Pricing is hard enough in manufacturing without the software making it harder. If you’re wrangling complex product lines, regional markups, or the usual “that’s not the price I was quoted!” headaches, this one’s for you. Vendavo is a solid option for price management—when you know how to use it right. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating and managing price lists in Vendavo, minus the buzzwords and confusion.
1. Know What You’re Trying to Do (Before You Touch Vendavo)
Let’s not kid ourselves: most pricing messes start before the software. If you don’t have a clear idea of:
- What products need pricing
- Who gets which prices (customers, channels, geos)
- How prices are built (cost plus, market minus, whatever)
- Who can approve or edit prices
...then no pricing tool will save you. Sketch this out first, even if it’s just a rough spreadsheet. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.
Pro tip: Don’t try to model every possible exception or edge case up front. Start with your 80% scenarios.
2. Get Your Data Clean (or at Least Not a Dumpster Fire)
Vendavo (vendavo.html) is powerful, but it’s not magic. Garbage in, garbage out. Before you jump in:
- Product data: Make sure SKUs, descriptions, and categories are up to date.
- Customer data: Know which customers or groups get which prices.
- Cost data: If you’re using cost-based pricing, these numbers need to be reliable.
- Legacy price lists: Have your current price lists handy, even if they’re ugly.
What doesn’t work: Uploading half-baked data and hoping you can “clean it up later.” You’ll just be untangling knots in Vendavo’s interface.
3. Create a New Price List
Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
Step 1: Log in and Navigate
- Log into Vendavo.
- Go to the “Price Management” or “Price Lists” section. The exact name can change depending on your version, but you’re looking for the spot where price lists live.
Step 2: Create Price List
- Click “Create New” or “Add Price List.”
- Give it a clear, practical name. “2024 NA Industrial Customers” beats “PriceList_01.”
- Set the effective and expiration dates. Don’t get fancy—set an end date if you know you’ll update prices regularly. Otherwise, leave it open.
Step 3: Define Scope
- Decide if this list covers all products or just a subset.
- Assign the correct customer segments, regions, or channels.
- This is where people try to get clever and build one list to rule them all. Don’t. Make smaller, specific lists if you need to.
Step 4: Add Products
- Add products or SKUs to the price list.
- You can usually import a spreadsheet here. Double-check that columns (like SKU, price, currency) match Vendavo’s templates.
- If you’re keying in products manually, take a break and rethink your life choices. Bulk import is your friend.
Step 5: Set Prices
- Enter base prices for each product.
- If you use rules (e.g., 10% markup over cost), set them here. Vendavo can handle formulas, but keep them simple.
- Review currency settings—multi-currency mistakes are expensive mistakes.
What to ignore: Overcomplicating with “just in case” fields or settings. Keep it lean unless you know you need it.
4. Approvals and Workflows (Don’t Skip This)
Most manufacturing companies need at least basic approval flows, so you don’t have a rogue salesperson giving away the farm.
- Set who can propose, review, and approve price changes.
- Use Vendavo’s built-in roles—don’t try to invent your own unless you have to.
- Make sure notifications are set up so approvers actually know when there’s something to review.
What works: A single layer of approval for most lists. Add more only if you’ve had real-world problems with errors or compliance.
What doesn’t: Approval flows so complicated that price changes get stuck for weeks. If that’s happening, fix the process, not the software.
5. Publish and Communicate
Once you’ve built your list and approvals are done:
- Hit “Publish” (or whatever your version of Vendavo calls it).
- Let sales and customer service know which price lists are live, and where to find them.
- For big changes, send a quick summary—don’t make people dig through the system.
Pro tip: Keep a changelog of what went live and when. Your future self (or whoever has to answer angry emails) will appreciate it.
6. Update and Maintain
Price lists shouldn’t be “set it and forget it.” Schedule regular reviews:
- Quarterly: Check if costs, markets, or product lines have shifted.
- Ad-hoc: Update lists for special deals, new products, or customer changes.
Vendavo makes it easy to clone and modify existing lists—use that instead of building from scratch every time.
Common Pitfalls
- Forgetting to expire old lists: Leads to confusion and pricing mistakes.
- Copy-paste errors in bulk uploads: Always preview before publishing.
- Letting exception lists multiply: The more one-off lists you have, the harder it is to manage or explain your pricing.
7. Reporting: Don’t Overthink It
Vendavo has plenty of reporting and analytics options, but don’t get lost in dashboards.
- Start with simple reports: Which lists are active? Which customers are on which list?
- Use exception reports for outliers, like products selling below cost.
- If finance needs more, export to Excel and slice it there. Sometimes that’s just faster.
Honest Take: What Works, What Doesn’t
Works Well
- Bulk import and export—if your data is clean.
- Approval flows, if you keep them simple.
- Cloning old lists to start new ones.
Doesn't Work
- Trying to automate every pricing scenario with complex formulas.
- Overloading lists with exceptions and edge cases.
- Letting IT own the process without business input—pricing is a team sport.
Ignore the Hype
Don’t get distracted by “AI-powered pricing optimization” unless you’ve nailed the basics. Most manufacturers just need reliable, up-to-date prices in the right hands. Get that working first.
Keep It Simple, Review Often
You don’t need to be a pricing wizard to use Vendavo well. Set up what you need, skip what you don’t, and come back to review it every quarter or when the business changes. Pricing isn’t static—your process shouldn’t be either. Clean data, clear lists, and a simple workflow beat a “perfect” system every time.