How to Use Price Anchoring to Set Optimal Prices for SaaS

Om set ideal prices for your SaaS, use price anchoring, a software pricing strategy that works psychologically. This tactic is useful because a customer’s perception of value is relative, and the first price point encountered (anchor price) strongly influences how all subsequent options are then viewed.

Following this guide will enable you to strategically implement an anchor pricing structure to guide customer decisions, increase perceived value, and improve conversion rates.

Your first step is defining a high anchor price that positions your most comprehensive or expensive plan as the first offer. This is a deliberate attempt to establish a credible upper reference point by pricing it as the maximum achievable value for the largest customer segment. This will require intense research on your customer segments’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) and the Return on Investment (ROI) your solution provides.

Rather than randomly setting a high price, conduct thorough value research to determine the actual ROI your solution delivers to an enterprise customer. The premium anchor should be based on this value, not just on feature costs. Research shows that the first price a customer sees affects their WTP by as much as 30–50%, showing the psychological effect of the initial anchor price.

To calculate the best price, use a Value-Based Pricing Methodology: Consider, “What is the highest price a customer, based solely on their calculated business outcome, would be uncomfortable paying, but not instantly dismiss?” This is where your price point should be as your initial anchor target.

In your second step, designate the standard and psychologically proven three-tier structure—the “Rule of Three”—with your premium anchor price. This adaptation is created to explicitly employ the anchoring effect by making the middle plan appear optimally priced and feature-rich. This strategic framing is necessary for maximizing Annual Contract Value (ACV).

Set up your plans as:

1. Premium Anchor: The high-priced option (sets the reference).
2. Target Option: The middle-priced option (meant to boost conversions and ACV). Price this 50–70% lower than the anchor.
3. Basic Entry: The low-priced option (creates a complete value spectrum and captures price-sensitive users).

To evaluate the structure, use this Self-Assessment Question: Does the Target Option provide significantly more value than the Basic Entry plan for a proportionally small increase in price, making it the obvious choice? If a customer is focused on saving money, they will think of the difference between the Basic and Target plan, anchored by the big difference between the Target and Premium plan.

Step 3 is where you fine-tune your prices and plans with some subtle psychological tactics like Decoy Pricing en Charm Prijs. This influences perception and purchasing behavior that favors your business. These techniques work in parallel with the primary anchor prijs to bring home the value proposition of your Target Option.

• Introduce a Decoy plan that was developed to intentionally make the Target Option look like the superior choice. For instance, if you have a Doel Plan at $100 and a Premium Plan at $120, you could add a Decoy at $110 with less key features than the $100 plan. The Decoy makes the $100 plan seem like the best value for money, which increases conversion rates for the higher revenue plan.
• Overweeg het gebruik van Charm Prijs where prices always end in 9 or 99. Pricing your basic tier at $49 instead of $50 leverages the shopper’s tendency to focus on the first digit (first digit anchor), perceiving the price as being in the “$40 range” rather than the “$50 range.”

Step 4 is all about using the visual presentation of your prijspagina to get the customer’s attention and make the most impact with your anchor prijs. The first impression of your page should go well beyond just the pricing numbers.

Showcase your strategic anchor in the most expensive visual real estate you have. Research shows users often scan web pages in an F-shaped pattern (upper left). Maximize the Target Option’s visibility using contrasting colors, highlighting, or a “Most Popular” badge.

Systematically A/B-test different anchoring strategies to determine which provides the optimal ACV uplift. Test high-to-low vs. low-to-high price ordering. Test the effect of the “Most Popular” badge on the Target Option. Test different decoy prijs opties biedt.

After implementing an A/B test for three months, calculate the change in Jaarlijkse contractwaarde (ACV) for the anchored version versus the original. Effective price anchoring should result in a measurable increase in ACV and upgrade rates from lower tiers, not just total conversions.

The final and most important step is having your psychological price anchor ethically aligned with the actual value your software can deliver. Sustainable growth in SaaS relies on Klantbehoud, which is achieved when buyers feel they received more value than they paid for.

It’s essential to use the anchoring effect to frame value, and not as a method to deceive customers. The price difference between tiers must be proportionate to a worthy difference in business outcome or transformation (e.g., anchoring on “unlimited users” vs. “50 users” when the customer needs 100).

Resist the temptation to always lead with your lowest price point, thinking it will attract the largest number of users. This can permanently anchor your brand’s perception as the budget option, making future upmarket pricing strategy shifts nearly impossible.

As pricing strategist Dan Balcauski notes, “Value and willingness to pay are relative and contextual… It is a measure of desire.” Your pricing should reflect the inclination of different klantsegmenten for your distinct solution.