Business

Why We Ditched One-Size-Fits-All: The Economics of À La Carte

LutinGénie Team
07/11/2025
8 min de lecture

How the airline industry's pricing revolution in the 1970s changed how we think about pricing. Discover why we built Enchantements—our à la carte AI powers—and how choice creates value for everyone, from small businesses to enterprises.

✈️ The Pricing Revolution That Changed Everything

My economics professor once told us a story about air travel in the 1970s. Flights were luxurious—spacious legroom, gourmet meals, attentive service. But tickets cost a fortune. Most people couldn't afford to fly. Then airlines discovered something revolutionary: what if we gave people choices? Economy seats for budget travelers, business class for those who want comfort, first class for those who want luxury. Suddenly, flying became accessible to everyone, while those who wanted more could pay for it.

This is exactly why we built Enchantements.

The Problem with "Inefficient High Quality"

When you force everyone into premium tiers, you create inefficiency. Think about it:

❌ The Old Way

  • Customer A needs one premium feature but can't afford the €75/month tier
  • Customer B pays €75/month but only uses basic features
  • Customer C can't justify upgrading just for one capability
  • Result: Lost customers and wasted value

✅ The À La Carte Way

  • Customer A buys just the feature they need for €3/month
  • Customer B stays on their plan and adds features as needed
  • Customer C gets exactly what they want without overpaying
  • Result: Happy customers and efficient value delivery

This is what economists call "inefficient high quality." When you bundle everything into premium tiers, you're forcing customers to pay for things they don't need, while others can't access the one feature that would make a difference for them.

Why We Built Enchantements

We saw this problem firsthand. Small businesses would tell us: "I love your product, but I only need multi-language support. I can't justify upgrading to the Business plan just for that." Or: "I need better memory for my conversations, but the Professional tier is too expensive for my budget."

So we asked ourselves: What if we gave people choices?

💡 The Enchantements Solution

Instead of forcing everyone into expensive tiers, we created Enchantements—premium AI powers that you can add to any plan, à la carte.

  • 🧠 Memory (€3/month): Remember 50 messages instead of 10
  • 💖 Emotion (€5/month): Detect and respond to customer emotions
  • 🌍 Polyglot (€5/month): Support 10+ languages
  • 🤝 Escalation Power (€8/month): Real-time handoffs and automatic follow-up creation with labeling - works even without agents

Real-World Examples: How Choice Creates Value

Example 1: The Small E-commerce Store

Scenario: A small online boutique selling handmade jewelry wants to expand internationally. They need multi-language support but can't afford the Business plan (€75/month).

❌ Without Enchantements

Upgrade to Business plan: €75/month

Annual cost: €900

Result: Too expensive, they don't expand

✅ With Enchantements

Basic plan: €9/month

+ Polyglot: €5/month

Total: €14/month

Annual cost: €168

Result: They expand, we keep a customer

Savings: €732/year (81% reduction) while getting exactly what they need.

Example 2: The Growing Support Team

Scenario: A company on the Professional plan (€29/month) needs better conversation organization and emotion detection for their support team.

❌ Without Enchantements

Upgrade to Business plan: €75/month

Additional cost: €46/month

Annual additional: €552

Result: Paying for features they don't need

✅ With Enchantements

Stay on Professional: €29/month

+ Escalation Power: €8/month

+ Emotion: €5/month

Total: €42/month

Additional cost: €13/month

Annual additional: €156

Result: Get exactly what they need

Savings: €396/year (72% reduction) while getting the specific capabilities they need.

The Economics of Choice

The airline industry learned this lesson decades ago. By offering choices, they:

  • Democratized access: Made flying accessible to everyone
  • Increased revenue: More customers = more total revenue
  • Reduced waste: People pay for what they use
  • Improved satisfaction: Customers feel they're getting value

We're applying the same principle to AI capabilities. With Enchantements, you can:

🎯

Buy Only What You Need

No forced upgrades to expensive tiers

💰

Start Small, Grow as Needed

Add powers when your business grows

🔄

Cancel Anytime

No long-term commitment or lock-in

Why This Matters for Small Businesses

Small businesses often can't afford full premium tiers, but they might need one specific capability. Enchantements let them get that capability without breaking the bank.

🏪 Real Small Business Example

A local gîte owner needs multi-language support to serve international guests, but their business is seasonal. They can't justify a €75/month Business plan year-round.

Solution: Basic plan (€9/month) + Polyglot (€5/month) = €14/month. During peak season, they can add Escalation Power (€8/month) for organized follow-ups. During off-season, they cancel it. Total flexibility, total control.

The Future of SaaS Pricing

We believe the future of SaaS pricing is moving away from rigid tier structures toward flexible, modular pricing. This isn't just about us—it's about empowering customers with choice.

📊 Industry Trends

  • Streaming services: Base plans + premium add-ons
  • Software platforms: Core features + optional modules
  • Cloud services: Pay for what you use
  • Our approach: Base AI + individual powers

Building Products That Grow With Businesses

The best products grow with their customers. When you're just starting, you need basics. As you grow, you need more capabilities. With Enchantements, you don't have to jump to expensive tiers—you can add exactly what you need, when you need it.

🌱 Growth Path Example

1

Month 1: Starting Out

Basic plan (€9/month) - Perfect for testing

2

Month 3: First International Customer

Add Polyglot (€5/month) - Now €14/month

3

Month 6: Growing Support Needs

Add Escalation Power (€8/month) - Now €17/month

4

Month 12: Ready to Scale

Upgrade to Professional (€29/month) + keep all powers - Still flexible, more included

Try It Yourself

We've made it easy to get started. Try our Basic tier (€9/month) and add the powers you need. No long-term commitment, cancel anytime. Start with one power, add more as you grow.

🚀 Getting Started

  • ✓ Start with Basic plan (€9/month)
  • ✓ Browse our Enchantements store
  • ✓ Add powers as low as €3/month
  • ✓ Cancel individual powers anytime
  • ✓ No lock-in, no forced upgrades

Conclusion: Choice Creates Value

The flight story isn't just about airlines—it's about understanding that one size doesn't fit all. When you give people choices, you create value for everyone. Small businesses can access premium capabilities. Growing businesses can scale flexibly. Enterprises can customize exactly what they need.

That's why we built Enchantements. Not because we wanted to complicate pricing, but because we wanted to democratize access to powerful AI capabilities. Because we believe that every business, regardless of size, should be able to get exactly what they need, when they need it.

💡 Ready to Experience the Economics of Choice?

Start with our Basic tier and add Enchantements as you need them. No long-term commitment, cancel anytime. See how choice creates value for your business.

Because when you give people choices, everyone wins.

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