What we tried (and why it fell short)
- Seat-only pricing: Simple to quote, but penalized large back-office teams even when order volume was low.
- Document-based pricing: Tied to invoices and shipments, but confused customers during seasonality spikes.
- Pure usage: Attractive for growth teams, yet hard for finance to forecast.
Where we landed
We now blend base seats (for collaboration and support) with volume bands based on shipped line items. Seats cover everyday access; volume bands scale with success. No surprise overages — we notify teams when they approach a new band and review usage together.
Signals we watch
- Monthly shipped line items vs. warehouse count
- Number of active price lists (usually maps to channels)
- Approval steps per invoice (proxy for complexity)
Why customers like it
Operators can add new pickers without finance panicking. Finance can forecast spend within a predictable range, and we stay aligned on the value we deliver: smoother shipments and cleaner billing.