A pricing rule is a defined condition and action used to determine or adjust a transaction price. It can select a price, apply a discount, add a fee, enforce a floor or require approval.
What does a pricing rule contain?
A rule typically contains qualifying conditions, an action, priority, effective dates and an owner. Conditions may use product, customer, quantity, channel, geography, currency or contract data.
Which types of rules are common?
- Customer-specific contract prices
- Volume and tiered discounts
- Promotions and coupons
- Surcharges and service fees
- Minimum price or margin floors
- Approval thresholds
How are rule conflicts resolved?
The system needs explicit priority, stacking and exclusivity logic. Without it, two valid rules can create an unintended price or make results differ across channels.
What should be recorded?
Store the rule version, inputs, adjustments, approver and final price. A user should be able to explain why a transaction received its result.
How should rules be tested?
Test normal cases, boundaries, missing data, overlaps and expiry. Compare expected margin and customer outcomes before activation, then monitor override and exception patterns.
