1. Preparing Your Data
Download the template and fill in your data. The template has six sheets — only two are required. If you've ever checked Amazon prices or walked a retail shelf, you already have what you need.
Products
RequiredOne row per SKU. This is your product catalog with current pricing.
| Field | Req | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| sku_id | Yes | Your unique product identifier |
| product_name | Yes | Human-readable name for the report |
| current_price | Yes | Your active selling price (must be > 0) |
| category | No | Product category — enables category-level benchmark fallback |
| min_advertised_price | No | MAP floor — recommendations won't go below this |
| subscription_discount_pct | No | Subscribe-and-save discount (0–100) — used for stacking detection |
Competitive Benchmarks
RequiredThe competitive prices you already know. Enter per-SKU benchmarks for best results, or per-category if that's what you have. PricePilot uses SKU-level data first, then falls back to category-level.
| Field | Req | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| sku_id or category | One per row | Match to Products sheet — SKU-level gives highest confidence |
| comp_price_low | Yes | Cheapest competitor price you found |
| comp_price_mid | Yes | Market median — the "typical" competitor price |
| comp_price_high | Yes | Most expensive competitor — the premium end |
| benchmark_source | Yes | Where you got the data (e.g., "Amazon shelf check Mar 2026") |
Tip: You don't need scraped data. Amazon, a Whole Foods shelf check, or a competitor's website are all valid benchmark sources.
Bundles
OptionalIf you sell bundles (multi-packs, variety packs), add them here. PricePilot checks that larger bundles always have better unit economics — a broken bundle ladder confuses customers and leaves money on the table.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| bundle_id | Unique bundle identifier |
| bundle_name | Human-readable name |
| bundle_units | Number of units in the bundle |
| bundle_price | Total bundle price |
| bundle_discount_pct | Stated discount percentage (optional) |
Constraints
OptionalSet guardrails for your recommendations. These are sensible by default — only change them if you have specific requirements.
| Field | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| max_discount_pct | 40% | Maximum combined discount before a warning fires |
| min_price_change_pct | 2% | Minimum change to trigger a recommendation — filters noise |
| rounding_rule | None | Round prices to $X.99, $X.95, or nearest dollar |
Performance Proxies
OptionalAdd sales velocity data to unlock assortment analysis. This enables the 3×3 Position × Velocity matrix that classifies every SKU — from STAR performers to DELIST candidates.
| Field | Req | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| sku_id | Yes | Must match the Products sheet |
| units_sold_period | Yes | Units sold in your measurement period |
| days_live | No | Days since launch — new products (<90 days) get a grace period |
23% of new CPG items are delisted within their first year. Performance Proxies data helps you catch the warning signs early.
2. Configuring Your Strategy
After uploading, you set two parameters that shape every recommendation in your report.
Pricing Objective
What are you optimizing for?
Maximize Margin
Protect and grow profit per unit. Best when you have pricing power.
Drive Demand
Prioritize volume and market share. Best for launches or competitive pressure.
Balanced
Weigh margin and volume equally. Best default if you're not sure.
Positioning Intent
Where do you want to sit vs. competitors?
Premium
Price above the market. You're betting on brand, quality, or differentiation.
Parity
Price at the market midpoint. Compete on factors other than price.
Value
Price below the market. Win on affordability and volume.
Your positioning intent should be intentional — not an accident of your original launch price. PricePilot tells you where you actually sit and whether that matches where you want to be.
3. Your Report
Your report is an Excel file with five sheets. Start with Summary, act on Recommendations, and use the rest for context.
Summary
Key metrics at a glance: total SKUs analyzed, benchmark coverage, and your top 10 recommendations ranked by impact. If you only have five minutes, read this sheet.
Recommendations
Every recommendation, ranked highest-impact first. Each row includes the recommendation type (R1–R5), the specific action, a recommended price or change, and a plain-language rationale. Act on the top 3–5 and move on.
Diagnostics
Validation warnings, benchmark resolution details, and safety rail notes. Check this if a recommendation seems unexpected — it will explain what data was used and any issues flagged.
Inputs Used
An echo of your uploaded data. Use it to verify your data was parsed correctly and for traceability.
Assortment
When velocity data providedThe 3×3 Position × Velocity matrix for every SKU. Shows velocity ratios, assortment status (STAR, CORE, DELIST, etc.), and shelf-space pitches you can use in buyer conversations.
4. The Five Recommendation Types
Every recommendation in your report is one of five types. Each answers a different pricing question.
Price Alignment
Compares each SKU to competitive benchmarks and recommends specific price adjustments based on your positioning intent. If you chose Premium but you're priced at Parity, R1 tells you how much to raise — and why.
Discount Sanity
Detects stacked discounts that silently erode margin. A 20% subscribe-and-save plus a 15% bundle discount on a $30 item can leave you with razor-thin margin before you factor in shipping and payment fees.
Bundle Coherence
Validates that larger bundles always offer better unit economics. If your 6-pack costs more per unit than your 3-pack, customers notice — and they stop buying the larger bundle.
Promo Guidance
Tells you when to run a time-boxed promotion versus making a permanent price change. A Premium SKU under competitive pressure might need a two-week promo to defend shelf space, not a permanent price cut that erodes brand positioning.
Assortment Guardrails
A 3×3 matrix that crosses your price position (Value / Parity / Premium) with sales velocity (Low / Medium / High) to classify every SKU. Requires Performance Proxies data. See the full matrix below.
5. The Assortment Matrix
When you provide sales velocity data, PricePilot classifies every SKU into one of nine cells. Here's what each status means and what to do about it.
| Low Velocity | Medium Velocity | High Velocity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | FIX PRICE Overpricing is killing demand. Lower toward the market. | MAINTAIN Profit engine. Protect margin, don't touch pricing. | STAR Hero SKU. High demand despite high price. Expand distribution. |
| Parity | FIX MARKETING Price is fair but not moving. Check branding and placement. | KEEP Stable workhorse. Monitor for competitor price changes. | CORE Volume driver. Ensure 100% in-stock. Retailer favorite. |
| Value | DELIST Cheap and still doesn't sell. Cut it to make room. | FIX MARGIN Leaving money on the table. Gradually raise price. | FIX YIELD Great for traffic but check if it's cannibalizing higher-margin SKUs. |
Safety Rails
PricePilot won't recommend delisting a product that's out of stock (low velocity might be a supply issue, not a demand signal) or a product launched less than 90 days ago (new products need time to build demand). These appear as MONITOR statuses instead.
6. Tips for Better Results
Use SKU-level benchmarks when you can
Category-level benchmarks work, but SKU-level data gives the highest confidence scores and the most precise recommendations.
Include bundle data even if it's simple
Even two bundle tiers unlock the coherence check. A broken bundle ladder is one of the easiest margin leaks to fix.
Add Performance Proxies for the full picture
Without velocity data, you get R1–R4 (price alignment, discounts, bundles, promos). With it, you unlock R5 — the assortment matrix that identifies your STARs and DELIST candidates.
Run reports regularly
Competitive prices shift. Rerun with fresh benchmarks quarterly, or whenever you see a major competitor price change. The Founders Plan ($79/mo, 3 reports) and Growth Annual ($699/yr, unlimited) are designed for this.
Act on the top 3–5, not all of them
Recommendations are ranked by impact for a reason. You don't need to implement every suggestion — the top few will capture most of the value.