01
Keep the source and effective date
Record the supplier, file version and stated start date. Preserve the original file so the buyer can check exactly what was supplied.
Wholesalers · Merchants · Purchasing teams
Update supplier prices without rebuilding the spreadsheet
Supplier price files arrive with different columns, codes, units and start dates. We turn them into a checked change list for your team to approve, then use the supported route into your stock or purchasing system.
Fixed scopeQuoted before work starts
Human controlDecisions stay with your team
Honest boundaryKeep existing systems where they work
A price change can also be a pack-size change
A buyer receives a workbook with renamed columns and several new product codes. Some prices are per item, others per box. One sheet takes effect next month and another is a temporary offer. Copying the price column is quick; proving that every line means the same thing as the existing record is the expensive part.
How the workflow works
These are the stages we would review with your team, then include or exclude explicitly in the project scope.
02
Read the agreed file format
Map the supplier’s columns into your import fields. Excel and CSV can often use explicit mappings; PDF extraction needs additional checks against the source.
03
Match product codes and units
Use approved supplier-to-internal code mappings. Preserve leading zeros and distinguish eaches, packs and cases. An unknown code or unit becomes a review item.
04
Explain the proposed changes
Show old and new prices, quantities per pack and effective dates. Apply the tolerances you choose and identify additions, missing lines and unusual differences.
05
Approve the update
A named buyer reviews the change list. Selling prices or margin rules only change where you have explicitly agreed that behaviour; a supplier cost update is not permission to reprice every customer.
06
Import and reconcile
Use the named supported interface and compare the result with the approved list. Keep rejected lines, an import record and a recovery plan so a partial failure is visible.
Compare the unit cost before approving the change
Illustrative example: the previous file listed a pack of ten at £50. The new file lists a pack of twelve at £66. The pack price has risen 32%, but the unit cost has moved from £5 to £5.50, a 10% change. The review shows both the pack change and unit comparison, with the effective date, so the buyer can decide what should be imported.
Unclear prices stay in the review queue
A missing row is not automatically a discontinued product. A promotional price is not automatically the permanent buying price. Unstated currency, tax treatment, discounts, rebates or freight assumptions need a defined rule or human review. The workflow applies your decisions; it does not negotiate supplier terms or set your margin policy.
Working with the systems you already have
We inspect representative files alongside the import format or API your stock, ERP or purchasing system supports. A robust first project may produce a validated import file rather than write directly to the database. If a familiar supplier changes the layout, the workflow should hold that file for checking instead of silently shifting values into the wrong columns.
Starting point, price and scope
Start with one recurring supplier format, one approved product mapping and one destination. Fixed-scope automation projects start from £1,495. Additional formats, complex discount structures, catalogue cleanup and historical price correction are separately scoped. We test a changed pack, an unknown code, an effective-date conflict and a rejected import before handover.
Hosting, optional support, third-party licences and any additional work are agreed in the quote. See pricing and what is included, or start with the £895 Operations Audit if the workflow needs measuring first.
Is this the right purchase?
A good fit
A good fit when supplier updates recur often enough that checking and reshaping files takes substantial time, especially where product codes and units differ from your internal catalogue.
When another route makes sense
If the supplier already supplies the format your ERP imports safely, use that route. If you process one small list twice a year, a documented spreadsheet process may be enough.
Questions to settle before the build
Can it handle PDF price lists?
Possibly, after reviewing real samples. Extraction quality depends on the file. The reviewer sees the original evidence, and an unclear value is not loaded as a confident price.
Will it update selling prices too?
Only if that is explicitly scoped using your approved pricing rules. Buying prices, customer agreements and selling prices can have different owners and effective dates.
What happens if the same file arrives twice?
We agree how files and updates are identified so a repeat submission can be recognised. A retry must not create duplicate product records or reapply an update blindly.
Can it cope with a changed spreadsheet layout?
The agreed checks should detect missing or unexpected fields and hold the file. A new layout is reviewed before its mapping is accepted.
Connect this to the rest of the operation
See all wholesale, stock and distribution software, or explore Business process automation.
Built and supported locally
Based in Horsham, we work on site across Sussex and Surrey. Explore the practical starting points for businesses in Crawley and Manor Royal.
Bring the last supplier price file and the import you made from it.
The first fifteen minutes are free. We will review the problem, identify the useful boundary and explain what would need checking before a quote.
If the honest answer is that the process needs the system rebuilt rather than one step automated, that is a bespoke order, stock or customer system.