Contract Pricing 101: Giving Every Buyer Their Own Price
In B2B, the price on the shelf is rarely the price a customer pays. Contract pricing is the practice of showing each account the price they negotiated, and it is the foundation of any serious wholesale portal.
Why list prices fall short
Most B2B relationships are governed by agreements: a fixed price for a year, a percentage off a category, or a volume break that kicks in at a pallet. When a portal shows only list price, buyers assume the portal is wrong and go back to email. Contract pricing removes that doubt by showing the negotiated number everywhere, from search results to the cart.
Model prices as layers
The cleanest approach is to layer prices: a base list, then customer group overrides, then account-specific contracts. Each layer only stores exceptions, so the base price can change without breaking agreements. Document the order of precedence so sales and finance agree on which layer wins.
Key takeaways
Show the buyer's own price on every surface, not just at checkout
Store exceptions, not full copies of the price book
Make the precedence of price layers explicit and testable
Related reading
Pricing Governance: Who Gets to Change a Price?
As a portal grows, more people want to edit prices. Without governance, small changes snowball into margin leaks and angry customers.
Margin-Aware Promotions in a B2B Context
Promotions in B2B look different from retail. Buyers negotiate, budgets are planned and a surprise discount can undermine a contract.
Price Lists, Customer Groups and Who Sees What
Visibility rules decide which buyers can see and buy which products. Getting them right protects margins and keeps the catalog relevant to each account.