Why one person should not own every price
In a small shop the owner sets the price and that works. Once a business has purchasing or production, a sales team, dealers and several sales channels, the question of how much to ask affects revenue, customer relationships and stock turnover all at once.
A familiar pattern in Tashkent and the regions: finance raises prices after costs go up, a sales manager cuts them to close a deal before month end, and marketing launches a promotion without knowing the real margin. Each side is reasonable alone. Together they produce chaos, which is why price needs a process with clear roles.
Who is responsible for what
In a small company one person may cover several roles. What matters is that every function is owned by someone and written down.
- Finance or accounting: calculates unit cost, sets the price floor, watches margin and the exchange rate if inputs are imported.
- Purchasing and production: report supplier price changes and real material consumption.
- Sales: brings customer reactions, competitor terms and reasons for lost deals.
- Marketing: decides which price segment the product belongs to and what customers will pay more for.
- The director: approves the pricing policy and decides exceptions for large accounts.
What data you need before changing a price
Without numbers, a pricing meeting turns into a clash of opinions. A minimum data set should be collected regularly, not rushed together the night before the meeting.
- unit cost by cost item, including logistics and marketplace commissions;
- actual selling prices after discounts, not only the list price;
- sales by customer, region and channel: wholesale, retail, Telegram, Instagram, Uzum;
- competitor prices and terms, including listings on OLX and Uzum;
- the soum to dollar rate, if purchasing depends on it.
Discounts: where profit quietly leaks
Profit is usually lost not because the price list is wrong, but because it is not followed. A favour for a friendly buyer, a concession to hit the monthly plan, a bonus for a loyal customer who would have bought anyway: each looks harmless, yet together they eat the margin.
You need three things: written discount rules with conditions, approval limits (what a manager, a team lead and a director may give) and a record of every discount in your system. Once a month, review who received discounts, why, and whether they produced extra sales.
A schedule for reviewing prices
Prices should be reviewed by rule, not when things become painful. Put the following into a short internal document.
- a planned review at a fixed interval, for example quarterly or twice a year;
- an unplanned review after a sharp cost increase, a currency jump or a notable competitor move;
- who prepares the proposal and who signs it off;
- how far in advance and how customers and partners are notified;
- who updates the new price in the accounting system, the website and every sales channel, and by when.
Channels and dealers: one pricing logic
If you sell directly, through dealers and on a marketplace, each channel needs its own price with a clear reason behind it. When the gap between wholesale and retail is accidental, partners start undercutting each other and the brand pays for it. Check any recommended resale prices against competition law before sending them out.
Where to start, and how analytics helps
If you have no process at all, start with one table: product, unit cost, list price and average actual selling price over recent months. The gap between the last two figures shows what discounts really cost. Then name one person responsible for the price list and hold a short monthly meeting between finance and sales.
After that, everything depends on data quality. If leads arrive from Instagram, Telegram and your website, and payments go through Click, Payme or cash, you cannot calculate price and margin per channel without end-to-end analytics. At markdev we set up end-to-end analytics and reporting so an owner can see the real selling price, margin and customer acquisition cost for each channel. If you want to talk through your prices and the numbers behind them, get in touch.
FAQ
Who should be responsible for prices in a company?
One named owner of the price list, through whom every change passes. Finance, sales and marketing supply input, and the director approves. In a small business roles can be combined, but they should be written down.
How often should prices be reviewed?
Set a planned review, for example quarterly or twice a year, and describe separately the triggers for an unplanned one: cost growth, currency swings and competitor moves.
How can I tell how much profit goes to discounts?
For each product, compare the list price with the average actual selling price over recent months. The difference is what your discounts cost.
Why does end-to-end analytics matter for pricing?
It shows actual prices, margin and acquisition cost by channel. Without it, price decisions rely on gut feeling instead of real numbers.
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