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How it works
Price Creep develops through repeated increases that are small enough to absorb individually but materially rewrite the cost of the relationship over time.
The core CHI test is proportionality: did customer value rise along with the price?
Recognition checklist
What to look for
01
Repeated increases
Prices rise repeatedly across several years.
02
Product changes little
The essential product remains substantially unchanged while the bill grows.
03
Value falls behind
New features or improvements do not explain the cumulative increase.
Where it appears
Associated companies
Important distinction
Not every price increase is hostile.
CHI evaluates magnitude, frequency, proportionality, and cumulative effect, not the mere existence of a price increase. A higher price accompanied by meaningfully higher customer value can be entirely reasonable.