I’ve spent much of my career thinking about B2B pricing. Before becoming an analyst, I managed global B2B businesses with lots of SKUs and channels and the pricing complexity that comes with a far-flung supply chain, transfer costs, and multi-tier distribution, and I’ve covered pricing strategy as an analyst for years.

My Forrester landscape report research kicks off on November 2

I’ve recently gone much deeper into the technology that companies use to turn pricing strategy into day-to-day decisions. I am now covering B2B price optimization and management solutions, and I’m beginning research for a new Forrester landscape report, followed by a Forrester Wave™ evaluation. My focus is specifically B2B, where negotiated prices, complex product portfolios, agreements, channels, and sales discretion make the problem quite different from consumer or retail pricing.

After attending conferences for Vistex, Vendavo, Pricefx, and Conga earlier this year, and in talking with providers, practitioners, pricing leaders, and customers, I’ve been struck by how different the implementations can be but how consistent the underlying buyer needs are.

They need to move faster

Cost and market volatility have raised the stakes. Companies need to respond faster when inputs change, rather than relying on static price lists and manual processes. Providers I spoke with repeatedly connected demand for pricing technology with the need for greater speed and responsiveness when, for example, tariffs change or raw-material prices increase.

They need to manage more than price

Meanwhile, pricing itself is becoming part of something bigger. I see the market moving toward price-to-revenue suites that connect pricing with quoting, agreements, rebates, incentives, and execution. Optimizing the price is only part of the job. Companies also must make sure the price survives through everything that happens between that recommendation and the final transaction: quoting, agreements, rebates, discounts, and negotiation.

They need guidance that is easier to access

AI could give the market a push by making pricing information easier to access. Instead of digging through screens and reports, users can increasingly ask questions in plain language. Pricing guidance can also show up in the applications sellers are already using.

They need to trust the guidance

Getting a recommendation in front of a seller is one thing. Getting the seller to believe it and use it is another. Pricing affects real customers and real business margin, so sellers as well as pricing professionals need to understand where a recommendation came from and why it makes sense.

This last piece is critical, because the best pricing recommendation in the world is useless if it never reaches the seller or if the seller doesn’t trust it.

So where am I landing so far? The implementations may look very different, but the needs aren’t all that different. Companies want to move faster, protect margin, and make better pricing decisions. AI may make that easier. But someone still has to trust the answer enough to use it.

Get in touch with me if you are a price optimization and management vendor interested in being part of my Forrester landscape report. Forrester clients interested in discussing pricing and pricing technology, please request an inquiry. I’m happy to help you!

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