No Surprises: Why Advance Pricing Matters
As the new year begins, pricing updates are a reality across the industry. Distributors rely on manufacturers to provide accurate, timely product data and pricing so they can keep their systems, sales teams, and customers aligned. When pricing is delivered through the IDEA Connector, updates flow smoothly into distributor systems using a standardized format, making implementation faster and far less disruptive.
Sharing pricing 30–60 days in advance of a price increase is a best practice that benefits both manufacturers and distributors. Advance visibility allows distributors to update ERP systems, prepare quotes, communicate changes to customers, and manage inventory with confidence, before new pricing takes effect.
Protecting Margins and Reducing Downstream Issues
When distributors are not properly notified of pricing changes, they typically do not absorb the increase. Instead, pricing discrepancies often result in debit memos, invoice disputes, and rework that create unnecessary friction on both sides. Providing advance pricing helps prevent these issues by ensuring distributors have the correct pricing loaded and applied at the right time.
Standardized Pricing Through the IDEA Connector
The IDEA Connector enables manufacturers to transmit pricing data in a standardized, structured format, making it easy for authorized distributors to extract and apply updates consistently across their systems. This standardization reduces errors, accelerates adoption, and supports a more consistent customer experience.
Support When You Need It: Pro Data Services
For manufacturers that may be struggling to prepare or load advance pricing, IDEA’s Pro Data Services team is available to help. Our experts can assist with formatting, validating, and loading pricing data into the IDEA Connector, ensuring distributors receive accurate, timely updates without added burden on internal teams.
Reach out to Professional Data Services or IDEA Customer Success with any questions.