Top 6 Things You Need to Know About MAP Price Monitoring in 2024

MAP price monitoring, or Minimum Advertised Price monitoring, has become a critical element in the pricing strategy for manufacturers and retailers alike. It is a way to track pricing data across various resellers and online marketplaces, thereby ensuring that the minimum advertised pricing (MAP) policies are adhered to, thus protecting brand value.

MAP monitoring always involves using a certain price monitoring software, sometimes known as a price monitoring tool or MAP monitoring tool, to automatically monitor and enforce these pricing guidelines.

What is MAP Price Monitoring:

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Minimum Advertised Price or MAP is the lowest price that a retailer can advertise a product for sale, as set by the manufacturer. Not to be confused with the lowest selling price, the MAP merely restricts the advertised price. MAP price monitoring, therefore, is the process of observing and tracking these prices across various platforms and ensuring adherence to the MAP policy. Map monitoring tools are often employed to automate this process and effectively manage the enormous amount of pricing data. The purpose is two-fold: to preserve a product’s perceived value and to maintain fair competition among retailers.

How MAP Price Monitoring Works:

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At the heart of MAP price monitoring is price monitoring software. This automated MAP tracking tool is capable of scanning thousands of websites and retail platforms, observing any changes in product prices. When the software detects a price that falls below the predetermined MAP, it reports a MAP violation. The details of the violation, including the specific retailer or reseller involved, are then sent to the appropriate parties for map enforcement action.

Top Six Things You Need to Know About MAP Price Monitoring:

1. Consistent Brand Image

Maintaining the MAP helps to keep a product’s value perception high. Price violations can harm a brand’s image and its relationships with retailers and resellers. MAP monitoring aids in preventing this from happening by keeping a check on the product prices advertised online.

2. Automated Process

MAP monitoring can be an extensive process when done manually, given the number of resellers and online marketplaces involved. Automated MAP monitoring software simplifies this process by continuously checking for MAP violations and generating comprehensive reports.

3. Support Fair Competition

By enforcing the MAP, manufacturers can ensure a level playing field for all retailers. No retailer can gain an undue advantage by advertising a lower price, which can disrupt market dynamics.

4. Identify Violators

MAP monitoring tools can identify specific retailers or resellers who violate MAP policies. With this information, manufacturers can take action, including warning the violators or even terminating partnerships.

5. Legality

While MAP policies are legal in many jurisdictions, they can be a grey area in some regions. Therefore, it’s essential to understand the legal landscape before implementing a MAP policy and using a MAP monitoring tool. In most cases, brands can safely monitor prices but not ENFORCE MAP pricing. However, even if you can’t enforce your sellers to stick to your policies, knowing who sells your product, where and at what price can be of a considerable help, as it makes your relationships with the partnership network much more transparent and healthy. You can always use this knowledge in future, when calculating your B2B prices.

6. Data Analysis

Apart from tracking prices, MAP monitoring tools can provide useful insights into market trends, competitive analysis, and consumer behaviour. This data can be leveraged to make informed business decisions. Hopefully, we managed to explain how MAP price monitoring works and what you can do as a brand to improve your control over your distribution network.

Hopefully, we managed to explain how MAP price monitoring works and what you can do as a brand to improve your control over your distribution network.