#shflsmprice - in one word, denotes and represents a pricing model i have recently introduced. I'll have to dwell on this topic for a while, until it eventually catches on. Basically, customers, and people interested in Shufflesome stickers, can participate in setting the price. Although Shufflesome stickers are not that much of a community project to draw in a large amount of people and make emerging patterns statistically viable, the principle of participatory pricing alone is worth the experiment to me.
This time, i'll point out some of the differences between traditional advertising, and Shufflesome participatory pricing:
Advertising: Money buys ads. Ads create awareness. Awareness attracts people. People buy products. Cycle repeats.
Participatory pricing: Visits are rewarded with price discounts. Lower prices attract buyers. Buyers create awareness. Cycle repeats.
Differences:
- Advertising is a way to lure people, with ads. Participatory pricing is a way to reward people, with price discounts.
- Advertising is afforded with excess revenues or debt. Participatory pricing is afforded with lower margins.
- Ad spending assumes steady prices. Participatory pricing pegs prices to the attention given to the product.
- Advertising is biased in favor of the company. Participatory pricing is responsive to people.
- Advertising sends a message. Participatory pricing lets people send a message.
- Advertising yields about 522 million search results. Participatory pricing yields about 10 search results.
- Advertising can fail to generate more sales. Participatory pricing can only generate more sales.
- Ad money is play money. It's good to have and expedient to spend. Participatory pricing can create the same results in terms of sales and profit.
- Advertising tries to buy attention. Participatory pricing gives room for authentic voices to determine what is given attention to.
- On the Web, advertising and talking about anything are becoming one and the same thing. One product's advocate is another person's ad medium. Participatory pricing takes the bribing out of talking.
- Ads are short-term measures. Participatory pricing is a permanent mechanism.
I'll keep adding to or amending this list as i see fit.