Managing Pricing
Generally speaking, SparkLayer works by creating price lists that are then assigned to customers (via Customer Groups). Once the customer then logs into your website, they then see the pricing rules you've set for them. When setting up your pricing, SparkLayer supports the following methods:
Type | Details |
Manually uploaded | You can upload pricing into SparkLayer via our built-in CSV file import. It works by assigning prices to your product SKUs |
Automatic | Automatic pricing works by letting you select a "pricing source" which you can then apply rules, e.g. a percentage increase or decrease. For example, if you're using Shopify, you can automatically use your Shopify pricing and apply a discount (e.g. 50% off Shopify prices) |
Integration | If you're connecting a backend system to SparkLayer (e.g. an ERP, PIM, or CRM) you can automatically send pricing data through to SparkLayer |
Key concepts
- Pricing types can be combined. For example, you can have an automatic price list (50% off retail prices) and then manually upload pricing for a specific range of products
- Pricing is always shown as "net pricing" on your store. Depending on how you have tax set up, tax is then added during the checkout process
When you first sign up to SparkLayer, you'll be asked to create a price list. You can even choose from 'ready-made' price lists that will automatically setup pre-defined rules for you. When you click "Create Price List" you'll then be presented with the following window:
You'll then be prompted to complete the following information:
Item | Details |
Price List Name | The price list name as displayed in SparkLayer. You'll use this name to assign it to a customer group. |
Price List Handle | The unique handle (i.e. ID) of the price list. This is used for internal purposes and relevant if you're connecting your backend system to SparkLayer |
Price List Currency | The default currency, e.g. GBP |
Price List Automation | Enabling this will allow you to select another pricing source in which to apply your pricing rules (e.g. 50% off Shopify prices) |
Manual price upload | At any point, you can additionally upload a manual price list, even if you've set the price list to be automated |
Finally, when you click the Create price list button, the newly created price list will then show in the list of available price lists and you can then perform actions against it.
Please note, if you're connecting your backend system to SparkLayer, price lists should only be manually added if they aren't automatically imported via your backend system.
Automatic price lists are a great way to set up pricing rules that are automatically applied to your B2B customers. This differs from manual price lists (see below) that let you set the exact prices your customer see.
Automatic price lists work by selecting where you want the pricing to come from (called a "pricing source") and then applying rules against it, such as a percentage variation. Pricing sources are grouped by the pricing type (e.g. manual, automatic, or integration).
To get started, tick the "Enable automatic pricing" checkbox.
From the Pricing Source menu, you can then select which pricing source you want to use.
If you're using Shopify, SparkLayer will automatically synchronise pricing from your Shopify store. Each time you update your pricing in your Shopify admin, this will reflect in the pricing rules you've set up in SparkLayer.
From SparkLayer, you can select from the following pricing sources when creating a price list:
Shopify Price | Details |
Shopify Price | This is the price your regular customers see on your store |
Shopify Compare-at Price | This is the 'Compare-at price' you set against products, sometimes referred to as RRP or MSRP |
Within your Shopify admin, these correspond to the pricing fields you see when editing a product.
Once you've selected your pricing source, you can then choose how you want to apply discounts using a feature called "Percentage Variation".
Based on the pricing source chosen, you can then enter a percentage variation that either decreases or increases the pricing. For example, if you want to apply a 50% discount against a pricing source (e.g. your default B2B pricing), simply enter "50".
Please note the following Due to limitations in Shopify, the resulting B2B pricing must not be higher than the pricing set in your eCommerce platform. For example if you're using Shopify and your Shopify price for a product is $20, the resulting B2B price must not exceed $20.
If you're setting up a new price in a different currency to your pricing source, you can optionally choose to set a manual exchange rate. For example, if your pricing source is set in GBP (£) and you want your new price list to be in EUR (Euros), you can set a fixed curency conversion rate.
Please note If the currency of the new price list is the same as the pricing source, you won't be able to set a currency conversion.
One of the important things to note about SparkLayer pricing is that pricing will always be shown to customers exclusive of tax (i.e. net pricing). If you have tax configured on your store, tax will subsequently be added during the checkout as a separate calculation.
If you're using automatic price lists and you're looking to apply a percentage variation (e.g. 20% off your prices), the pricing the customer sees may not necessarily correspond to this when they see pricing on the product page. This is because pricing is being adjusted off a price that may already include tax.
If you're using Shopify, you can review how tax is set up here. Providing "Include tax in prices" is enabled in Shopify and you've configured sales tax for applicable countries, you'll then be able to use the tax adjustment feature below.
When configuring an automatic price list, you can account for tax variation by using the built in tax adjustment feature.
When this is clicked, it will adjust your original percentage (e.g. 20%) to factor in the necessary tax calculation. The end result is your customers can place orders and will be charged at the exact percentage intended.
Manual price lists differ to automatic ones in that you can upload the exact pricing you want for a price list. Perhaps you require very specific pricing for a customer group and you need to have control over the exact pricing they see.
Combining pricing types It's possible to combine manual price lists and automatic price lists! This is a great way to automate your pricing and give you the flexibility to manually specify pricing for specific products.
To get started, click Upload prices on the Price list you want to add prices to. You'll then be prompted with the following screen and asked to upload a CSV file.
A CSV file (or comma-separated values file) is a common format that is used to quickly import structured data. All software systems used for creating spreadsheets will allow you to save a file as a CSV and typically you can do this from the "File" menu. In our example below, we've illustrated how this works in Google Sheets
You can save time and use our ready-made template CSV file and then adapt for your specific pricing structure:
Download a CSV template Use our example CSV file as a starting point.
Google Sheets Example Use our example Google sheet as a starting point.
The structure of a price list is very simple and simply comprises of two columns:
- a sku
- a price
In order for the CSV file to import successfully, you simply need to set up the following columns:
Column | Details | Required |
sku | The product SKU as set up in your eCommerce platform or backend system | Yes |
price | The unit price for the SKU (e.g. 14.99). Note: this must not include a currency symbol (e.g. $, £) | Yes |
If you're looking to apply quantity pricing (e.g. Buy 1 for $10.00, Buy 5 for $8.00), please see Quantity Pricing & Rules
Time-saving tip if you only need to upload prices for certain products, you can do this with 'partial CSV uploads'. Simply create a CSV file with the product SKU and price (as noted above) and this will update any existing pricing SparkLayer holds. You can also use The Price Editor tool to edit prices rapidly.
Having issues? Please see our troubleshooting guide for ways to solve common issues.
When you upload the CSV file, you'll then be shown validation messages based on the content of the file. If the CSV file successfully passes validation, you'll be notified and shown a sample of what has been imported.
Clicking Save Price List will then import the file into SparkLayer and customers will then see these prices when logged in.
If the file cannot be imported, e.g. missing prices or an incorrectly formatted file, you'll be notified with relevant details.
It's important to note that a file can be successfully imported but include missing data, e.g. perhaps a product SKU has been listed multiple times in your price list. You'll be notified of affected SKUs and notes on how to remedy the issue.
If you're looking to import your price lists into SparkLayer automatically from your backend system (e.g. ERP), you'll need to send price list data via the SparkLayer API
Once you've created and uploaded prices for your Price list(s), you can then assign these to different Customer Groups. This means you can control which customers see which prices when they sign into your website. Learn more in our Customer Groups guide.
Once you've created a price list and assigned it to a customer group, it's also possible to set up customer-specific discounts on top of the price list giving you even more flexibility in the prices your customers see. Learn more in Customer Pricing
Please refer to our guide here.
