METHODOLOGY FOR FORMING THE CONCEPT OF A DIGITAL PRODUCT AND MARKETING PRICING BASED ON PERCEIVED VALUE FOR THE CONSUMER

Abstract

The article proposes the improvement of product and pricing policies of IT companies operating in the digital products market. It is established that existing approaches to digital product concept formation – technology-driven, market-driven, user-centered, and problem-driven – remain partial and fail to fully account for the perceived consumer value. The authors define perceived value as a subjectively formed benefit that encompasses functional, economic, social, and personal dimensions of user interaction with a digital product, evolving dynamically throughout the product lifecycle. This gap calls for a unified framework that places perceived value at the centre of both marketing product and pricing policies. To operationalize the value-based approach, an integrated methodology for digital product concept formation has been developed. The methodology sequentially combines four stages: an enhanced Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework extended with User Story elements to identify functional hypotheses through the format "As a [user], when [situation], I want [goal], so that I can [benefit]"; a Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) to formalize the alignment between user needs and product functionality; the Kano model to prioritize features based on their impact on user satisfaction, distinguishing basic, linear, delightful, indifferent, and reverse categories; and the development of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as an instrument for market validation of the product concept under resource constraints. In the domain of pricing policy, the article substantiates the transition from cost-based and competitive pricing methods toward a value-oriented model. A price adjustment matrix is proposed, built on two quantitative indicators — the Value Perception Index (VPI), which reflects the ratio of perceived value to price, and the Product–Market Fit Score (PMF Score), which measures the degree of product criticality for users. The combination of these metrics enables adaptive price positioning across consumer segments and establishes a systemic link between product and pricing policies of companies in the digital products market.