Price monitoring is the most common recurring scraper Apex Automation Team runs for e-commerce clients. A good system is more than "scrape prices daily" — matching, change detection and alerting are what make it useful.
1. Define the catalogue
Start from your SKUs and map each to competitor URLs (or search queries when URLs change). Matching by GTIN/EAN, model number or normalised title beats guessing.
2. Collect
Each competitor page or marketplace listing is fetched on a schedule — hourly for volatile categories, daily for most. We prefer hidden JSON endpoints; rendered pages only where needed. Prices, promotions, stock status, seller (Buy Box) and shipping are captured.
3. Normalise
Currency, tax inclusion, unit sizes and bundle quantities are normalised so you compare like with like. Historical values are stored, not overwritten.
4. Detect and alert
Rules such as "competitor undercuts us by more than 5%" or "product out of stock at competitor" trigger Slack/email alerts or a Google Sheet update. Weekly summaries show trends by category.
5. Dashboard and export
Data lands in Google Sheets, a database or your BI tool. Repricing rules can be automated once you trust the data.
Cost
A monitoring system for a few hundred SKUs across 3–5 competitors typically costs $300–$1,200 to build plus a small monthly run fee; larger catalogues are quoted after a free feasibility test. Read how store catalogues are exported or describe your catalogue.
Quick checklist
- Map your SKUs to competitor URLs or search queries
- Choose frequency by category volatility
- Normalise currency, tax and bundle sizes
- Define alert rules and who receives them
- Keep price history, not just the latest value
Frequently asked
Can you monitor Amazon Buy Box changes?
Yes — seller, price, shipping and stock on the Buy Box are captured on each run.
How is the data delivered?
Google Sheets, a database, your BI tool or Slack/email alerts — usually a combination.