A MAP policy sets the lowest price your retailers can show in public. They may sell lower in private, but they cannot display a lower price on their website or ad. This keeps your pricing stable and slows down the slide into discount battles.
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What Is a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP)?
A MAP policy is a simple rule that asks retailers not to show your product below a set price.
They can still offer private discounts, codes, or cart reductions; they just cannot display them publicly.
This keeps your brand steady across platforms, and it helps avoid sudden, unpredictable price swings.
Why Do Brands Use a MAP Pricing Policy?
Brands use MAP to keep their prices steady. Without it, one seller drops the price, then everyone drops it. And you’re left wondering why your ₹999 product now sells for ₹499 on three different platforms.
MAP helps because:
- It keeps your public prices clean.
- It stops retailers from undercutting each other.
- It protects your brand’s value, especially if you sell in premium categories.
- Your retail partners won’t feel cheated.
This is a common complaint on Reddit: “I tried to sell this product, but Amazon is selling it cheaper than my wholesale cost.”
That happens when MAP doesn’t exist.
How a MAP Policy Actually Works
You set a price floor for advertising. You share it with your retailers. Then you stick to it.
Here’s the simple flow:
- You decide the minimum advertised price.
- You tell every authorized seller.
- You watch the listings through a monitoring tool.
- If someone violates it, you act.
Most brands follow a basic three-step enforcement line:
Warning → Temporary pause → Removal from the network.
It’s not personal. It’s order.
How MAP Helps You Avoid Price Wars
MAP stops the “race to the bottom.”
This is the part that hurts brands the most:
One rogue listing on Amazon goes low. Everyone else matches it. And by the time you notice, your product looks like it belongs in a clearance basket.
You see founders on LinkedIn talk about it all the time:
“Once one seller broke MAP, the whole market collapsed in a day.”
That’s the damage MAP prevents.
What Happens If You Ignore MAP?
Short answer: things get messy.
Here’s what brands report online:
- Distributors call asking why online prices are lower than their cost
- Retailers stop promoting your product
- Shoppers wait for constant discounts
- Your brand’s “premium” tag disappears
- You spend more time policing sellers than building your business
MAP doesn’t fix everything, but it stops the chaos.
What Should a MAP Policy Include?
A basic MAP policy usually covers:
- The product list
- The allowed advertised price
- Where MAP applies (PDPs, Google Shopping, listings, banners)
- Rules for bundles or seasonal discounts
- Enforcement steps
- How you handle repeat violations
Plain and simple. The clearer it is, the easier it is to enforce.
MAP vs Selling Price: What’s the Difference?
MAP controls what price retailers can show.
It does not control what they can sell for.
They can still:
- Offer coupon codes
- Reduce cart price
- Add bundle discounts
As long as the public display price stays at or above MAP, they’re fine. This is how brands stay legally safe.
Common MAP Mistakes Brands Make
You’ll see these often in founder groups and Substack threads:
- Setting MAP once and never updating it
- Allowing too many distributors
- No consistent monitoring
- Vague or confusing policy language
- Letting small violations slide
A MAP policy works only when it’s enforced the same way every time.
FAQs
Is a MAP policy legal?
Yes. It covers advertised prices, not sales prices.
Can a retailer sell below MAP?
Yes. They simply cannot show the lower price publicly.
Is MAP the same as MSRP?
No. MSRP is a suggested selling price. MAP is a minimum advertised price.
Do small D2C brands need MAP?
Yes, especially once multiple sellers are involved.
