Dynamic Pricing Strategies Cheat Sheet
Goal: Understand the three Dynamic Pricing strategies in Trellis — Volume, Balanced, and Margin — and when each one should be used.
Volume Plan — Gain Volume
What it is:
A pricing strategy that lowers prices to increase sales volume.
Goal:
Drive high unit velocity — more sales, faster.
When to Use:
Use this plan when growth matters more than revenue per unit, such as:
- Launching a new product
- Winning market share
- Clearing overstocked inventory
Risks:
Enrolling low-volume or inconsistent products (e.g., long-tail items) can backfire.
The system may continue reducing the price toward the floor without driving meaningful additional volume.
Best Fit Products:
- Newly launched items
- Overstocked or underperforming products
- SKUs that need a velocity boost to hit sales goals or clear inventory
Success Metric:
Units sold above forecast
Balanced Plan — Gain Revenue
What it is:
A strategy that raises prices carefully while trying to maintain unit volume.
Goal:
Increase Gross Contribution Dollars (GCD) by lifting prices without hurting sales velocity.
When to Use:
Ideal for general catalog products that have:
- Stable demand
- Consistent sales velocity
- Room for margin optimization without harming volume
Risks:
Low risk overall.
Negative GCD may occur if the price drops too far while attempting to maintain volume — rare, but worth monitoring.
Best Fit Products:
- Everyday performers with predictable demand
- SKUs with meaningful pricing upside
Success Metric:
Gross Contribution Dollars
Margin Plan — Gain Margin
What it is:
A strategy that raises prices to increase per-unit profitability, even if that reduces unit sales.
Goal:
Maximize margin over volume.
When to Use:
Best for products where profitability is more important than growth, such as:
- End-of-life items
- Limited remaining inventory
- SKUs with small remaining allocation where profit extraction matters most
Risks:
Higher prices may reduce volume and cap total revenue — this is often intentional, but still should be validated.
Best Fit Products:
- End-of-life SKUs
- Items with limited inventory where maximizing value per unit is key
Success Metric:
Gross Contribution Dollars