How VML monitors 300+ competitors in real-time

The solution: live pricing dashboards

The e-commerce pricing landscape has fundamentally changed. Where retailers once relied on weekly reports and monitored just a handful of competitors, today's market demands real-time intelligence across hundreds of sellers.

Watch our podcast with Job van der Geest from VML:‍

In a revealing 30-minute podcast conversation with Job van der Geest from VML Netherlands, we explored how major retailers still rely on outdated weekly reporting while their competitors adjust prices up to 8 times per day.

Through our partnership with VML Netherlands, we've identified three critical shifts in pricing strategy:

1. From Periodic to Continuous

• Weekly reports are replaced by real-time monitoring
• Capturing dynamic price changes including weekend and holiday patterns
• Enabling immediate response to market movements

2. From Limited to Complete Market View

• Monitoring expanded from 5 to 300+ sellers
• Including regional players and marketplace sellers
• Automated outlier detection for accurate benchmarking

3. From Siloed to Strategic
   ‍By breaking down departmental barriers, pricing insights now:

• Inform marketing campaign optimization
• Guide promotional strategies
• Support data-driven buying decisions

Job van der Geest, VML Netherlands quote:
“The data comes from Google Shopping, where we collect pricing data on an EAN-level. This means we capture every variant, color, and size - updated throughout the day."

‍API integration:

Live pricing dashboard implementation using:

• Google Shopping Offers API (ShoppingScraper)
• Real-time price monitoring endpoints (ShoppingScraper)
• Automated outlier detection system (VML)

Conclusion:
By implementing live pricing dashboards powered by ShoppingScraper's API, VML has enabled retailers to capture critical price movements during peak periods like Black Friday, detect market patterns even during off-hours, and break down traditional data silos between departments.