Inflation and Its Effect on Retailers

Price: Pricing decisions should take into account profit margins and probable pricing response of competitors.

The problem of inflation increases the price of goods, which is obviously an increase in the

1. What is inflation? Inflation is an increase in prices for goods and services (What is Inflation?).

Thirdly, option is to strategically adjust the prices of their products because consumers are often very price sensitive. By doing so the company can either create more value that defines the quality and quantity of the product.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2002), inflation can be defined as the increase in the level of prices and a decrease in the purchasing power of money. In short, money loses its value due to the increase of the prices of goods and services. Products that can experience this are food, clothing, electronics, raw materials, and more. The reasons for these occurrences are complex since there are two types of inflation, and each has its respective causes.

Inflation is the sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services in a county, and is measured as an annual percentage change. (Investopedia) During periods of inflation, the prices of products and services will rise. There are several reasons why an economy would see a rise in inflation. Decrease in supplies, corporate deciding to charge more, and consumer confidence are some of the reasons why an economy would see the inflation rate increase. Consumer confidence is when consumers gain more confidence in spending due to a low unemployment rate and wages being stable. Decrease in supplies is when consumers are willing to pay more for a product or service is that is slowly becoming unavailable due to a decrease in supplies. Corporate decisions are when the corporations basically decide

commodities increases such as milk, gas and bread. It is a rise in all prices simultaneously. Inflation is caused when the demand for something exceeds the supply. This causes the price of that particular item to go up which in turn causes wages to go up and operating costs also increase (inflation).

Inflation occurs when the general price level of goods and services have increased in a period of time. It is a measurement that signals the current economic situations and whether there is a potential economic growth.

Consumers always base their decisions on price. The price of an item is important as it can influence consumers to purchase the product or not. If a product is out of their price range most people aren’t likely to purchase the product unless

The current economy has hurt many retail businesses. Every month another retail giant closes its doors. Retail stores which we never would have imagined have gone bankrupt. Retail sales have declined greatly. Major cause of this declination is because many people are unemployed and cannot afford to purchase anything. Retailers are forced to discount prices to increase sales, but discounting still hurts margins. Retailers are assuming a very

In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time.

There are different influences that cause inflation such as energy, food, commodities, and other goods and services. The entire economy is affected by rise of the cost of living. It also affects the cost of operating a business, borrowing money, mortgages, corporate and government bond yields, and every other aspect of the economy. There are several advantages of inflation in the economy. Some include moderate rates of inflation which allows prices to adjust. This is considered a sign of a healthy economy. With economic growth available we usually get a generous amount of inflation. Also moderate inflation rate reduces the actual value of debt. If there is a reduction, the real value of debt increase leads to a squeeze on usuable income.

Price interacts with all other elements of the marketing mix to determine the effectiveness of each and of the whole. The objectives that guide pricing strategy should be a subset of the objectives that guide overall marketing strategy. Thus, it is probably wrong to view price as an independent element of marketing strategy or to assert that price, by itself, is a central element in the marketing mix.” (Webster, 1979)

This clearly states that inflation directly impacts consumer buying habits, during high inflation people are more interested in buying staple products necessary for their survival or switch to cost effective alternatives. Buying of expensive products rely solely on sales and cash discounts. Entertainment spending and vacations also reduces during this period. People just hold on to their wallets.

Price, which is one of the most important elements of the marketing mix, can be difficult to get right. Pricing too high, or low, can negatively impact on customer satisfaction and revenue. Adopting a pricing strategy is necessary to achieve desired sales objectives (Chan & Wong 2005).