A category manager can spend every morning walking through competitors' catalogs: open an item, check its package, record its price, and repeat. As the list grows, little time remains to decide what to do with those prices.
A hardware store's task
A hardware store needs to compare offers for fasteners, supplies, and hand tools regularly. The buyer needs comparable items, package sizes, and purchase terms in one city. A list of 100 items with three competing offers each, checked across 22 working days, means 6,600 checks.
At 30 seconds per check, that is 55 hours. Similar-looking products may differ in package quantity, bundle contents, or purchase terms. The lowest number on a page is not always comparable.
Set up the workflow in Akmelo
Create a scenario for each source. Save the SKU, name, price, package, availability, region, and source link. Start with product matches that have already been checked. This workflow does not assume perfect automatic detection of every equivalent product: uncertain pairs go to a person for review.
After a trial collection, compare several cards with their source pages. Only then enable a schedule. Export comparable offers; review rows with a missing price or unknown package separately. The product matching guide explains the details.
The employee receives a prepared file in the morning, reviews exceptions, and decides on prices. Akmelo collects and prepares data; changing prices in the accounting system remains a separate company action.
Estimate the time saved
If a manual review takes 55 hours a month and checking the prepared file plus disputed cards takes 11, the team gets 44 hours back. To value the effect, include the fully loaded hourly cost and automation expenses. Measure file-review time on a small sample first.
| Parameter | Monthly example |
|---|---|
| Manual review before automation | 55 hours |
| Result checks afterward | 11 hours |
| Time made available | 44 hours |
| Estimated fully loaded hourly cost | 1,000 RUB |
| Value of time made available | 44,000 RUB |
| Service and maintenance budget | 6,000 RUB |
| Estimated effect after that budget | 38,000 RUB |
With these assumptions, the effect is about 38,000 RUB per month: 44 hours × 1,000 RUB less 6,000 RUB for service and maintenance. This values time redirected toward purchasing and assortment work; payroll may stay the same. If initial setup and matching cost 12,000 RUB, the first month's effect is 26,000 RUB. The budget in the table is an assumption: check actual service charges in your workspace.
Where to start
Choose 20 items from one category. Check their matches and measure both the old review and the new file review. Substitute your own figures, including actual collection costs. If too many exceptions remain, fix data structure and matching rules before expanding the list.
See the price and assortment workflow for fields and setup order. Once the sample is verified, configure the collection schedule around when your team makes decisions.
