Hospitality Furniture

Should you display item prices on your furniture web site? We’ve all heard the old saying, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” But that’s not really applicable these days, as everyone wants to save money on purchases. Even millionaires are finding that money just doesn’t stretch as far as it used to, so they, like everyone else, are looking for convenient ways to comparison shop.

This is an important decision for web site owners, though, so you need to consider all the pros and cons before you display price information on your web site.

First, do some research. Look online for the product you’re selling, and see how much your competitors are selling it for. You don’t want to be the most expensive merchant out there, but you do need to retain profitability. Make sure your prices fall somewhere in the middle.

Also, you don’t want consumers to take your pricing information to competitors who do price matching; you want them to buy from you! Maybe you could make prices available only to members, or make the information pop up in a new window that’s more difficult to print. You can also disable copy-pasting on your web site with some simple code. And try to avoid e-mailing prices to customers. E-mail can easily be shared with competitors.

Maybe lowering your prices isn’t the best solution. You could always offer other incentives to buy from you, such as discounts for referrals and repeat business. And if you’re proud of the customer service you offer, play it up! Non-financial benefits will attract customers, too. Smart customers will soon realize that they might get those new bistro cafe chairs for a lower price elsewhere, but your business guarantees that the items will be in stock, in good condition, and shipped quickly.

Low prices look good in print, but great customer service is priceless.