Business use case of time-controlled prices
About this article
Price alterations make it extremely easy to configure time- and delwin-based prices in your B2B stores, allowing you to sell the same products for different prices in different seasons.
What it Means
As a fashion brand, selling in multiple seasons means you offer your products across several delivery windows:
- Preorder
- Main Season
- Reorder / Replenishment
- NOOS
- Multiple Drops of the same season
- Preorder for multiple next seasons (AW and SS at the same time)
- Early preorder vs Standard preorder
Using Centra's time-controlled pricelists, you can set different prices based on delivery timing, without duplicating products or manually changing prices. The base pricelist price of a product (or variant) can remain unchanged throughout its life, making configuration easier to manage.
Benefits for the Brand
| Benefit | Description | How Time-Controlled Pricelists Help |
|---|---|---|
| Spreads revenue across the year | Avoid relying on one peak season | Automate pricing for each delivery window (e.g., preorder premium) |
| Matches global demand | Adapt to regional seasons (e.g., EU vs AU) | Assign market-specific pricing tied to delivery |
| Improves production planning | Use preorder data to forecast and produce smartly | Lock in pricing for early buyers with margin control |
| Supports key products long-term | Keep bestsellers and NOOS styles active | Apply tiered prices over time (e.g., fabric cost increases) |
| Optimizes margin | Adjust prices depending on when items are delivered | Schedule pricing over the product lifecycle |
Benefits for Wholesale Buyers
| Benefit | Description | Why It Works in Centra |
|---|---|---|
| More flexibility | Choose delivery window that fits store calendar | Price automatically adapts to their selection |
| Lower inventory risk | Buy less upfront, reorder if it sells well | Reorder pricing is already set and visible |
| Smarter assortment planning | Align deliveries with campaigns or local weather | Delivery windows + time-based prices make planning easier |
| Clear, transparent pricing | No back-and-forth on costs | Centra showroom shows correct prices instantly by delivery |
Example Case: True Motion (Shoe tech brand)
Click here to read about True Motion case study to learn how they solved both DTC and Wholesale challenges in Centra. Specifically, by using time-controlled pricelists, they've set up:
- Preorder Window (e.g., March for September delivery)
- Higher wholesale price (€75) helps finance limited early production
- Price tied to preorder window
- Reorder Window (e.g., July for October delivery)
- Reduced price (€68) to reward restocking buyers
- Automatically assigned through a separate pricelist alteration
Impact they've experienced:
- Sales teams shift from updating prices to selling strategically, spending less time on maintenance,
- Wholesale buyers conveniently see pricing aligned with shipping timeline, making the ordering process easier,
- True Motion gains consistent cash flow, smoother production cycles, and better margin management.
Each price is tied to a delivery window using time-controlled pricelists. Buyers choose a delivery → Centra applies correct pricing. It's that simple!
Strategic Advantages
| Strategic Need | Solution with Time-Controlled Pricelists |
|---|---|
| Multi-season pricing | Automate based on delivery, not product |
| Buyer flexibility | Let the buyers choose delivery, pricing adapts |
| Margin protection | Set custom price for each phase of the product's lifetime (preorder/main/reorder) |
| Inventory flow control | Encourage timely orders with tiered pricing |
How It Works in Centra (Technical Flow)
- Define delivery windows:
- AMS → Wholesale → Setup → Delivery Windows
- Create a time-controlled pricelist alteration:
- AMS → Wholesale → Pricelists → +Create Price Alteration
- Set "Delivery start date" that activates price
- Add prices for specific products
- AMS → In product view or import via CSV
- Let buyers select delivery
- Centra showroom automatically applies the price from that window
- Repeat the above for reorder, restock, or NOOS deliveries
Read more here and give it a try by configuring your own price alterations!