We presented a new line of smart home projectors to resellers.

I expected questions about picture quality. I got questions about price protection.

From my desk today

I was recently part of a presentation of our new line of smart home projectors.

We asked the resellers attending a simple question: when you decide to carry a new product like this, what matters most to you?

The answers were the usual suspects:

  • Quality
  • Performance
  • Brand equity

Fair enough. Then the questions started.

And a surprising number of them were about one thing: MAP management.

Who sets the price? Who watches it? What happens when someone breaks it? And what about pricing on Amazon and other marketplaces?

Big retailers and small ones asked the same questions. That told me something.

The retailer reality

Every retailer I know lives with the same tension.

On one side, you want the freedom to sell at the price you choose. You bought the inventory, and you need to recover that investment your way.

On the other side, you want protection. When another retailer advertises the same product far below your price, it doesn't just cost you a sale. It devalues every unit already sitting on your shelf.

Both wants are fair. And they pull in opposite directions.

That's the space a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy is built for. MAP sets the lowest price a product can be advertised at. It keeps the playing field level, without taking away your control over how you run your store.

Behind the scenes at Randmar

Here's what I told the resellers who asked. Four things MAP does for you that you never see.

1. It's set by the people who know the brand best.

At Randmar, MAP is a field that manufacturers manage directly in our platform. They set it, and they can update it.

We apply the MAP policy to all our resellers, big or small. And when it makes sense, we can help with localized pricing strategies.

2. It isn't one-size-fits-all.

Some manufacturers are very strict. They actively monitor MAP deviations.

Others are more flexible. They welcome a direct discussion with resellers about localized promotions.

Knowing which kind of brand you're dealing with is half the battle.

3. It gives you a direct line to the manufacturer.

Yes, retailers can talk directly to manufacturers inside the Randmar online platform.

So if you want to run a promotion that fits your local market, you don't have to guess. You ask the brand.

4. It's enforced in the spirit of partnership, with real consequences.

When a reseller breaks MAP, a number of things can happen. But it's usually handled in the spirit of good partnership.

A notice might be sent, written or verbal. If the reseller still doesn't comply with the policy, the manufacturer can block that reseller from buying further stock.

That last step protects everyone who plays by the rules.

When MAP is broken, partnership comes first

Source: Randmar MAP policy, 2026.

What it means for you: a MAP breach starts with a conversation, not a penalty. But the rules have teeth, and that's what protects the retailers who follow them.

One more thing: MAP is a two-way street.

The resellers in the room were also concerned about pricing on Amazon and other marketplaces. Fair question. Online is still a small slice of Canadian retail: 7.5% of sales in July 2026, according to Statistics Canada. But an online price is visible to every shopper, in every town. And price discipline can't apply to resellers only.

At Randmar, we work hard to choose manufacturers that also follow their own pricing strategies, and don't compete unfairly with the Canadian resellers who decided to support their business.

And because it's all transparent on the Randmar platform, if you notice a manufacturer selling its products directly outside its own price policy, you can talk to that manufacturer and work out a better compromise.

Why it matters.

Protecting the advertised price pays

85%
of Canadians wait for sales
About 2%
higher prices, with no loss in sales volume, once MAP enforcement became credible

What it means for you: the advertised price drives the buying decision, so it's worth protecting. And protecting it doesn't have to cost you volume.

Sources: Retail Council of Canada × Leger, 2025 Holiday Shopping Survey (85%); Ayelet Israeli, "Online MAP Enforcement: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment," Marketing Science, 2018, a US study (about 2%); Statistics Canada, Retail trade, July 2026 (7.5%).

My real point

Price protection isn't about keeping prices high.

It's about protecting the value of the inventory you already paid for.

Your quick win this week

Pick the three brands you sell the most and find out their MAP policy: strict or flexible, and who you talk to about a local promotion. If they're Randmar brands, you can ask them directly in the platform.

Your turn

When you take on a new product, how much does the brand's MAP policy weigh in your decision?