Pricing Strategy: Peak, Off-Peak, and Night Pricing
Pricing Strategy: Peak, Off-Peak, and Night Pricing
Section titled “Pricing Strategy: Peak, Off-Peak, and Night Pricing”A multi-tier pricing grid is a methodology that lets a club extract more revenue during high-demand hours and load the hall during low-demand hours without devaluing the product. The methodology is built in four stages: measure load by time window → identify peaks and troughs → calculate the price differential → configure tariffs with schedules. Without baseline data, any pricing grid is intuition, not strategy.
Stage 1. Data collection: load by time window
Section titled “Stage 1. Data collection: load by time window”Before designing tariffs — you need a load matrix: how many PCs are occupied in each hour of each day of the week.
Where to get data in IZI:
In the “Session Report” section, export history for 4–8 weeks. Required fields: actualStartAt, actualEndAt, device (PC). From this data, build a 7×24 matrix (days × hours) — average utilization as a percentage of total PC count.
If you have IZI analytics access — the hall utilization section provides this matrix directly without manual calculation.
What to look for in the matrix:
- Peak hours — cells with 70%+ utilization. Typically: weekdays 18:00–23:00, weekends 13:00–22:00.
- Off-peak — utilization 15–30%. Typically: weekdays 10:00–17:00, weekday mornings.
- Night window — utilization 40–60% after 23:00 (depends on city and club).
- Dead zones — below 10%. Typically: weekday mornings before 12:00 in some markets.
“Uplift potential” metric: difference between current off-peak utilization and average club utilization. If average = 55% and weekday mornings = 20% — uplift potential = 35 pp; this is the highest-impact point for pricing work.
Stage 2. Defining pricing windows
Section titled “Stage 2. Defining pricing windows”From the load matrix, divide the week into 3–5 pricing windows. Typical structure:
| Window | Time | Load | Price signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 | Off-peak | Reduced price |
| Evening | Mon–Fri 17:00–23:00 | Peak | Base or elevated |
| Night | Daily 23:00–08:00 | Medium | Unlimited or fixed |
| Weekend day | Sat–Sun 12:00–22:00 | Peak | Elevated |
| Weekend morning | Sat–Sun 10:00–12:00 | Off-peak | Reduced |
This is a typical structure — your actual windows are determined from your matrix. Don’t copy other clubs’ schedules: load profile depends on neighborhood, target audience, and competition.
Stage 3. Calculating the price differential
Section titled “Stage 3. Calculating the price differential”The differential is the price gap between windows. Too small = clients don’t switch. Too large = product devaluation.
Parametric formula:
- Peak: base price × (1.2–1.5)
- Off-peak: base price × (0.6–0.8)
- Night unlimited: base hourly price × 2.5–4 (fixed window cost)
- Weekends: base × (1.2–1.4)
Base price = your current main evening tariff. This is the anchor for the entire grid.
Off-peak minimum threshold rule: discount below 20% off evening — clients see no reason to come specifically. Discount above 50% — the evening tariff starts feeling expensive; clients wait for off-peak. Working range: 25–40% discount off evening.
Formula illustration at base price B:
| Window | Price |
|---|---|
| Evening (peak) | B |
| Morning (off-peak) | B × 0.65 |
| Night unlimited | B × 3 per window |
| Weekend | B × 1.3 |
Substitute your B — the grid rebuilds for any currency and market.
Stage 4. Configuring tariffs in IZI
Section titled “Stage 4. Configuring tariffs in IZI”For each pricing window — a separate tariff with a sales schedule.
Steps for one tariff window:
- Create a schedule: Tariffs → Schedules tab → “Add schedule” → specify days of week and time window.
- Create a tariff with the required price.
- In the sales policy of the tariff, attach the schedule.
- For night tariff additionally set a start schedule in the usage policy.
Reuse schedules: one “Evening (Mon–Fri 17:00–23:00)” applies to all evening tariffs (day PC, evening PS, evening multipass). When the evening window changes — edit one schedule; all tariffs update.
Details on schedule setup → Tariff schedules: night, morning, weekend.
Stage 5. Night unlimited: setup specifics
Section titled “Stage 5. Night unlimited: setup specifics”The night unlimited is the most specific format. A few important nuances:
Sales schedule vs. start schedule. Open sales a bit earlier — the client buys at 21:30 but the night tariff session starts from 22:00. This is standard practice: the cashier sees the night tariff in advance and can sell it; the client waits for the window to open.
Evening cannibalization. If the night tariff can be bought and started at 20:00 — it kills the evening tariff. The night tariff’s start schedule must begin no earlier than 22:00.
End window. Add an end window: a client who started at 23:30 should be able to play until 09:00 (with a small buffer past the main window). Otherwise at 07:00 they get a notification and the window closes on schedule, even though they wanted another hour.
Refund policy for night tariff: “Burn remainder” — standard. A night tariff = payment for a slot, not for hours.
Stage 6. Measuring uplift
Section titled “Stage 6. Measuring uplift”After launching a new pricing grid — measure the effect after 4 weeks.
Key metrics:
- Off-peak load before / after — did it increase relative to peak? If off-peak went from 20% to 35% — the grid is working.
- Revenue per available PC/hour — total revenue ÷ (number of PCs × operating hours). This metric should increase with a correct pricing grid.
- Sales structure by window — what percentage of clients shifted to off-peak? If 0% — the differential is insufficient.
- Evening average order value — did it drop? If clients are switching to off-peak and evenings empty out — something is wrong with the schedule or offer.
Data in IZI: analytics section → tariff filter → period “4 weeks before” vs. “4 weeks after” launching the new grid.
When a pricing grid doesn’t work
Section titled “When a pricing grid doesn’t work”Price differentiation doesn’t solve every problem:
- No off-peak audience at all — if your club is in a business district, the morning audience simply doesn’t exist. Price reduction doesn’t create demand from nowhere. A different tool is needed: corporate subscriptions, partnerships with nearby offices.
- A competitor holds one price 24/7 — if they don’t differentiate and still earn, they have a different cost structure or value proposition. Simply copying their approach = losing peak revenue.
- Staff don’t sell the shift. “We have a cheaper morning option” — this is a script that should be said at every evening visit. Without this, the pricing grid works passively.
Related
Section titled “Related”Frequently asked questions
Where do I start when building a pricing grid?
With data: export a session report for 4–8 weeks, group by hour of day and day of week. This gives a real picture of load by time window. Without this data, any pricing grid is guesswork.
What price differential between peak and off-peak actually works?
Working range: peak = base price × 1.2–1.5, off-peak = base × 0.6–0.8. Below 20% off-peak discount — clients don't switch (the difference isn't noticeable). Above 50% discount — risk of devaluing the main product.
How do I make sure the night tariff doesn't cannibalize the evening one?
The night tariff should only be available during the night window (sales schedule 22:00–08:00). If the client can buy the night tariff at 20:00 and start at 20:00 — it replaces the evening tariff. The start schedule must match or be narrower than the sales schedule.
What if off-peak hours are still empty after lowering prices?
Price is not the only lever. Try: adding a top-up bonus only for off-peak hours (elevated percentage during daytime), launching a 'daytime multipass' for weekdays only, working on staff upsell scripts for the morning-to-evening shift transition.
Does every tariff need its own schedule?
No — schedules are reused. Create 3–5 standard schedules (Morning, Evening, Night, Weekend) and attach them to multiple tariffs. When the window changes, edit one schedule — all tariffs update automatically.
How often should the pricing grid be reviewed?
Seasonal reviews: once a quarter, look at load and revenue by time window compared to the previous period. Planned review — once a year when seasons change (summer/school year have different load profiles).
Can peak prices apply to certain zones only?
Yes. Combine zone pricing with a schedule: the VIP zone during peak hours is significantly more expensive than Standard. In off-peak, the gap narrows — an extra incentive for VIP during slow hours.