Why don’t you show prices?
Product announcements discuss features, but never prices. Why not?
Dear Control Engineering: When I read new product announcements or technology articles, you spend lots of time discussing functions and features, but how can I evaluate the value of a product if you don’t give the price?
It’s true that we don’t normally list prices when we discuss products. I won’t say it’s never happened, but mentioning a price is exceedingly rare.
There are many reasons for that. Here are a few:
1. Many products have too complex a price structure to make it practical. Often items have too many configuration options for us to list them all.
2. Information in our magazine and on our Website has too long a life. You can read a product release from several years ago on our site, and unless you’re paying close attention to the date, you might not realize how old it is. Since then, the price may have changed, which could be more or less depending on the technology.
3. Information in our magazine and on our Website can be read anywhere in the world. Pricing for all products is not the same in all global markets.
4. Perhaps the most compelling reason that we don’t list prices is that the manufacturers don’t want us to. Take a look at a typical issue of Control Engineering and see how many ads list products with prices. There are some that do it routinely, such as AutomationDirect and Omega, but these are generally for items that are less than $1,000 and sold directly to users with little or no special configuration. Products that are more complex are typically sold through more complex distribution channels, including company salespeople, regional distributors or rep organizations. Such groups like to have control over pricing, and if we publish numbers, that can confuse the issue. Some customers may receive preferential discounts, unique configurations, or other services bundled with the hardware, and there’s no way we can reflect that.
The best advice is to consult your supplier.
Peter Welander, pwelander(at)cfemedia.com
Integrator Guide
| Search the online Automation Integrator Guide |
|
|
|
|
Visit the System Integrators page to view past winners of Control Engineering's System Integrator of the Year Award and learn how to enter the competition. You will also find more information on system integrators and Control System Integrators Association.
Case Study Database
Get more exposure for your case study by uploading it to the Control Engineering case study database, where end-users can identify relevant solutions and explore what the experts are doing to effectively implement a variety of technology and productivity related projects.
These case studies provide examples of how knowledgeable solution providers have used technology, processes and people to create effective and successful implementations in real-world situations. Case studies can be completed by filling out a simple online form where you can outline the project title, abstract, and full story in 1500 words or less; upload photos, videos and a logo.
Click here to visit the Case Study Database and upload your case study.