MAP enforcement experts: “Removing bottom feeders will increase your brand’s profits”

Counting over 30 cycling industry clients on its books, Oris Intel has said that in all cases losing the “bottom feeding” customer will always be a “net generator for business”.

Serving an increasing bike trade clientelle, Oris monitors MAP and counterfeiting activity for the likes of QBP, CeramicSpeed, FSA, Stans and Finish Line, among many others. We spoke to chief product officer Justin Meats about his work with such businesses.

“Typically, when approached by customers who know that their MAP policies are being breached, we find double the number of violations than those the company flags up. During the holiday months, this kind of activity further skyrockets and it’s not unusual for us to scan sites that change prices more than once per day.”

Having spun out of an online retail business, Oris was born from the desire to compete online. The business developed its own proprietary software to scour the web for MAP infringements and unusual pricing activity.

“Often monitoring prices is something that we find brands attempt to do manually, but a systematic approach is often required to fully capture the wealth of data you can with software. It can very quickly turn into a game of whack-a-mole,” adds Meats. “In the vast majority of cases, once those damaging the brand with cut price deals are removed a brand and its retailers will actually see revenue returns and margin increases, not to mention a return in brand loyalty. My advice is, don’t be scared of cutting out the bottom feeder. Stable prices mean more business.”

Read more on how counterfeiters are damaging cycling industry brands here.