What Is Target Return Pricing?

In this article, we will consider the concept of target profitability, as well as the pricing that meets this goal. We will highlight the pros, cons, and useful strategies. The main idea of target return pricing is to correctly select the prices of goods in order to satisfy the requirements of investors. Read further to find out more details about this strategy.

Target return pricing is a method of calculating the cost of a product, in which the company must achieve a certain profitability in a certain time. The company needs to achieve some goal in order to satisfy the profitability of the investor.

Imagine the following situation: an investor gives you money to develop your brand and sets a time frame. Suppose the investor wants their investment to grow by 50% in two years. That is, after two years, this person or organization wants to get back the initially invested amount plus 50%. You are then faced with the task: how to increase the investor's capital by 1.5x in two years? To achieve this goal, it’s extremely important to set the right pricing for your products or services.

The target return strategy can also be used to reach your own goals. If you yourself expect, for example, to receive a certain level of profitability by the end of the year, you need to calculate the right prices.

One of the first steps when it comes to developing a new product or service is deciding on the price. As you already know, the price can be a very fluctuating factor, and it will depend on many parameters. But, when a company says that they want to set the right pricing strategy, what they actually mean is that they are on the hunt for a price that sells. The logical question is: how to find it?

First of all, you need to consider your production costs, which include the cost of production itself , as well as promoting the product. For example, say it costs you $10 to produce a product and $5 to advertise it. Conclusion: You cannot charge less than $15 for this product. How much more is up to you.

Many different factors can come into play here, but the most basic ones are investor expectations and purchasing power. Moreover, purchasing power and demand may change over time. Will customers have the desire and the money to buy your product? Everything will be individual here, depending on what you sell, what your market is, what your target audience is, and so on.

Let's say investors gave some Chocolate Producer $1 million for production and promotion, with the condition that this amount increase by 10%.

If one chocolate bar costs $2 to produce, and the Chocolate Producer expects to sell 50,000 of them, then the price must be high enough so the company is confident that it can increase the investment by 10%, that is, by $100,000. In addition, they need to take into account the time frame.

If the company cannot sell all 50,000 chocolates in that time, then it will need to increase the price even more and rethink its pricing strategy.

When calculating the target return pricing, it's essential to consider every factor that could impact your final costs. This includes direct production costs, overhead, marketing expenses, and any other operational costs that are critical to bringing the product to market. The goal is not just to cover these costs but also to achieve a target rate of return that satisfies investors' expectations.

To start, determine the total invested capital, which refers to the money used to finance the project. This includes everything from raw materials to equipment, labor, and marketing expenses. Once you have this, add your desired return, which represents the profit margin that both you and your investors expect to earn on top of the costs. The formula typically used for target return pricing looks like this:

Target Return Pricing = (Unit Cost + (Desired Return x Invested Capital)) / Unit Sales

In this equation:
• Unit Cost: The average cost to produce one unit of the product.
• Desired Return: The expected return on investment, often expressed as a percentage.
• Invested Capital: The total amount of capital invested in the business or product line.
• Unit Sales: The projected number of units you expect to sell.

For example, if your manufacturing cost per unit is $50, your invested capital is $100,000, and you aim for a 10% desired return, the formula would calculate your selling price to ensure you meet that goal. The return must cover not only the cost of production but also the interest and profits that investors are expecting.

It’s also crucial to consider external factors when determining this price. This pricing strategy can be influenced by market competition, consumer demand, and other pricing models such as value-based pricing or cost-plus pricing strategy.

The target return price will often fluctuate depending on sales forecasts and market conditions, so it's important to periodically review and adjust to ensure the strategy aligns with current pricing strategies and expected returns. Keep in mind that this pricing method is particularly effective when there is a well-defined profit goal and when the company has invested significant capital in product development or innovation.

Target Pricing is an effective tool, but it has its pros and cons.

In summary, target return pricing can be an effective tool if you carefully study the market and are able to make correct forecasts. And in order to make successful forecasts, you need to know your customers well.

The pricing process is always a difficult task, and Priceva's Retail Price Optimization can help you with it. The recommendations of this service are based on the elasticity of demand. Price optimization will allow you to solve several problems at once. And of course, all information is based on real facts.

A few key takeaways from this article:

1. With target pricing, the financial goal and timing are clearly defined.
2. The strategy can change if something doesn't go according to plan.
3. When predicting sales and customer behavior, you need to know your market well.
4. Your target return price should be equal to the profit that an investor expects from their investment.
5. Target pricing places a strong emphasis on the time value of money.
6. Investors must work backwards from the expected return to reach the typical current price.
7. This strategy differs from cost-plus pricing, as the latter simply takes manufacturing costs and adds a markup.
8. The application of all these rules and strategies will allow the company to get more profit, since you will return the money to investors and earn interest yourself.

The target return pricing strategy is an advanced strategy that many e-commerce stores only think about using once they’ve matured and have received external support in the form of investment.

Priceva’s price monitoring and competitor analysis tools allow businesses to track market prices in real-time and compare them with competitors. This insight helps ensure that the pricing strategy aligns with both the target return and market trends. By consistently tracking competitor prices, businesses can adjust their target return pricing to remain competitive while still achieving their desired profit margins.

Moreover, Priceva’s automatic repricing feature is particularly useful for maintaining dynamic pricing strategies. Businesses can set pricing rules that adjust product prices automatically based on their target return goals, cost changes, or fluctuations in market demand. This ensures that your target return pricing stays aligned with business objectives without constant manual adjustments.

The goal is determined either by the investor or by the owner of the company. The approach itself is important to achieve this goal effectively: you must create a clear plan, study the market, and analyze what customers are willing to buy, and at what price.

Determine the goal and make several calculations: production costs, the minimum cost of the product, promotion costs, and so on. Research the market and determine the price. If you create the right price, you will achieve your goals.

Target return pricing is used when a business aims to achieve a specific return on investment (ROI) from its sales. For example, imagine a company has invested $200,000 in producing a new product and aims for a 15% return on that investment. If they expect to sell 10,000 units, they would calculate the target return price by including the production costs per unit and the desired return. In this case, the company will adjust the price per unit to cover production costs and ensure they meet the 15% return goal.

To calculate the target return price, you use the following formula:

Target Return Price = (Unit Cost + (Desired Return x Invested Capital)) / Unit Sales.

This formula includes the unit cost, the desired return (usually a percentage), the total invested capital, and the expected unit sales. This method ensures the business covers its costs and achieves the desired return on investment.

Target return on sales pricing refers to setting a price that allows a company to achieve a specific percentage of return on sales, typically over a certain period. This pricing strategy aims to ensure that the business reaches its profit goals by calculating the selling price that will cover all costs while delivering a predetermined profit margin, helping the company stay competitive and profitable.