From spreadsheets to a cohesive system: an application for managing prices across a network of retail locations

Manually recalculating prices in large spreadsheets could no longer keep up with the scale of our client’s operations. A chain of over 200 retail locations needed a tool that would consolidate data, organize pricing rules, and allow them to prepare different price list variants in one place. That’s how the pricing management application was created, designed specifically for their business process.

Before the project began, data was retrieved from the database, transferred to large spreadsheets, and manually assigned to specific product segments. Later, employees compared this data with market information provided by external tools that monitored prices in the immediate vicinity.

Each update required re-downloading the data, classifying it, and verifying a large number of items. Given the large scale of the operation, this was a slow process that relied on manual operations.

explitia’s client needed a unified solution for its entire network. The price management application was designed to migrate the most important rules from spreadsheets into a single environment and handle data from complex databases.

The products have been divided into segments, taking into account various pricing policies.

The system also takes into account product category, seasonality, established margin thresholds, and market information. The exact formulas remain the proprietary knowledge of the business client.

The app performs calculations based on rules developed in collaboration with the client, and the user receives price suggestions that they can review before submitting the price list to the network.

The system allows you to save up to 10 price simulations that represent different pricing options for the entire network, enabling the team to compare the settings before approving the selected version.

An employee can also manually change the price of a specific product. The app It then checks whether the value falls below the established profitability threshold. Validation helps identify errors and reduces the risk of a price that does not comply with established rules being sent to points of sale.

The combination of automated calculations and manual adjustments gives the user control over the final price list; therefore, the system supports decision-making but does not replace it.

It is equally important that information on regulated and subsidized prices, as well as current changes to the product catalog, be up to date. The system must operate using the most up-to-date data possible, because outdated input data directly affects the quality of subsequent calculations.

However, pricing logic alone is not enough. The timeliness and quality of the data depend on the sources the system uses, which is why clear rules for updating, monitoring, and accountability for individual sources are crucial—on the part of the teams that enter and maintain this data on an ongoing basis.

The system has already been installed and made available to the customer, along with user and installation manuals. Regular use is just beginning, so we are not yet publishing data on time savings or the impact on financial results.

However, one organizational change is already evident. Rules, simulations, and validation have been consolidated into a single tool. The pricing management application is capable of replacing a significant portion of the manual operations previously performed in spreadsheets and facilitating the preparation of a unified price list for the entire network; its effectiveness will be assessed once data from users’ daily work has been collected.

This model works well wherever a company purchases goods in large batches, resells them in smaller units, and needs to manage prices on an ongoing basis for a broad product catalog spread across multiple locations simultaneously.

We see its potential, among other things, in: grocery and convenience store chains, wholesalers and tire retail chains, oil distribution, automotive parts and accessories retail chains, drugstore and cosmetics store chains, building materials distribution and DIY store chains, electrical and plumbing supply wholesalers, the distribution of office and printing supplies, pet store chains, the distribution of fertilizers and plant protection products, home appliance and consumer electronics retail chains, and companies involved in the distribution of industrial and technical goods.

Specific pricing rules will always vary—different margin thresholds, seasonality, and market factors affecting pricing. However, the core of the process remains the same: a single database, catalog segmentation, comparison of pricing options, and price verification before publication online.

Are you still creating price lists in spreadsheets or manually combining data from multiple sources? Show us what this process looks like. We will analyze a sample worksheet, the data sources, and the valuation rules. Based on this, we will identify which stage should be migrated to the system first.