Alert Rules Guide

Overview

Alert Rules notify you when specific price conditions are met. They help you stay informed about competitive price changes without automatically updating your prices.

When to Use Alert Rules

Monitor Competitive Changes: Get notified when competitors change prices
Price Monitoring: Track when your prices become uncompetitive
Out of Stock Alerts: Know when competitors go out of stock
Price Increase Detection: Detect when competitors raise prices
Market Analysis: Understand competitive dynamics

Creating Alert Rules

Basic Setup

Go to Alert Rules tab
Click "Add new rule"
Configure the rule conditions
Enable the rule
Save

Rule Configuration

Rule Components

1. Competitor Selection Choose which competitors to monitor:

Competitors: Any competitor for the product
Cheapest competitor: Only the lowest-priced competitor
Highest competitor: Only the highest-priced competitor

2. Condition Type

Price Difference

Lower than: Competitor price is X% or $X lower
Higher than: Competitor price is X% or $X higher

Out of Stock

Out of stock: Competitor is out of stock

3. Comparison Target

Me: Compare to your current price

Example: "Competitors are 10% lower than my price"

Before: Compare to competitor's previous price

Example: "Competitor price is 10% lower than it was before"
Useful for detecting competitor price changes

4. Value and Unit

Percentage (%)

Relative difference
Example: 10% means competitor is 10% lower/higher
Good for products with varying price ranges

Fixed Amount (Currency)

Absolute difference
Example: $5 means competitor is$ 5 lower/higher
Good for consistent price differences

5. Alert Timing

Instant: Alert immediately when condition is met

Real-time notifications (right on price sync)
Best for critical price changes

Scheduled: Alert during next update cycle (daily or weekly)

Batched notifications
Reduces notification frequency

6. Enable/Disable

Toggle to enable or disable the rule:

Disabled rules don't trigger alerts
Useful for temporarily pausing alerts
Rule configuration is preserved

Alert Rule Examples

Example 1: Competitor Undercutting

Goal: Know when any competitor prices 10% below you

Configuration:

Competitor Selection: "Competitors"
Condition: "Lower than"
Comparison Target: "Me"
Value: 10
Unit: "%"
Timing: Instant

Result: Alert triggers when any competitor's price is 10% or more below your price

Example 2: Cheapest Competitor Price Drop

Goal: Know when the cheapest competitor lowers their price

Configuration:

Competitor Selection: "Cheapest competitor"
Condition: "Lower than"
Comparison Target: "Before"
Value: 5
Unit: "%"
Timing: Instant

Result: Alert triggers when the cheapest competitor drops their price by 5% or more

Example 3: Competitor Out of Stock

Goal: Know when competitors go out of stock (opportunity to raise price)

Configuration:

Competitor Selection: "Competitors"
Condition: "Out of stock"
Timing: Instant

Result: Alert triggers when any competitor goes out of stock

Example 4: Significant Price Increase

Goal: Know when competitors raise prices significantly (opportunity to increase yours)

Configuration:

Competitor Selection: "Competitors"
Condition: "Higher than"
Comparison Target: "Before"
Value: 15
Unit: "%"
Timing: Scheduled

Result: Alert triggers when competitors raise prices by 15% or more

Managing Alert Rules

Viewing Rules

Rule List Shows:

Rule name
Enabled/disabled status
Number of affected products (if available)
Last triggered time (if available)

Editing Rules

Click on a rule in the list
Modify conditions
Save changes
Rule updates immediately

Deleting Rules

Click "Remove" on a rule
Confirm deletion
Rule is permanently removed
Historical alerts are preserved

Enabling/Disabling

Toggle rule status:

Enabled: Rule is active and will trigger alerts
Disabled: Rule is paused but configuration is saved
Useful for seasonal rules or temporary pauses

Viewing Alerted Products

Alerted Tab

Access via Products tab → "Alerted" filter:

Shows:

Products that triggered alerts
Which rule was triggered
Current competitor prices

Actions:

Review competitor prices
Adjust your price if needed
View product details

Email Notifications

Configuring Email Alerts

Go to Settings → General
Configure email notifications:
- Send reports: Weekly or Daily
- Notifications email(s): Up to 5 email addresses
- Send time: 8:00 AM in your timezone

Email Alert Content

Includes:

List of alerted products
Which rules were triggered
Competitor price information
Price differences
Links to product details

Instant vs Scheduled

Instant Alerts:

Sent immediately when condition is met (on price sync)
Real-time notifications
May result in multiple emails per day

Scheduled Alerts:

Included in daily/weekly reports
Batched notifications
Summary format

Alert Rule Best Practices

1. Start Simple

Begin with basic rules:

"Competitors are 10% lower than me"
"Cheapest competitor is out of stock"

2. Use Appropriate Thresholds

Percentage vs Fixed Amount:

Use % for products with varying prices
Use fixed $ for consistent price differences
Consider your profit margins

3. Set Realistic Values

Too Low: Too many alerts, notification fatigue Too High: Miss important price changes Sweet Spot: 5-15% for most products

4. Combine Rules

Create multiple rules for different scenarios:

One for significant drops (10%+)
One for moderate changes (5-10%)
One for out of stock opportunities

5. Regular Review

Review alerted products daily
Adjust rules based on what you learn
Disable rules that aren't useful
Create new rules for new scenarios

6. Use Comparison Targets Strategically

"Me": Monitor your competitive position "Before": Detect competitor price changes

7. Enable Instant for Critical Products

Use instant alerts for:

High-value products
Fast-moving inventory
Competitive categories

Use scheduled alerts for:

Low-priority products
Reducing email frequency
Summary reporting

Advanced Scenarios

Scenario 1: Competitive Monitoring

Goal: Stay informed about all competitive price changes

Setup:

Rule 1: Competitors 10% lower (instant)
Rule 2: Competitors 5% lower (scheduled)
Rule 3: Competitors out of stock (instant)

Scenario 2: Price Increase Opportunities

Goal: Know when you can raise prices

Setup:

Rule 1: Competitors raise prices 15%+ (instant)
Rule 2: Cheapest competitor out of stock (instant)
Rule 3: Competitors 20% higher than you (scheduled)

Scenario 3: Defensive Pricing

Goal: Protect market share

Setup:

Rule 1: Competitors 5% lower (instant)
Rule 2: Cheapest competitor changes price (instant)
Rule 3: Multiple competitors lower prices (scheduled)

Troubleshooting

Alerts Not Triggering

Verify rule is enabled
Check if products have competitors
Ensure products are in "Watch" or "Watch & Reprice" status
Verify condition values are appropriate

Too Many Alerts

Increase threshold values
Use scheduled instead of instant
Disable less important rules
Filter alerted products more strictly

Missing Alerts

Check email spam folder
Verify email addresses are correct
Ensure products have competitors
Check rule conditions aren't too strict
Reach out to us to check (your email client or provider may have automatically unsubscribed)

Integration with Repricing

Alert rules work independently of repricing:

Alerts inform you of conditions
Repricing automatically updates prices
You can use both together:
- Alerts for monitoring
- Repricing for automation
Or use alerts only for manual control

Tips

Monitor Performance: Review which rules trigger most often
Adjust Over Time: Refine rules based on your needs
Use Filters: Filter alerted products to focus on important ones
Combine with Market Stats: Use alerts alongside market position analysis
Set Up Email Filters: Organize alert emails in your inbox