has distinct affordability parameters.

2. The Challenge of a Blank Competitive Landscape

One of the first roadblocks a founder may encounter is the absence of competitors offering similar products. With no direct competition, determining a suitable price can feel like shooting in the dark. Without an industry standard, the pricing strategy often rests on assumptions and estimations, which could risk customer alienation or undervaluation of the product.

3. The Influence of Local Market Affordability

Even with competitors in sight, every market has unique affordability dynamics. A pricing strategy successful in one market may fail miserably in another due to diverse purchasing power and economic conditions. Thus, a deep understanding of local market conditions and economic dynamics is critical in the pricing process.

4. Branding: The Unseen Variable

An established brand carries an inherent value in its name, enabling it to command higher prices. However, for new startups, this is a luxury they don’t possess. With the brand yet unknown, startups face the arduous task of proving their worth while also strategically pricing their products to draw customers in.

5. The Journey to Find the Right Price

Learning and adapting based on customer feedback is essential. If a product is priced too high and fails to attract customers, founders might need to implement discounts or bundled solutions. Conversely, if it’s priced too low, founders risk undervaluing their offering and could strategically raise the price over time. This highlights the need for a flexible, customer-centric approach in determining the product price.

6. Value-based Pricing: The Key to Success

Rather than solely focusing on cost and margin, successful pricing strategies often hinge on the value provided to customers. This approach not only leads to better customer satisfaction and loyalty but also helps in aligning the product’s price with its perceived value.

7. Conclusion: The Balancing Act

In the end, determining the right price for a startup’s product is a complex balancing act between profitability and affordability. It’s about understanding the market, strategically positioning the brand, and most importantly, targeting and delivering value to the right customers. This task extends beyond mere profit-making or loss prevention. It plays a pivotal role in driving sustainable growth and establishing a strong market presence for the brand, ultimately forming the bedrock for the startup’s success.

The course of startup life is rarely linear. It is punctuated with exhilarating highs and debilitating lows, success stories, and tales of failure. One such tale from our journey is of a product with immense potential, hindered by unfortunate timing and circumstances beyond our control.

We began our startup journey by developing an IoT solution targeted towards the safety and health of the elderly, acknowledging the vast market potential posed by an ageing society. However, the market traction was disappointingly slow, forcing us to reconsider our target audience.

We decided to pivot, focusing our efforts on monitoring the safety and health of Umrah and Hajj pilgrims. The core functionality of our product remained unchanged, but it found new application in providing peace of mind to the pilgrims during their sacred rituals.

Our innovative solution was positively received during trials with early users in 2018 and 2019. We even integrated a roaming SIM card feature that enabled users to transition seamlessly from their home country to Mecca. All signs pointed towards a promising future for our product.

However, in 2020, the world was gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, which ground international travel to a halt. Our product, which heavily relied on the mobility of the pilgrims, found itself in an unprecedented predicament. The travel restrictions extended into 2021, leaving our product in limbo for nearly two years.

When travel restrictions finally lifted in 2022, we were faced with a hard truth: our product was no longer a viable solution. The necessity for hardware upgrades and additional R&D posed a financial strain we couldn’t bear. The unfortunate timing and resultant challenges forced us to make the hard decision to discontinue the product.

Though this was a disheartening period, it also paved the way for us to re-strategize and pivot our focus. Over those two years, we worked tirelessly on other projects, diversifying our portfolio and creating new revenue streams. In retrospect, this period of adversity became a catalyst for our startup’s growth.

Our journey with this IoT solution is a stark reminder of the uncertainty that pervades the startup landscape. There are countless external factors that we have no control over, timing being a critical one. But as startup founders, we’re also adaptable and resilient. We can turn hurdles into stepping stones, and seize every situation as an opportunity to learn, grow, and pivot towards success. As we tread forward, we carry the lessons from this experience in our hearts, remembering that in the world of startups, timing is everything, but resilience is key.