The Open University provides online education in a part-time design in the Netherlands and Belgium. Faced with increasing competition in the online sphere of education, The Open University contacted MSC with the desire to move from a cost-based pricing approach towards a market/value-based pricing strategy. Addressing this aim, MSC conducted a price elasticity analysis which laid the basis for deriving the optimal pricing point for five educational programs. As an initial step, a survey was conducted to assess the willingness to pay of the university´s students. The resulting data was complemented by an analysis of the competitive landscape of comparable universities and courses. Eventually, the team of seven consultants determined the advised price points in a final online presentation which was held prior to the Christmas holiday break.
