Benchmarking Beyond Competitors: Evaluate Categories, Ranges, and Brands for Better Pricing
December 07, 2023 | 10 minutes read
Getting your pricing right is like playing chess for success.
It's a bit like making the perfect move on the board to win.
Surpassing competitors marks a crucial move, but it's just one piece on the board.
Understanding the right prices for different categories, brands, and ranges is more than a numbers game: it's about smartly adjusting your strategy to hit the bullseye.
Why bother?
Because this approach goes beyond basic e-commerce moves - it's the secret to creating a pricing strategy that perfectly fits the ever-changing market.
In this article, we’ll take a look at why benchmarking beyond competitors isn't just a strategic choice but a necessity.
Plus, we’ll explain how Reprice helps companies enhance pricing strategies by evaluating categories, ranges, and brands beyond mere competitor benchmarking.
Table of contents:
- Why broad benchmarking matters
- How to benchmark beyond competitors and evaluate categories, ranges and brands for better pricing
- Conclusion
Why broad benchmarking matters
In the world of e-commerce pricing, going beyond the familiar beats of direct competitors can be a game-changer.
Here's why:
- You gain a strategic edge: Curious about outsmarting your rivals in the pricing game? Looking beyond direct competitors lets e-commerce businesses play strategically. Comparing prices across different brands and categories reveals opportunities to stand out with distinctive pricing strategies.
- Market insights: Ever wished for a crystal ball to predict market trends? Analyzing a broader array of products and categories is like having that crystal ball. It offers insights into what's trending and what customers desire. Perfect for fine-tuning your pricing approach to sync with market demands and seize lucrative opportunities.
- Profit precision: Benchmarking empowers companies to gauge if their pricing hits the bullseye in the profit game. By scrutinizing different price points across categories, businesses can find that optimal balance between driving sales and maximizing profits.
- Adapting to market dynamics: Markets resemble ever-changing tides—always in flux. Your prices need to ride these waves. Benchmarking acts as a compass to navigate these shifts, granting e-commerce companies the ability to tweak prices in real-time. It's like having the perfect tool for different market situations.
To stay ahead in the e-commerce pricing game, companies should leverage advanced pricing optimization tools that come along with the capability to benchmark beyond direct competitors.
It's like a one-way ticket to gaining a strategic edge, refining pricing precision, and adeptly adapting to the ever-changing dynamics of the market.
How to benchmark beyond competitors and evaluate categories, ranges and brands for better pricing
Here are three ways you can gain as strategic edge and benchmark beyond your competitors for better pricing:
1. Conduct market research and analysis
Unlocking a competitive edge in the dynamic landscape of e-commerce requires more than just keeping an eye on competitors.
It demands a strategic approach rooted in extensive market research.
Imagine having the ability to not only identify your competitors but also comprehensively evaluate brands, categories, and product ranges.
This is where Reprice steps in, transforming the way you benchmark and evaluate in the ever-evolving e-commerce space.
The Reprice dashboard serves as your central command, offering a complete overview of product and sales performance.
No more juggling multiple tools to generate reports and view key statistics—Reprice consolidates it all in one place. That makes it easy to stay on top of competitor pricing and market share effortlessly with the 'bird's-eye view' that Reprice provides.
This vantage point empowers you to adjust automated pricing rules, prioritize competitors effectively, and even spot new market players.
Plus, gone are the days of cumbersome Excel sheets and in-house tools to track competitor pricing.
Reprice automates this process, providing live data on competitor pricing and strategies. Which means that tracking competitor data is no longer a resource-intensive, time-consuming challenge—it's a streamlined and efficient process.
Reprice, as a data provider, ensures you have access to real-time competitor data integrated into your ERP or external data source. Daily updates keep you informed, and you can tailor the frequency based on your specific needs.
2. Implement a dynamic pricing strategy
Another way companies can benchmark beyond their competitors is to get started with dynamic pricing strategies. Specifically those that respond to factors like demand fluctuations, competitor pricing changes, and market trends.
Reprice not only empowers e-commerce companies to benchmark beyond competitors but also facilitates the seamless implementation of dynamic pricing models to evaluate brands, categories, and ranges.
Imagine having the ability to respond to demand fluctuations, competitor pricing changes, and market trends in real-time. Reprice makes it possible by allowing you to manually or automatically adjust prices based on specific rules you set.
So whether it's defining rules based on brand, category, or competitor tracking, Reprice puts the power in your hands.
For instance, establish rules like "follow competitor X," set minimum margins, or automate price adjustments based on market dynamics.
Automating pricing based on your rules not only streamlines the process but also transitions you to a more proactive pricing strategy.
This strategic shift ultimately leads to higher margins and increased revenue, giving you a competitive edge.
Reprice goes a step further by providing daily price recommendations based on current market trends. This feature ensures that you stay constantly agile in the fast-paced e-commerce environment, making it easier than ever to implement and sustain a dynamic pricing strategy.
3. Brand positioning and value proposition
In the world of e-commerce, success hinges on an accurate understanding of your brand's position in the marketplace.
That’s why it's crucial to evaluate your brand's uniqueness, product quality, features, and customer service.
Compare this with competitors to discern a distinctive value proposition, and from there, tailor pricing strategies accordingly. You should also consider premium pricing for superior products.
This strategic alignment not only enhances profit margins - but also positions your brand as exclusive. By smart pricing and understanding your market, your online store can stand out, attract the right customers, and succeed in a competitive market.
Once you've honed in on your brand's unique value proposition, translating that understanding into strategic pricing becomes effortless.
Reprice empowers you to seamlessly update pricing for brands, categories, and tags in bulk—whether you receive new recommended retail prices from suppliers or need to synchronize online and offline pricing.
This automation not only saves time but also mitigates the risk of human error.
It's the final touch to ensuring that your pricing aligns perfectly with the distinct value your brand brings to the market, allowing you to thrive in both the digital and physical retail spheres.
Why pricing optimization software is here to stay
Investing in pricing optimization software is crucial for sustainable growth.
In fact, the market for workflow automation is set to skyrocket from 8.07 billion USD in 2019 to an estimated 39.49 billion USD by 2027, signaling a 23.68% growth rate.
Corporate executives already spend 45 minutes to 3 hours daily on routine tasks, and a study by McKinsey suggests that 60% of workers could save 30% of their time through automation.
This translates to significant time losses, impacting decision-making and overall efficiency. Which means that pricing optimization becomes a key player in unlocking e-commerce revenue growth.
Reprice provides the solution — by automating pricing processes, enhancing profit margins, and ensuring a competitive e-commerce pricing strategy.
As pricing optimization software cements its role, embracing this kind of tool is crucial for companies looking to scale ahead in the evolving e-commerce landscape.
Why choose Reprice?
A common challenge for e-commerce companies lies in navigating the rapidly evolving technological landscape. And at the same time, meeting the changing expectations of their customers.
That’s where Reprice, a pricing optimization software, comes in. An intuitive tool that lets you manually adjust or automate product pricing based on market opportunities, demand, and seasonality trends.
The tool empowers e-commerce companies to shift from reactive to proactive pricing strategies. Offering pricing automation, increased efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and more customization. An easy way to stay competitive in a dynamic e-commerce environment.
Conclusion
All in all, it's crucial to benchmark beyond your competitors to secure success in the chess game of pricing.
While surpassing rivals is a vital move, it's only one piece of the puzzle.
Smartly adjusting strategies across categories, brands, and ranges is the key to hitting the bullseye in the ever-changing market.
Broad benchmarking offers a strategic edge, market insights, profit precision, and adaptability to market dynamics.
Leveraging tools like Reprice is the one-way ticket to gaining this edge, refining precision, and adapting to the market's fluctuations.
Ready to get started with Reprice?
Robin Frugaard Jørgensen
Chief Commercial Officer at Reprice
Robin Frugaard Jørgensen is Chief Commercial Officer at Reprice. Prior to joining Reprice in January 2023, Robin spent several years working with pricing strategies in B2B & the consumer electronics industry. Connect with Robin on LinkedIn here or book a demo to see how Reprice can solve your e-commerce pricing challenges.