How to Plan Retail Promotions Using Competitor Pricing Data

Competitor pricing datalets you reverse-engineer a rival's promotional strategy. By analysing the “Was Price” and current Price columns in a competitor product report, you can identify which products they're discounting, by how much, and in which categories — then time your own promotions to complement, counter, or undercut their offers.

Running promotions without competitor context is expensive guesswork. You might discount a product your competitor isn't even stocking — wasting margin on a deal that drives no incremental traffic. Or you might hold full price on products where your competitor is running a 40% off campaign — losing sales without understanding why footfall dropped. A single poorly timed promotion on a £500 furniture line at 30% off costs you £150 in margin — with nothing to show for it.

Every promotional pound you spend should either drive footfall, clear slow stock, or strategically undercut a competitor. Without data on what your competitor is actually promoting, you're spending blind.

This isn't about doing more research — it's about doing different research. You can't see your competitor's full promotional strategy by browsing their homepage. Their discounts are scattered across hundreds of product pages, many of which you'd never think to check. A PriceScope report captures every product with a Was Price in one sortable spreadsheet — so you see the pattern, not just individual markdowns.

Here's how to use that data to plan promotions that actually work.

Know what your competitor is discounting before you set your own prices

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How to reverse-engineer competitor promotions from a product report

Step 1: Filter for products with a Was Price

Open your PriceScope report in Excel and filter the Was Price column to show only rows with a value. Every product with a Was Price is currently on promotion. This instantly shows you the scale and focus of your competitor's promotional activity.

Step 2: Calculate discount percentages

Add a column: =(Was Price - Price) / Was Price. Format as percentage. This shows you how aggressively they're discounting each product.

Example markdown analysis

Product	Was Price	Sale Price	Discount	Category
Rattan Corner Sofa Set	£599.99	£399.99	33%	Garden Furniture
Weber Spirit BBQ	£449.00	£349.00	22%	BBQs
Westland Multi-Purpose Compost 3×50L	£17.99	£12.99	28%	Compost
Spear & Jackson Stainless Digging Spade	£34.99	£27.99	20%	Tools
Solar Stake Lights 10-pack	£24.99	£14.99	40%	Lighting

Step 3: Identify patterns

Sort by category. Are they discounting heavily in furniture? Are tools barely touched? This tells you where they're trying to drive volume (aggressive discounts) and where they're protecting margin (no promotions).

Loss leaders reveal strategy

Products with 30%+ discounts are likely loss leaders — designed to drive footfall rather than profit. If your competitor is using compost as a loss leader, don't try to match them. Instead, position yourself on the products customers buy alongside compost: pots, trowels, grow bags. You capture the same customer at full margin.

Every promotional pound should be strategic, not guesswork

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How should you time your promotions around competitor activity?

You have three strategic options when you see a competitor promotion:

Promotion response strategies

Strategy	When to use it	Example
Match	Price-sensitive essentials where you'll lose footfall	Match their compost deal to prevent customer leakage
Complement	When they're promoting one category, you promote an adjacent one	They discount BBQs → you promote BBQ accessories and charcoal
Ignore	When the promoted product isn't relevant to your customer base	They're clearing indoor furniture — your customers are outdoor-focused

Loss leaders vs margin protectors: how to choose what to discount

Every promotion should serve one of two purposes:

Loss leaders — high-volume, price-sensitive products discounted to drive footfall. Compost, basic tools, seeds. You accept lower margin on these to get customers through the door.
Margin protectors — products where you hold or increase margin. Garden furniture, gifts, premium brands. These are where your profit comes from. Never discount these just because a competitor does.

Your competitor report helps you identify which role each product plays in their strategy — and plan your own accordingly. For a deeper look at product-level pricing strategy, see our competitor pricing analysis guide. For timing your promotions around buying cycles, see our buying decisions guide.

Pull a report before your next promotion

Before planning any seasonal promotion, pull a fresh competitor report. Knowing what they're currently discounting — and what they're not — gives you a strategic advantage. You can avoid competing head-on where they're investing margin, and strike where they're exposed. At £49, the report pays for itself if it prevents even one unnecessary discount on a product where you already had the pricing advantage.

Common Questions

How can I tell if a competitor's discount is a genuine promotion or a permanent price cut?

If the report shows a 'Was Price' alongside the current price, the competitor is presenting it as a promotion — meaning they intend to raise the price again. If there's no Was Price and the product is simply listed at a low price, it's likely their standard pricing. Pulling a second report a few weeks later will confirm whether the price reverted.

Should I match competitor promotions?

Not automatically. If a competitor is running a loss leader on compost to drive footfall, matching their price might erode your margin without gaining you the same traffic benefit. Instead, consider promoting a complementary product — if they're discounting compost, promote pots or planters to capture the same gardening-ready customer at full margin.

How often do garden centres change their promotional pricing?

Most garden centres run promotional cycles aligned with seasons — spring (March–April), summer (June–July), autumn clearance (September), and Christmas (November–December). Weekly or fortnightly promotions are common at larger chains but less typical at independents. A quarterly report captures the major shifts.