Another one of those things I hadn’t paid much attention to until recently, and then I saw “price point” used in a video and it struck me: The cost of a specific item is its price, not its price point that was originally used as discussed by the below Internet response.

Yes, I know: It’s a trivial matter that I shouldn’t even notice, much less complain about, but how many people these days think or care about what they say?

Or:
“He who writes carelessly confesses thereby at the very outset that he does not attach much importance to his own thoughts.”
— Arthur Schopenhauer

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For decades, [price point] remained a specialized term used primarily by economists, supply-chain managers, and retail strategists.

...

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, corporate jargon heavily favored making simple words sound more technical or analytical.

Saying “We need to re-evaluate our price point” sounded more strategic than “We need to change the price.” As business news shows (e.g., CNBC), consumer technology reviews (e.g., CNET), and car magazines increasingly used corporate pitch-deck terminology to describe retail items, consumers absorbed the phrase.

Why people use it today (and why linguists cringe). Today, “price point” is often used as a direct—and technically redundant—synonym for "price.”

Legitimate Use: “We need a laptop to fill the $500 price point in our line-up” (referring to a product bracket/tier). Redundant Use: “I bought this shirt because it was at a great price point” (referring strictly to a single price tag, where “price” is simpler and accurate).

While language purists often view the modern over-reliance on “price point” as unnecessary corporate inflation, the word followed a classic linguistic cycle: a technical niche term adopted by business, popularized by tech/retail media, and eventually absorbed into everyday speech.

"Price point" has two possible meanings:

A) A specific price. Used here, "price" and "price point" are the same as you've pointed out, and the extra word is unnecessary.

Or

B) Price tier/relative price range. Budget/entry level, mid-level, high end/luxury, sub-$500, etc.


I use it when referring to the latter definition of a price range/tier, not when discussing its specific price.

Yes: "The Ruger RXM is the best value at its price point (among budget handguns).

No: "The Ruger RXM's price point is $350." (Redundant, and just say "price".)

I blame real estate agents and HGTV for the overuse.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Or

B) Price tier/relative price range.

But then, that’s not a point, is it?

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
But then, that’s not a point, is it?

Yes, just as time has moments, not points either, so another good reason to eliminate the superfluous word entirely.

So, what's the price point at market price?

Oh, you're looking for a gift? What's the price point you're trying to hit? LOL.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Or

B) Price tier/relative price range.

But then, that’s not a point, is it?

When the word Price Point is used correctly, it indicates a range...which is the point.

A price point would be "Under $500" or over $1000" as in:

"A budget 1911 can be had for about $500, but an entry level 1911 starts at about $1000."

It isn't the price, but the target range to price the item to match your target demographic

Seems to be a marketing/insider term.

How many normal folks will say 'HVAC' instead of 'air conditioning'?

Obviously various perceptions and interpretations.

At work, a price is what the consumer had to pay for a product.

A pricepoint is a target market price that suggested what consumers would be willing to pay for a particular type of product with certain key features.

For example, you want to sell a widget. The pricepoint could be $499. It will have certain features expected by the consumer at that price. Company modulates features and quality and such to ensure cost and margins sufficient at that price. Widget could add features / quality for a $699 pricepoint, targeting same or different cost / margins.

Price and pricepoint are two different concepts that could have the same value. You could have a product that is priced to sell at $519 which targets the market pricepoint of $499; your product price is higher than market target BUT you have some competitive advantage that consumers will deem worthy of the higher price (hopefully).

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
How many normal folks will say 'HVAC' instead of 'air conditioning'?

Most normal folks will just say "AC" instead of "air conditioning".

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Today, “price point” is often used as a direct—and technically redundant—synonym for "price.”

'Price point' has (or, had?) value in marketing strategy when planning product lines and analyzing competition, but in conversation about what one paid for a specific item, the added word 'point' just wastes breath.

They say languages are constantly evolving, and that's true, but it is fair to point out that the concept of 'evolve' is distinct from the concept of 'improve'.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
the concept of 'evolve' is distinct from the concept of 'improve'.

I must remember that.

Agree.

I watched a show on linguistics and how English changed over time. And how it has resulted in very confusing pronunciation vs spelling. Evolved but definitely not improved.