Marketplace Price Monitoring: An Essential Tool for Business

 

2026 isn’t just “the age of e-commerce” anymore  it’s a fierce digital battleground where success comes not from simply being present on a marketplace, but from controlling how your product looks and sells. Competition is heating up, prices change daily, promotions launch without warning, and consumers are more sensitive than ever to discounts and fast delivery.

Marketplaces are no longer a nice-to-have sales channel,  they’ve become the primary arena for winning (or losing) customers. Every day, decisions are made here that can either strengthen a brand or damage its reputation and revenue. Monitoring prices used to be a “helpful tool” — now it’s weapon number one.

In this article, we’ll break down:

• Why daily price monitoring is a must-have in 2026;

• Which marketplaces are leading the Ukrainian market today;

• How to use parsers to detect price dumping and RRP violations;

• And how to keep your brand’s pricing strategy under control, even when the market is in turmoil.

If you’re working with marketplaces, read on. We’re diving into real-world tactics and insights.

 

Why Has Marketplace Price Monitoring Become Relevant?

Marketplace price monitoring involves daily tracking of prices and product availability from sellers, as well as monitoring discounts and promotional offers. Today, it is one of the most effective ways to control Minimum Advertised Prices (MAP).

A marketplace is an online trading platform where products from various sellers are showcased. The number of sellers can reach tens of thousands, and the range of products offered can number in the hundreds of millions. Sellers pay a commission to list their products on the marketplace.

Since 2020, marketplace price monitoring has become an essential part of collecting data on product pricing by online retailers.

The main driver for the growth of online sales was the COVID-19 pandemic and the related quarantine measures and restrictions. Before this, experts had forecasted gradual development of the e-commerce market, but 2020 became a turning point, forcing many sellers and buyers to embrace the internet. The 2020-2021 quarantine period significantly shifted the “balance of power” in retail.

Key Trends in the Development of Ukrainian Marketplaces (2023–2026)

1. Growth in Order Volume and Spending

• In 2023, Ukrainians increased their spending on marketplace purchases by over 23%, while the number of orders rose by 35%.

• Most popular product categories: tools, auto parts, home goods, and sports items.

2. Mobile Commerce and Omnichannel Strategies

• Mobile orders grew from 25% to 38% in 2023.

• Marketplaces are investing in mobile apps and integrating multiple sales channels for customer convenience.

 

3. Growth of Local Platforms

• Rozetka remains the market leader with over 60 million products in 7,000+ categories and around 5 million daily users.

• Prom.ua supports small and medium businesses with customizable mini-sites.

• OLX remains popular for both private and commercial listings.

• Allo rebranded in 2024, expanded its product range, and launched an updated mobile app.

• Monobank launched its own marketplace, market by mono, in October 2024, focusing on electronics and gadgets.

4. Partner Marketing and Innovation

• In 2023, sales via partner stores grew by 17%, and coupon services contributed to over 10% growth.

• Marketplaces are actively using modern promotion tools: contextual ads, social media, messengers.

5. Expansion to International Markets

• Ukrainian brands are increasingly using platforms like Shopify to enter European markets.

• This approach helps them grow their customer base and increase sales.

 

Forecast for 2026

• Continued e-commerce growth is expected, driven by investments in digital infrastructure and small business support programs like “Own Business.”

• Marketplaces will enhance personalization and logistics with AI technologies.

• Rising competition will push platforms to improve service quality and expand product offerings.

 

What Are the Benefits of Marketplace Price Monitoring?

For manufacturers, marketplace price monitoring provides insights into:

• The number of sellers offering their branded products.
• Unofficial or counterfeit goods.
• MAP violators.
• Sales volumes of their products.

For online retailers, it enables them to:

• Compare their prices to those of competitors for identical or similar products.
• Conduct a market assortment analysis to identify high-demand and low-performing products.
• Analyze competitors’ historical price data. After several months of monitoring, retailers can identify trends, such as the frequency of price changes, promotions, and which products are most commonly sold at a discount.

 

Parsing Marketplace Prices: Which Platforms Should You Monitor?

The rapid emergence of new players in the e-commerce market and the expansion of existing leaders have been the defining trends in recent years. Marketplaces have become the most in-demand trading platforms, especially since the onset of the pandemic. Ukraine is no exception, as major online retailers have also begun offering their platforms to third-party sellers.

Recommended marketplaces for price monitoring:

Ukraine:

1. Rozetka: Once a major online store, Rozetka transformed into a marketplace and quickly adapted to pandemic demands by offering home delivery services for groceries. After 2022, Rozetka expanded into the European market. Today, it boasts a catalog of around 4 million products, with a quarter of sales generated by third-party sellers.
2. ua: Designed as a marketplace from the start, Prom.ua allows entrepreneurs to create their own online stores. It offers an extensive range of products, from matches to body armor.
3. Allo: Originally launched as an electronics retailer, Allo has been operating as a marketplace for only a few years. Despite this, the company has been in business for 24 years and is the official representative and distributor of Xiaomi in Ukraine, with over 300 branded retail locations.
4. Epicenter: Initially a store for construction and renovation products, Epicenter expanded its range significantly and began offering its platform to third-party sellers in 2020.

International Marketplaces:

1. Amazon: Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, Amazon is the largest marketplace globally. Initially launched as an online bookstore, it now offers a vast range of products, from electronics and clothing to groceries and digital services. Available in over 100 countries, its key markets include the U.S., Europe, India, and Japan.
2. eBay: Established in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, eBay began as an auction platform and now supports both auctions and direct sales. It operates in over 190 countries, with major markets in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.
3. AliExpress: Part of Alibaba Group, AliExpress was founded in 2010 and connects Chinese sellers directly with global consumers. It operates in most countries, except China, where its counterpart Taobao is more popular.
4. Allegro: The largest marketplace in Poland, founded in 1999. Allegro dominates the Polish market and offers a wide range of products, from electronics to groceries. The platform has also expanded to neighboring markets like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Marketplace Price Scraping : A Method to Identify MAP Violations

Most marketplace sellers employ competitor-based pricing strategies, which often lead to continual price reductions on similar products. Price dumping on marketplaces is a major challenge for many manufacturers, and regular monitoring is essential to detect such practices.

A price scraper for marketplaces is specialized software that automates the collection of price data from pre-defined online resources and presents it through reports, charts, and other visualizations. This automated monitoring allows manufacturers to track prices for their own branded products and quickly identify violators of MAP policies.

The monitoring software scans marketplaces for all offers on selected products, records retail prices, and presents the data in a comprehensive report. This enables manufacturers to observe price dynamics over specific periods and view real-time pricing snapshots.

The foundation of marketplace commercial policies is affordability and competitive pricing. New product lines are often introduced at prices close to wholesale costs. This is made possible by supplier discounts that are inaccessible to traditional retail stores. High competition on these platforms forces merchants to lower their prices further.

Since marketplace administrators generally do not enforce retail price compliance, price dumping is widespread. Sellers, driven by competitor analysis and survival in a crowded market, often lower prices without fear of penalties or restrictions. Buyers simply choose the vendor offering the best deal. As such, manufacturers must implement MAP enforcement tools to protect their brand reputation.

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Learn more about our MAP enforcement services.

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Causes of Price Dumping on Marketplaces

Several factors contribute to widespread price dumping:

1. Internal Regulations of Marketplaces

Marketplaces operate under their own internal guidelines. Platforms routinely monitor competitor prices and set thresholds above which merchants cannot price their products. For example, a seller adhering to MAP pricing might enjoy stable sales and positive reviews, but a marketplace could decide to run a sale or lower prices following competitive analysis. The seller then faces a dilemma: either comply with the platform’s rules and sacrifice profits or maintain their prices and risk being delisted. If the seller also operates their own website, prices there are often higher (as per supplier recommendations) than on the marketplace.

2. Price Comparisons with Competitors

To remain competitive, sellers often reduce their prices. On platforms like Prom.ua, there could be dozens or even hundreds of listings for the same product. Almost 100% of the time, buyers will choose the store offering the lowest price.

3. Using Marketplaces to Drive Traffic to Main Websites

Some sellers use marketplaces as satellite sites to promote their primary online stores and increase website traffic. The move to online retail has forced suppliers to tighten controls and impose stricter penalties on MAP violators. While no one wants to jeopardize relationships with vendors, sellers also aim to maximize sales. To balance this, sellers often use satellite sites or marketplace listings to sell products at prices below MAP while maintaining good standing with suppliers.

Manufacturers often struggle to trace the true owners of such stores. In some cases, a mystery shopping service can help identify the seller, but not all manufacturers are willing to pursue this approach. By working with such services, manufacturers can address many of the challenges posed by price dumping and protect their brand’s reputation.

Tools for Manufacturers to Address Dumping

• Automated Monitoring Software: Continuous tracking of prices and identifying MAP violations.
• Mystery Shopping Services: Investigating sellers operating under different names or platforms.
• MAP Enforcement Policies: Imposing penalties on sellers who do not comply with pricing agreements.

By adopting these strategies, manufacturers can effectively tackle the issue of price dumping and ensure fair competition across marketplaces.

 

How to Combat Price Dumping on Marketplaces — 7 Practical Steps

Price dumping isn’t just “low pricing.” It’s a real threat that can ruin your pricing strategy, destroy brand trust, and turn profitable business into losses. To stay ahead, you need a system  not improvisation.

1) Set up automated price monitoring

Use a tool that tracks your products’ prices daily across key Ukrainian marketplaces (Rozetka, Prom.ua, Allo, Hotline, etc.). Manual checks are outdated, you need data on who’s selling, at what price, and how often prices change.

Tip: Try Price Control or similar platforms offering alerts and MAP violation reports.

2) Identify all your sellers

Create a list of everyone selling your products. Classify them into:

• official partners,

• unauthorized sellers,

• unknown vendors (possible grey market).

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Order the “Online Brand Representation Search” service and discover all sellers of your product on marketplaces.

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3) Document violations with proof

If a seller undercuts prices, take screenshots, URLs, or export price data. This creates a solid evidence base for response.

4) Implement an “anti-dumping protocol”

Develop an internal process with clear steps:

• first warning,

• supply freeze,

• removal from your authorized seller list.

Make sure this protocol is shared with all partners in advance.

5) Use test purchases (mystery shopping)

Suspect a partner is dumping through a third-party account? Run a test purchase to trace who’s really behind it.

You can order a test purchases in Price Control service.

6) Regularly update and communicate MAPs

Your recommended retail price (MAP) should be:

• officially documented;

• adjusted as market conditions change;

• communicated clearly to every seller.

7) Don’t ignore price aggregators

Sites like Hotline, E-katalog, and Price.ua often reveal dumping practices not visible on marketplaces. Include them in your monitoring routine.

Dumping won’t vanish on its own. But with the right system, you can spot it early and act fast — protecting your brand and your profits.

Price Control`s Tools for Effective Price Monitoring

Price Control has developed a robust system for automated daily price monitoring on marketplaces and price aggregators. This system provides detailed insights into price dynamics and violations, enabling manufacturers to maintain control in a highly competitive e-commerce market.

Key Benefits of Price Monitoring Tools:

• Automated daily updates on pricing across platforms.
• Identification of MAP violations and unauthorized sellers.
• Reports and data visualization for easy analysis.

Why Choose Price Monitoring Services?

A business thrives when every detail is under control. In the dynamic and competitive e-commerce landscape, maintaining oversight is crucial for success. With Price Control’s efficient tools, vendors can safeguard their brands, enforce pricing policies, and ensure fair competition.

Contact us today to experience the effectiveness of price monitoring and control tools firsthand. Protect your business and enhance your market presence with confidence.

 

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Iryna Zheliezniakova
Project Manager of Price Control
Director of Perspektiva-3000 LLC

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