Find the price buyers will accept, across metros, towns and villages
Bharat Survey runs price sensitivity research in India for FMCG, consumer durables, D2C, financial products and services firms deciding what to charge. We use the Van Westendorp price sensitivity meter, conjoint studies and retail price benchmarking, with interviews carried out face to face by our field teams or through online sample, so the price you set reflects buyers in the towns where you actually sell.
- Van Westendorp, Gabor-Granger and conjoint designs
- Tier 2, tier 3 and rural buyers, not only metros
- Shelf-price checks with GPS-verified outlet visits
- Hindi and English questionnaires with product stimulus
- Comes regularly
- Comes sometimes
- Rarely / never
- Don't know
The Van Westendorp price sensitivity meter, introduced in 1976, asks four questions about when a product feels too cheap, a bargain, getting expensive and too expensive. Plotting the answers gives a range of acceptable prices.
It is quick, easy for respondents in any language, and good at showing where price starts to damage perceived quality at the low end or kill interest at the high end. It works best for new products or new categories where buyers have no strong reference price.
Its limits matter too. It doesn't show how buyers trade price against features or against competitors, and people's stated thresholds are not the same as purchase behaviour. We usually pair it with a purchase-likelihood question at specific prices.
Making it work in India
Price perception varies sharply between a metro and a district town, and pack size often matters more than price per unit. We sample by town class and region, show actual packs or clear images, and report acceptable ranges separately for the segments you plan to price differently.
The four questions
- At what price is it so cheap you'd doubt the quality?
- At what price is it a bargain?
- At what price does it start to feel expensive?
- At what price is it too expensive to consider?
As a conjoint analysis agency in India, we use choice-based designs when the pricing question is really about what buyers will give up.
Choose attributes and levels
Price, pack size, brand, key features and warranty or service levels, each with realistic values. Too many attributes and respondents stop reading.
- 4–7 attributes
- Realistic price levels
- Pilot for understanding
Choice tasks on a tablet
Respondents pick from sets of product profiles on a tablet, face to face, with an interviewer to help where literacy or language needs it.
- Assisted or self-complete
- Randomised versions
- Offline capable
- Comes regularly
- Comes sometimes
- Rarely / never
- Don't know
Willingness to pay and simulators
Part-worth utilities give willingness to pay per feature and a simulator to test share of preference at different prices against competitors.
- WTP per feature
- Share simulator
- Segment utilities
Our view on pricing research
Shelf price and offer tracking
A price benchmarking study in India records actual selling prices, MRP, schemes and pack sizes for your products and competitors across outlets. Field auditors visit a sample of kirana, modern trade and pharmacy outlets, photograph shelves and price tags, and log each outlet visit with GPS and time.
- MRP vs selling price
- Consumer offers and schemes
- Pack-size price per unit
Online vs offline comparison
Where relevant, we compare shelf prices with prices on major e-commerce and quick-commerce apps captured on the same dates, so channel conflicts are visible.
- Same-date captures
- Channel price gaps
Value pricing and price optimization start from what buyers believe the product is worth, not cost plus margin. We bring together acceptable price ranges, willingness to pay for features, and shelf reality to recommend price points and pack ladders by region or channel.
We don't model your costs or margins; your finance team does. Our report gives demand-side evidence and flags where it is weak — for example, small segment bases or stated preferences for a product people haven't tried.
Van Westendorp PSM
Fast, simple, range-finding
- New product or category
- No clear competitor reference
- Need an acceptable range quickly
- Smaller budgets and samples
Conjoint analysis
Trade-offs and competition
- Several features change price
- Competitors are on the shelf
- Need share simulations
- Larger samples, longer interviews
Not the right fit if
- Guaranteeing sales volume at a price
- Replacing an in-market price test
- Costing and margin modelling
- Owned consumer panel data — we don't have one
A good fit if
- Setting a launch price range
- Pricing across town classes and regions
- Understanding feature value
- Checking real shelf prices and offers
Straight answers to the questions people ask most about this topic.
Van westendorp vs conjoint analysis?
Van Westendorp asks buyers directly about price thresholds and gives an acceptable price range; it is quick and suits new products. Conjoint presents product profiles and infers how much each feature and price level drives choice, allowing competitive simulations. Use Van Westendorp to find a range, conjoint to decide trade-offs.
How many respondents does a pricing study need?
A Van Westendorp study needs enough respondents per segment you'll price separately, often a few hundred each. Conjoint needs more, depending on the number of attributes and versions. We size samples from the segments that matter to your pricing decision.
Can you run pricing research in rural areas?
Yes. Our field teams interview face to face with offline tablets, show physical packs or images, and help where literacy is low. Rural price sensitivity often differs from urban, so we report it separately.
How much does a pricing study cost?
Pricing is on quotation. It depends on method, sample size, geography, interview length and whether shelf-price audits are included.
Tell us the product, markets and decision. We will recommend a method and sample plan.