Van Westendorp

The Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter (PSM) is a research methodology that identifies the optimal price range for a product or service. It asks respondents four pricing questions to find the sweet spot between "too cheap" and "too expensive."

When to Use

• New product pricing — find the right price before launch.
• Price adjustment research — test whether a price increase is acceptable.
• Competitive pricing — understand price expectations relative to alternatives.
• Tier pricing validation — validate pricing tiers for SaaS or subscription products.

How It Works

Respondents answer four questions about a product's price:

1. Too cheap — At what price would you consider the product to be so cheap that you'd question its quality?
2. Bargain — At what price would you consider the product a bargain — a great buy for the money?
3. Getting expensive — At what price would you consider the product starting to get expensive — not out of the question, but you'd have to think about it?
4. Too expensive — At what price would you consider the product to be too expensive to consider?

The intersection of these four curves reveals the optimal price point and acceptable price range.

Question Settings

• Slider Min / Max: Define the price range for the slider (e.g., ₹0 – ₹10,000).
• Scale Units: Set the step size for the price slider (e.g., increments of ₹100).
• Required: Make the question mandatory.
• Proceed Button Text: Customize the CTA on this step.
• Media Upload: Optionally show a product image alongside the pricing questions.
• Layout Design: Choose the visual layout for this question.

Respondent Preview

Respondents see four slider questions in sequence, each asking about a different price perception. They drag each slider to indicate their price threshold.

Research Tip: Van Westendorp works best with a sample size of 200+ respondents. The methodology is widely used in market research as a quick, affordable alternative to full conjoint pricing studies.