MAP Pricing stands for Minimum Advertised Price. It's a policy set by manufacturers to ensure that retailers do not advertise their products below a certain price. This helps maintain a level playing field among retailers and protects the brand's perceived value.
In the context of pet food and other products:
Checkout for Price:
Some brands do not permit retailers to display pricing anywhere on their site for less than a certain amount. They may require customers to add items to their cart or proceed to checkout to view the price. While this is an inconvenience, it allows our business to offer the best prices we are able to and not be fined or cut off from selling certain products. MAP agreements include having the retailer agree that they cannot display a price lower than the MAP on the product page itself. By showing the price only at checkout, discounts can be offered without violating the MAP policy.
Benefits:
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- Brand Integrity: Maintains a consistent brand perception across different retailers.
- Fair Competition: Prevents undercutting among retailers.
- Retailer Profitability: Helps ensure retailers maintain reasonable margins.
Customer Impact:
While it can be slightly inconvenient for customers to go through extra steps, it allows customers access to potential discounts and ensures product quality through regulated pricing. Although an inconvenience, we both lose money if you don't click through to the checkout page to see our lowest pricing on many products.
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