Rabatt‑ und Margenverwässerung durch manuelle Preissetzung

Definition

Technology VARs and resellers commonly operate on thin product margins, for example 5–8% on standard hardware resale, with overall profit margins as low as ~6% when the mix is 90% hardware and 10% services.[1][4] In a wholesale computer equipment context, sales teams often quote manually, relying on spreadsheets or distributor price lists without embedded margin floors or automated checks.[1] Because distributor costs fluctuate and customer negotiations are aggressive, even small pricing errors or over‑discounting quickly consume the already narrow margin, resulting in orders sold at 0–2% instead of the planned 6–8%, or even at a loss. Industry guidance for VARs explicitly recommends automated margin‑based pricing and quarterly pricing audits specifically to track and stop “margin leakage,” indicating that this is a known and material issue.[1] Given typical product margins of 5–8%, a 2–4 percentage point erosion through unmanaged discounts implies that 25–50% of potential gross profit on resale is lost when margin controls are weak.

Why This Matters

The Pitch: Wholesale IT distributors and VARs in Australia 🇦🇺 waste 2–4% of revenue annually through unmanaged discounts and incorrect cost‑plus pricing. Automation of margin rules in CPQ/ERP and approval workflows for discounts eliminates this risk.

Affected Stakeholders

Sales representatives, Sales management, Channel managers, Pricing analysts, CFO/Head of Finance

Related Business Risks