Latest Business Product and Services Price Update.

Prices are rising for various business supplies, something we’ve noticed on our cost side and in supplier emails announcing cost increases. This suggests that the picture isn’t as rosy as many companies would like, with the situation likely to change again in 2025.

Upward-marching prices have been seen across the commercial sector since 2020’s COVID-induced supply chain disruptions. These saw costs spike for goods rise across the board, including in the B2B sector.

However, new forces are now playing a role as the economy evolves. Some reflect past issues while others imply secular rises, driving inflation higher.

This article explores the latest prices for various business products and how they might evolve throughout 2025. We focus on the lines you care about most, including card machines, photocopiers, and other electronic equipment/services for offices and commercial settings.

So, what’s been happening?

Prices For Business Products Today

Unfortunately, prices for business products/services today are higher than previously. This section looks at what you are likely to pay right now for products/services, and what you get for your money.

Merchant Accounts With Card Machines

Merchant accounts with card machines range (entire solutions) run with setup costs from £29 to £300, with ongoing fees of 1.5-2.5% on every transaction. Some providers also charge general “maintenance” or “subscription” fees, bumping up the total cost to businesses further.

The price for these services has seen modest increases in recent years, reflecting the increased cost of provision. Providers must deal with increased energy input prices and slightly higher wages since last year.

Vehicle Tracking Systems

Vehicle tracking systems are becoming more sophisticated with basic products now available from £100 to £300 per vehicle. These provide the necessary tools many modern operations require to monitor fleet vehicles.

As you would expect, advanced vehicle tracking prices are higher. These GPS-based systems can track driver behaviour and generate AI-derived routes for maximal efficiency. Many cost up to £1,000 per vehicle annually, including subscriptions.

EPOS Systems

Prices for EPOS systems used in the retail and hospitality sectors vary significantly, depending on the vendor. Companies can expect to fork out between £1,200 and £3,500 for the underlying hardware, with the software subscription coming in at around £40 to £110 per month.

Most price increases come from the monthly payment side. As such, businesses are paying more than last year for service subscriptions, adding to their transaction costs.

Payroll Services

Payroll services continue to grow in price with most companies paying between £5 and £10 per employee, per month. However, the market is changing to provide more value at a higher cost. Many firms now opt for tailored solutions with compliance features that can push the average monthly cost to over £15 per team member.

Franking Machines

Franking machines for helping businesses manage mail volume are also seeing price increases, although they are quite moderate. Rentals for these devices run from £17 per month and upwards, while outright purchases for basic systems are around £1,000.

Businesses wanting to upgrade sometimes spend more on the most advanced systems capable of handling vast quantities of mail. Franklin machine prices for these units are often around £3,000 to £4,000, with the actual amount paid based on the final capacity and speed.

Business Insurance

Business insurance prices are also rising faster than inflation. Quotes for smaller firms sit around £50 per month, with larger payouts for bespoke cover for established corporations.

Most insurers put their prices up by between 5% and 15% in 2024.

Photocopiers

Photocopier prices have also seen rises, due to increasing production costs and supply chain issues. Most businesses now pay between £500 and £1,500 for a small machine and up to £6,000 for a high-volume, top-of-the-range unit.

Leasing photocopiers is still an option for smaller businesses and startup firms wanting to go “capital light.” These start at £30 per month and go up to £50 per month, with figures around 5% higher than in 2023.

Business Energy

Finally, business energy–an item every leader keeps an eye on–is surging due to geopolitical factors and, perhaps, shortages. Data suggests companies now pay £0.34 per kWh for this, up significantly from just a few years ago.

Our Expectations For Business Product Prices Heading Into 2025

With 2025 just around the corner, we can now speculate about the likely prices of these inputs over the next 12 months. As you might expect, the news is mixed–most prices will rise, but others may stay the same or fall.

Merchant Accounts With Card Machines

Merchant accounts with card machines will likely see a slight increase in prices in 2025. Hardware costs will rise again, perhaps into the £40 to £350 range, but it isn’t clear.

Issuers probably won’t raise transaction fees unless their wage or energy prices increase substantially. Because of this, these will likely remain in the 1.5% to 2.5% range. As such, the increase in the card machine price will be the main contributing factor (if any).

Vehicle Tracking Systems

Vehicle tracking systems may also see price rises if manufacturers continue to make their devices more sophisticated. Costs will likely start at £150 to £350 per vehicle next year, with AI-driven solutions/subscriptions rising to more than £1,200.

These cost increases will only partially come from rising unit input expenses. Most will be a byproduct of the costly investment required to develop artificial intelligence software and integrate it into business workflows.

EPOS Systems

Electronic point-of-sale (POS) systems may see a price decrease next year. However, it depends on how manufacturers adapt to the emerging cloud-based ecosystem. Dematerialisation could push prices lower, with monthly fees adjusting accordingly.

That said, larger businesses can still expect to pay more for custom solutions. EPOS system prices may go from £1,300 to £3,800 for hardware with fees for supporting digital architecture rising from £50 to £120, depending on the vendor.

Payroll Services

Payroll services could also see modest price increases in 2025 in line with what we’ve seen elsewhere. Businesses need solutions that help them remain compliant with the evolving regulatory landscape and may be willing to pay 5% more next year (perhaps up to 8%).

These increases will likely start once workers return to the office after the festive break. Vendors will use that opportunity to increase prices to offset their costs.

Franking Machines

Franking machines will likely continue their trend of modest price increases into 2025. Much of this, again, will come down to general input cost increases.

These changes mean that next year, the price of franking machines could be anywhere from £1,100 to £3,300, with leasing prices going up another 5% perhaps to £35-£55 per month.

Business Insurance

Business insurance is a significant unknown because it depends on the risk insurers perceive in the market. Specific industries may see falling premiums if new legislation comes into force that lowers their uncertainty, but that is highly speculative.

Cybersecurity elements in business insurance packages are likely to come as a premium, simply because of the massive expansion of online fraud and the cost of data breaches. As such, companies will need to pay higher premiums for these add-ons, perhaps in the region of 5 to 10% next year.

Photocopiers

Photocopiers will likely see upward pressure on their prices because of component costs. Extracting the minerals required to make these units is becoming more expensive as deposits become more marginal.

Small business models will likely retail at around £550 to £1,750 by the end of next year, with those offering more functions retailing for up to £7,000. While large enterprises are likely to absorb the bulk of these cost increases, they may also apply in the SME market.

Leasing will remain a viable option throughout 2025. However, the price businesses will likely pay will increase in line with the up-front unit costs.

Business Energy

Finally, is there any hope for business energy costs in 2025? The answer is highly uncertain.

Donald Trump may bring the conflict in Ukraine to an end from January onwards and seek to re-establish normal relations between Russia and Europe. The re-supply of gas via established pipelines will cut costs across the continent, including in the UK, by allowing more of the energy-generating substance onto the market. Hence, a price cut is possible.

However, other factors, such as dwindling shale oil in the US may also lead to energy price rises globally. This threat will likely last long until firms in the sector can develop alternative energy sources.

Conclusion

Overall, the prices for business equipment and services are higher today than during the same period in 2023. Printers, photocopiers, vehicle tracking devices, insurance premiums, and EPOS systems cost more than they did previously. Furthermore, many of those increases look set to continue into 2025, supporting the case for buying sooner rather than later.

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