Price Check on Aisle 3-Tier
Why It’s Time to Take Control of Chain Retail Pricing
In the wine & spirits business, the difference between a best-seller and a case that never sees the shelf often comes down to something so mundane, it’s almost embarrassing to say out loud:
Pricing.
Not the actual price point — the accuracy of it.
There are already plenty of reasons your product might not make it to the shelf — a buyer reorg, a freight delay, the seasonal shuffle, or simply the chaos of modern retail. So when you’ve beaten the odds and secured a coveted placement with one of the nation’s top chain retailers, the last thing that should kill the momentum is a clerical error. And yet, that’s exactly what happens when the price on the invoice doesn’t match the price in the retailer’s system. One mismatch, and the product gets refused at the dock — benched before it ever had a shot.
No match = no receiving. No receiving = no shelf placement. No placement = no sales velocity. No velocity = no reorders.
Welcome to the logistically-induced purgatory where placements go to die. And it all starts with a data problem we’ve been too busy, or too siloed, to fix.
Until now.
The Real Cost of “Close Enough”
In a perfect world, every retailer system would have up-to-date pricing for every SKU at all times. But in reality, pricing files bounce between inboxes like drunk ping pong balls at a sales meeting after-party. Suppliers make changes to try to keep up with tariffs, shortages, and all the other unknowns. Distributors attempt to submit updated deals. Retailers try to load them in time. Something breaks. Nobody knows who dropped the ball. And the case gets refused.
These moments don’t just cost a day or two on the shelf. They drive a wedge into the relationship between supplier, distributor, and retailer. They create confusion, frustration, and finger-pointing — a classic case of anti-alignment in a system that lives and dies by its ability to function in sync.
Let’s be honest: if we can’t get the price right, what exactly are we doing?
Alignment Is the Hidden Growth Strategy
So let’s start with first principles.
In the three-tier system, pricing isn’t just a data point — it’s a relationship protocol.
When pricing is right, everyone can do their job:
- Distributors get credit for clean execution.
- Retailers get seamless intake and accurate inventory.
- Suppliers get to watch their SKUs compound.
When it’s wrong, the whole machine grinds to a halt. And what should be a strategic collaboration becomes a fire drill.
The solution isn’t more emails. It’s not another spreadsheet. It’s not an intern with a color-coded doc.
It’s Pricing Management by Andavi Solutions, known as Pricing Gateway.
What Is Andavi’s Pricing Management?
Pricing Management by Andavi Solutions is the industry’s answer to this misalignment epidemic.
It’s a centralized, secure platform where:
- Distributors upload pricing submissions directly.
- Retailers receive accurate pricing data daily.
- Suppliers fund the platform and get real-time visibility into the process.
It replaces the reactive scramble with proactive communication — giving all three tiers the ability to play their position without stepping on each other’s toes.
It’s not a “nice to have.” It’s the minimum viable tech stack for anyone who wants to sell through — not just sell in.
Why This Matters Now (More Than Ever)
Shelf space is tight. Attention spans are tighter. And buyers, both at the trade and consumer level, are overwhelmed with choice.
A delay in placement because of a pricing mismatch doesn’t just stall your SKU. It creates a psychological drag — a subtle signal to your distributor and retailer partner that your brand may be more trouble than it’s worth.
In a world where velocity matters more than ever, accuracy is not administrative. It’s strategic.
Bonus Features You Can Actually Use
Pricing Gateway isn’t just a glorified invoice checker. It comes stacked with two power features that turn your pricing portal into a strategic dashboard:
🔍 Gap Analysis
- Identify missed placements and unauthorized chain retail locations.
- View lost revenue opportunities at the item level.
- Access buyer and distributor contact info — right inside the portal.
Gap Analysis isn’t just a diagnostic tool; it’s a laser pointer for your sales team. It tells you where to go next and who to talk to when you get there.
🛒 Planogram Viewer
- See your product on the virtual shelf via an interactive tool, not just a set of PDFs and print outs.
- Confirm planogram compliance.
- Track shelf changes across sets to align your regional market strategy.
Planogram visibility means you’re not flying blind. It gives your team the credibility to request more facings or correct shelf inaccuracies with actual proof — not hearsay.
The Bottom Line: Stop Getting Rejected at the Door
The next time your product gets turned away at receiving, remember — that’s not just a logistics issue. It’s a sales issue. A brand equity issue. A compounding opportunity lost.
You can’t scale friction.
You can’t comp your way out of chaos.
And you definitely can’t afford to let misaligned pricing sabotage the most important moment in the retail execution funnel: when the product shows up, ready to sell.
Let’s Fix This
If you’re still managing pricing via email chains, PDFs, and digital voodoo, there’s a better way.
Andavi’s Pricing Management is already being used by some of the biggest names in the beverage industry to eliminate refusals, streamline placements, and keep everyone in the loop.
📨 Want to see a demo? Reach out to sales@andavisolutions.com
Let’s turn “price check on aisle three-tier” from a punchline… into a plan.
