AI price optimization: 3 steps for better profitability
AI can streamline the complex process of pricing by helping companies make data-driven decisions at scale. Follow three steps to get the most out of it.
Business leaders today face relentless market volatility. Tariffs shift overnight, supply chain disruptions have become routine, and inflation and regulatory changes keep everyone on their toes. In this climate, the ability to quickly spot risks and opportunities in pricing and sales processes is no longer optional; it’s necessary.
Intelligent systems, particularly agentic AI, are stepping in as essential partners for organizations that need to move faster, make better decisions, and protect profitability. Traditional business processes, especially in pricing, sales, and revenue management, are often slow, fragmented, and highly manual. Teams struggle with thousands of SKUs, fluctuating costs, and approval bottlenecks. In this environment, the old model of isolated teams and reactive decision-making simply can’t keep up.
AI agent pricing is changing the game. Gartner predicts that by 2027, AI agents will augment or automate 50% of business decisions, up from virtually none just a few years ago.
By 2028, at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI. These shifts highlight how agentic AI is moving from experimental to essential in business operations.
Meet the modern agentic pricing platform
Unlike earlier generations of AI that focused on automating repetitive tasks or generating content, today’s agentic AI is about decision-making. AI agents for pricing don’t just surface data—they support business experts to take actions that support margin growth.
Crucially, AI agents aren’t here to replace the experts doing the work—they’re here to partner with them – supporting every function that impacts margin, revenue, and deal performance.
An ideal next-generation business process platform is:
- Always-on and proactive: AI agents continuously scan data for risks and opportunities.
- Composable and connected: Systems integrate seamlessly via APIs and event frameworks, enabling real-time data flow.
- Transparent and explainable: Every AI-driven recommendation is traceable, with clear logic behind each action.
- User-friendly: Natural language interfaces let teams interact with AI agents directly, without technical barriers.
Pricefx provides SAP customers with an integrated and end-to-end pricing software platform that enables businesses to optimize prices, boost profitability, and make faster, data-driven decisions across all their pricing processes. Pricefx Agents are a specialized AI agent type and can be grouped by business objective, each laser-focused on a specific challenge—whether it’s margin leakage, discount misuse, or quote quality. Companies can also build custom agents without coding, tailoring the system to their unique needs in days, not months.
Modern agentic platforms rely on flexible, composable architectures. Pricefx connects with SAP CX, SAP Cloud ERP, and SAP BDP through APIs, enabling data to flow in real time.
Event frameworks trigger agents to act on new information instantly—whether it’s a sudden cost spike or a stalled quote. This technical foundation ensures that AI-driven insights are not only timely, but actionable across the business.
AI agent pricing: Real examples of transformation
Consider a global manufacturer struggling with margin erosion across regions. Traditionally, identifying the root cause would take weeks of manual analysis.
With Pricefx, Margin Leakage Agents immediately flag unprofitable products, hidden contract losses, and rebate mismatches. Discount Strategy Agents catch wasteful giveaways, while Quote Intelligence Agents highlight slow or error-prone quoting processes.
In another scenario, a sales team uses AI-driven negotiation guidance to receive instant, confident pricing recommendations—improving win rates and protecting deal margins. Upside Opportunity Agents spot premium selling moments, helping teams capture additional revenue without guesswork.
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Agentic AI: How to get it right
Successful transformation isn’t just about adopting new technology like AI agent for pricing—it’s about aligning people, processes, and data. Common pitfalls include siloed implementations, lack of clear ownership, and insufficient change management.
Businesses that succeed typically:
- Start with clear objectives and measurable outcomes.
- Involve cross-functional teams early.
- Prioritize transparency and user trust in AI recommendations.
The business impact of agentic AI for pricing is clear. According to IDC, organizations leveraging advanced pricing optimization and analytics have seen improved pricing agility, reduced customer churn, and faster response to market changes.
Enterprises are willing to pay a premium for compelling AI features that deliver measurable business value. And as AI agents become more prevalent, companies that prioritize AI literacy at the executive level are projected to achieve 20% higher financial performance by 2027 compared to those that do not.
Manufacturing outcomes: Understanding the foundations of SAP Customer Experience & Pricefx
Imagine you’re running a B2B manufacturing business, selling a wide range of complex products on SAP Commerce Cloud. Your customers don’t just add items to cart—they want custom quotes, special pricing, and deals that reflect their long-standing contracts and the latest market shifts. Problem is, calculating those prices manually or through disconnected systems slows everything down.
Now, imagine plugging Pricefx’s cloud-based pricing engine into your SAP setup—both Commerce Cloud and Sales Cloud. Suddenly, quote requests are processed instantly, pricing is optimized in real time, and sales reps get AI-powered suggestions that help them close deals faster without hurting your margins.
Here’s how it plays out: A customer browses your SAP Commerce storefront, picks their products, and requests a quote. Behind the scenes, that quote flows straight into SAP Sales Cloud, where your team can view it without re-entering a single field. Pricefx jumps in, crunches all the pricing logic—discounts, contracts, promotions, even margin targets—and returns smart, competitive pricing in seconds.
Need manager approval for a steep discount? No problem—Pricefx handles the workflow automatically. Once approved, the final quote goes right back to the customer via Commerce Cloud. And if they accept, it flows straight into your backend for fulfillment—no copy-paste, no delay, no errors.
Because it’s all built on SAP Integration Suite, REST APIs, and secure cloud-to-cloud architecture, everything stays connected, consistent, and scalable. Price updates, product info, and quote data sync across your systems like clockwork.
The result? Faster quoting, smarter pricing, and happier customers. Your sales team spends less time chasing numbers and more time closing. Your ops team avoids the manual mess. And your customers get the speed and personalization they expect in today’s B2B world.
Beyond automation
The future of business process excellence is agentic, not just automated. By working together—combining human expertise with always-on AI agents for pricing—companies can move faster, make smarter decisions, and stay ahead of the competition.
The organizations that embrace agentic platforms today will define the winners of tomorrow’s volatile markets.