#ecommerce intelligence

Pricing in the travel industry moves faster than most teams can keep up with.  

A difference of even ₹200 on a flight ticket is enough to lose a booking and send a potential customer straight to a competitor.  

Pricing is a decision metric for customers, and pricing intelligence is what makes your platform compete with a strategy. If you don’t have a clear view of what your competitors are charging, you are losing potential bookings, burning discount budgets, and creating pricing gaps that directly impact margins. 

This is what a major OTA platform was dealing with – limited visibility into competitor pricing across key routes. Continue reading to find out how we helped them identify the gaps using data as a service.  

It’s almost September, and the sale season is on!  

The users are eagerly waiting to buy from their favorite brands. And the brand increases their spends to ensure they are visible to their relevant set of audience.  

And amidst this excitement, there are fraudsters too who are excited to see the ad spends increasing and ready to make the most out of it.  

However, there are some roadblocks brands face while trying to navigate the digital landscape seamlessly. Because running an ecommerce business is not just about running sales during festivals and tracking your buy box position, it’s also about protecting your brand from any kind of potential digital threats like ad fraud, brand infringements, unsafe ad placements, and more.  

All these factors, when taken care of, together contribute to a brand’s financial growth. 

That is why, to build trust and transparency across the funnel, every brand needs third-party ad fraud detection and analytics tools offering festive season market intelligence to enable real-time monitoring and flag off suspicious activities harming ad campaigns during the festive season. 

Digital Analytics in India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and USA.

Most brands are still pricing based on instinct, internal costs, or outdated competitor scans. And it’s costing them, sometimes without them knowing. A 5 percent gap in your average selling price compared to the market can quietly bleed revenue week after week. Miss a category-wide discounting trend by even a few days, and you’re left reacting while others are gaining share.

Winning on price today isn’t about dropping rates. It’s about knowing exactly where you stand — by SKU, by platform, by geography — and acting before competitors force your hand. Without that visibility, pricing becomes reactive, inconsistent, and risky.

This article breaks down what marketers miss without doing an in-depth pricing analysis and how to fix it with real-time data.

Most brands are still pricing based on instinct, internal costs, or outdated competitor scans. And it’s costing them, sometimes without them knowing. A 5 percent gap in your average selling price compared to the market can quietly bleed revenue week after week. Miss a category-wide discounting trend by even a few days, and you’re left reacting while others are gaining share.

Winning on price today isn’t about dropping rates. It’s about knowing exactly where you stand — by SKU, by platform, by geography — and acting before competitors force your hand. Without that visibility, pricing becomes reactive, inconsistent, and risky.

This article breaks down what marketers miss without doing an in-depth pricing analysis and how to fix it with real-time data.

The Hidden Risks of Operating with Pricing Blind Spots

Here are the risks that arise when you don’t have full visibility into their pricing environment and competitors’ moves:

1. Limited Visibility into Average Selling Prices (ASPs)

Without tracking ASPs across marketplaces, brands risk flying blind. A price that seems competitive internally can be completely off when placed next to real-time market dynamics.

Take this example. Your brand launches a product at $50, feeling confident in its positioning. However, the ASP for similar products across key platforms has quietly dropped to $42. Without that visibility, your brand unknowingly overpriced itself, losing both traffic and conversions. Pricing too low can hurt just as much, eroding margins without gaining meaningful volume.

2. Discounting Trends That Quietly Erode Margins

Competitor discounts don’t always show up in obvious ways. Flash sales, time-limited offers, and bundle pricing often fly under the radar, but their impact adds up. If you’re only tracking list prices, you’re missing the real picture.

Say a competitor has been quietly running 10% discounts every weekend. On paper, their list price matches yours. But their actual selling price is lower, and you’re unknowingly losing share — or worse, matching that price later and cutting into your own margins just to keep up.

Pricing Intelligence in USA, India, Saudi Arabia, Dubai.

The Indian e-commerce sector is in a state of rapid transformation, with experts projecting it to hit an astonishing $400 billion+ by 2030, powered by a 19% annual growth rate, according to Inc 42 report. With this kind of momentum and each one vying for prominence on the digital shelf in a market as sprawling and diverse as India brands must dig deeper, focusing not only on top-tier cities but extending their reach into every dark store and at the pin code level to get the true picture.

The Game-Changer: Digital Shelf Intelligence. Why Digital Commerce Intelligence Matter?

Real-Time Pricing and Insights:

Pricing directly influences purchase decisions. By accessing real-time data, brands can adjust prices in response to competitor moves and market trends, ensuring they stay attractive to customers without compromising profit margins.

Availability Checks:

Ensuring product availability down to the pin code level is critical. Digital shelf intelligence enables brands to verify stock at a granular level, preventing missed sales opportunities due to out-of-stock items.

Digital Shelf Monitoring in the USA, UAE, Dubai, India, and Saudi Arabia.

An effective pricing strategy is crucial for driving sales and staying relevant. With the rapidly advanced technology, companies now leverage pricing intelligence through ecommerce analytics tools and dynamic pricing mechanisms powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Pricing intelligence not only enhances competitive positioning but also maximizes profitability and customer satisfaction, especially on the digital shelf, where visibility and relevance directly impact purchasing decisions. According to McKinsey & Company Report, businesses using pricing intelligence see revenue increase of 5–10%.

What is a Digital Shelf?

The digital shelf is the virtual presentation of products on online retail platforms. Like the physical shelf in a shop, the digital shelf displays the product offer of a brand, prices, promotions, and other product information. A digital shelf is much more complex and dynamic as it cuts across different e-commerce platforms and requires constant updates to remain competitive.

Working in this virtual realm requires keeping track of and analyzing so many metrics to ensure products are salient and provided at the best possible prices.

Pricing is critical on the digital shelf on online retail platforms. According to Harvard Business Review, real-time price tracking can reduce pricing errors by up to 30%.

Pricing Intelligence in USA, India, Saudi Arabia, Dubai.

E-commerce paced up the sale of products largely due to convenience, and quick commerce is boosting these sales through faster deliveries. Earlier online shopping orders were delivered within a week. Then, Amazon introduced two-day, one-day, and same-day delivery, implementing the same approach for groceries or daily need products. Today, Dunzo, Instamart, Zepto, BlinkIt, and other brands have become pioneers in quick deliveries.

Quick commerce refers to the delivery of online orders within 15–30 minutes. The fast-delivery concept was first implemented by Domino’s, and you can recall it if you ever received a free pizza due to a delay in delivery. Quick commerce has rapidly gained the attention of Gen Z and millennials who want to watch their favorite sport or movie at home.

How Quick Commerce Works?

The general concept of Q-Com is that the customer adds products to the basket, and places an order, which is received by the platform, packaged, collected by the delivery partner, and delivered to the customer’s doorstep. Essentially, Q-Commerce is a form of e-commerce; however, the brands have separate warehouses, commonly referred to as “dark stores,” and deliver within 30 minutes. But, initially, Grofers (now BlinkIt) began the concept of fast doorstep delivery by connecting with local retailers.

Also, unlike e-com orders, which often include delivery charges unless a minimum order value is passed, many Q-Com brands offer cheaper cost products in small basket orders with no such fee. Moreover, customers have the option to make orders 24×7, which likely results in impulsive buying during overnight stays, all-night parties, etc.

Challenges Faced by Q-Com Brands and mScanIt Solutions

Keeping An Optimal Price

Globally, 52% of online shoppers make purchase decisions because of the delivery speed, whereas 38% of consumers buy products due to free or discounted shipping. We have already covered that most Q-Com brands offer both of these advantages. Also, the price was the main reason that influenced the shopping decisions of 87% of the consumers in the U.S.

So, it would be safe to assume that when delivery speed and fee are no longer concerns, it will remain the likely choice unless the desired product or its quantity remains unavailable. Under such a scenario, keeping an optimal price becomes a primary concern of the Q-Com brands, and keeping an eye on the competitors becomes necessary. mScanIt helps brands review the price differences across online shopping platforms, resolving one of the biggest issues.

Managing Stock Availability

Stockouts are one of the leading reasons for switching apps, brands, or variants. Also, consumer behavior is rapidly evolving due to Q-Commerce. The changing needs demand managing the growing stock availability and avoiding stockouts.

With rapid orders and impulsive buying heightened, the need to manage stocks at pin code, zonal, platform, sub-category, sub-variant, and other levels becomes important. mScanIt meets these requirements by showing stock availability daily, weekly, and monthly, with real-time insights, while showing competitor availability across online marketplaces.

The analytics deep-dive into stock availability and help brands avoid stockouts at distinct levels to meet the forecasted requirements.

E-commerce paced up the sale of products largely due to convenience, and quick commerce is boosting these sales through faster deliveries. Earlier online shopping orders were delivered within a week. Then, Amazon introduced two-day, one-day, and same-day delivery, implementing the same approach for groceries or daily need products. Today, Dunzo, Instamart, Zepto, BlinkIt, and other brands have become pioneers in quick deliveries.

Quick commerce refers to the delivery of online orders within 15–30 minutes. The fast-delivery concept was first implemented by Domino’s, and you can recall it if you ever received a free pizza due to a delay in delivery. Quick commerce has rapidly gained the attention of Gen Z and millennials who want to watch their favorite sport or movie at home.

How Quick Commerce Works?

The general concept of Q-Com is that the customer adds products to the basket, and places an order, which is received by the platform, packaged, collected by the delivery partner, and delivered to the customer’s doorstep. Essentially, Q-Commerce is a form of e-commerce; however, the brands have separate warehouses, commonly referred to as “dark stores,” and deliver within 30 minutes. But, initially, Grofers (now BlinkIt) began the concept of fast doorstep delivery by connecting with local retailers.

Also, unlike e-com orders, which often include delivery charges unless a minimum order value is passed, many Q-Com brands offer cheaper cost products in small basket orders with no such fee. Moreover, customers have the option to make orders 24×7, which likely results in impulsive buying during overnight stays, all-night parties, etc.

Challenges Faced by Q-Com Brands and mScanIt Solutions

Keeping An Optimal Price

Globally, 52% of online shoppers make purchase decisions because of the delivery speed, whereas 38% of consumers buy products due to free or discounted shipping. We have already covered that most Q-Com brands offer both of these advantages. Also, the price was the main reason that influenced the shopping decisions of 87% of the consumers in the U.S.

So, it would be safe to assume that when delivery speed and fee are no longer concerns, it will remain the likely choice unless the desired product or its quantity remains unavailable. Under such a scenario, keeping an optimal price becomes a primary concern of the Q-Com brands, and keeping an eye on the competitors becomes necessary. mScanIt helps brands review the price differences across online shopping platforms, resolving one of the biggest issues.

Managing Stock Availability

Stockouts are one of the leading reasons for switching apps, brands, or variants. Also, consumer behavior is rapidly evolving due to Q-Commerce. The changing needs demand managing the growing stock availability and avoiding stockouts.

With rapid orders and impulsive buying heightened, the need to manage stocks at pin code, zonal, platform, sub-category, sub-variant, and other levels becomes important. mScanIt meets these requirements by showing stock availability daily, weekly, and monthly, with real-time insights, while showing competitor availability across online marketplaces.

The analytics deep-dive into stock availability and help brands avoid stockouts at distinct levels to meet the forecasted requirements.

Online shopping has experienced a significant boom with the increased number of web users in the last two years due to COVID-19. Finding the desired product and discovering new ones have also contributed to the increased conversions on eCom platforms. The new peaked velocity of transactions has made managing out-of-stocks challenging for brands.

Stockouts mean the product is no longer available on the eCom platform and has multifold brand implications, not just limited to purchases/transactions.

Reasons and Implications of Out-of-Stock

The factors for product unavailability on the eCom platform can get segregated into mismanaged inventories, wrong product demand forecasts, supplier-side issues, etc. Whatever the reason, the customer becomes dissatisfied with the brand/seller and even more challenging to re-acquire, assuming all the problems get resolved, which is an impossible scenario.

Our eCommerce Intelligence Solution reviewed the change in the brand for grocery products and found that the switch is almost immediate. Customers don’t wait to buy “atta” until it arrives at the specific store and is available through the particular seller. Instead, they find alternatives for purchasing the product.