Pricing and commerce
MAP (minimum advertised price)
Also called: MAP, minimum advertised price
A manufacturer policy setting the lowest price at which resellers may advertise a product, common in the US.
In practice
It governs the advertised price, not the final sale price, and enforcement relies on dated evidence.
Separate the policy from the observation
A MAP-monitoring workflow compares an observed advertised offer with a defined policy reference. Store the policy version and effective date, product identity, seller, currency and observation time. The technical comparison should not silently decide whether a policy applies to the seller, offer or jurisdiction; that determination needs the appropriate business and legal review.
Example: flagging an observation
If the applicable reference is 100 and a captured advertised offer is 90, a monitoring rule can flag the observation for review. Preserve the URL and relevant evidence, including visible conditions such as membership or coupons. A flag is not itself a verified breach. Confirm that the product and variant match and that the displayed value was interpreted correctly.
Use evidence carefully
Distinguish advertised prices from transaction prices and keep ambiguous observations separate from confirmed findings. The FTC discusses manufacturer-imposed requirements in a US context; it does not establish a universal rule for every market or arrangement. This glossary entry describes data collection and review, not legal advice. Qualified counsel should assess policy design, applicability and any enforcement action.
Further reading
Aperture tracks prices, promotions and availability with AI product matching and dated evidence, and Import.io feeds deliver the same data to your own systems.
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