Screenshots of dumping. How does automation help?

Dumping screenshots are images obtained during price monitoring, which precisely show the information displayed on the online store’s website at the time of data collection. Recipients see these screenshots in emails sent out when dumping is detected.

• What actually happens when online stores and suppliers discover dumping and unfair competition in the market?
• How do online stores and suppliers react when they detect dumping?

Content List

• When a supplier discovers dumping in online stores
• When a store discovers competitor dumping
• “Manually, Carl!”
• Automating price collection and screenshotting

When a supplier discovers dumping in online stores

Usually, demands to correct prices are sent to violators, with attached screenshots showing the pages where dumping has been recorded in the online stores.

Verifying the results. If the situation does not change, the online store may face:

— increased wholesale (supply) prices;

— suspended or blocked product shipments;

— canceled individual discounts;

— complaints, up to the removal of the trademark.

And to make these checks as effective as possible, it’s essential to use an automated price monitoring service. Since online store prices change dynamically, keeping track of them manually is at least challenging, and doing it 24/7/365 with a large product range is practically impossible.

When a store discovers competitor dumping

A complaint is sent to the supplier requesting they address the situation, again providing evidence (screenshots) where the price deviations are recorded.

If the supplier does not respond, the online store will very likely also join in the dumping, employing an automated competitor price parsing solution, which leads to a market collapse by a domino effect.

“Manually, Carl!”

Let’s simulate the “manual” portion of the executor’s work, whether they’re on the supplier side or the online store side, which does not use a system for price monitoring. The responsible person has data on which they compare prices. Often this information is already in the manager’s head, since this task is carried out periodically. Then it gets more interesting: the browser is always open with numerous tabs of product pages from specific stores that are dumping. On each page with a lowered price, the employee takes a “Print Screen,” then inserts those screenshots into ongoing correspondence through some convenient communication tool. The most common are email and messengers (for example, Telegram). Usually, the correspondence takes place between the supplier’s responsible employee and the category manager at the online store. The communication can be unpleasant, up to insults and conflicts. Next come “forwards” from one store to another. The executor has to deal with a ton of arguments like: “I lowered my price after HIM…,” “I won’t raise to RIC until THEY do,” and countless variations on the theme.

If someone is used to this routine, unpleasant task, then the process from detecting a reduced price to sending an email with a screenshot can take no more than three minutes. Not much, admittedly. But let’s put it in numbers.

1 product page in 1 store * 1 email = 3 minutes.

If there are 15 pages in 15 stores, the time spent increases to 45 minutes. A price list of only 15 items is very rare.

A more realistic example: 100 product pages will take the responsible person 5 working hours, which is 5 hours that could be devoted to sales, thereby increasing the company’s income. Moreover, the executor would not need to spend their personal time detecting dumping and sending emails.

Have you done the math? And we haven’t even factored in emotions, burnout, and strained relationships.

Automating price collection and screenshotting

Employees of companies that do not “count the cost” of time carry out monitoring manually during paid working hours, taking time away from the primary goal of retail business — sales and profit growth.

Businesses that do account for their employees’ labor costs arrive at the decision to automate online store price monitoring. Photo verification of dumping has a much stronger impact on recipients of dumping notification emails than mere price figures. Moreover, it is irrefutable proof of non-compliance with RRPs.

“Better to see once…”

Automation saves a huge amount of time and lets you focus on increasing the company’s income, reduces unpleasant correspondence and discussions with partners, cuts the influence of the human factor (especially after hours and on weekends), and decreases the burden of routine tasks and employee burnout.

The PriceCop online price monitoring service provides the necessary tools which, in addition to convenience and time savings, help preserve a lot of nerves.

Always stay in a good mood — entrust monitoring to professionals!

Want to know right now who and at what prices in Ukraine 🇺🇦

is selling products under your brand?

Enter the name of your brand, email, and phone number

and receive a DEMO report in just 60 minutes