# LLM Context
URL: https://alkemist.app/plugins/listini/

# llm - Price Lists (Alkemist)

## Overview
Alkemist Price Lists (Listini) is a governed pricing rules engine embedded into the Alkemist platform.
It is not a spreadsheet, a PDF repository, or a static price table.
It defines structured, reusable pricing logic and applies it consistently across catalog, offers, orders, and invoicing.

The objective is to reduce pricing inconsistency, margin erosion, and operational risk caused by manual price handling.

## The Pricing Fragmentation Problem (System Perspective)
In most organizations, pricing suffers from structural issues:

1. Prices are stored in spreadsheets, PDFs, or emails.
2. Discounts are negotiated informally and applied inconsistently.
3. Promotions remain active beyond their intended timeframe.
4. Sales teams apply different prices for the same product.
5. Pricing is disconnected from catalog and billing logic.

These issues reduce predictability, increase disputes, and obscure true profitability.

## What Price Lists Is
Price Lists is a pricing governance layer that:

- defines multiple price lists per customer, segment, or channel,
- applies conditional pricing rules,
- supports time-bound promotions,
- manages quantity-based and tiered pricing,
- integrates pricing directly into operational documents.

Prices are not manually chosen; they are the result of governed rules.

## Core Capabilities
### 1) Governed Pricing Rules
Define base prices, discounts, and conditions in a controlled and auditable way.

### 2) Customer and Channel Differentiation
Apply different pricing logic based on customer type, contract, territory, or sales channel.

### 3) Time-Bound Promotions
Activate and deactivate promotions automatically, preventing forgotten discounts.

### 4) Quantity and Tiered Pricing
Support volume-based pricing without duplicating price lists.

### 5) Native Integration with Catalog and Documents
Pricing rules apply automatically to quotes, orders, and invoices, eliminating manual overrides.

### 6) Audit and Permissions
All pricing changes are logged and controlled by roles and permissions.

## Design Principles
- Pricing must be governed, not improvised.
- Margin protection is a system responsibility.
- Rules should replace memory and spreadsheets.
- Pricing logic must live where documents are generated.
- Every price decision must be traceable.

## Comparative Table - Direct Competitor Analysis
| Feature / Capability | Alkemist Price Lists | QuickBooks Price Levels | Zoho Pricing Rules | Shopify Price Lists | Salesforce CPQ |
|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------------|--------------------|---------------------|----------------|
| Pricing Model | Rules-based, multi-condition | Simple price levels | Product-level rules | Channel-based prices | Advanced CPQ logic |
| Time-Bound Promotions | Native and enforced | Manual | Limited | Plugin-dependent | Native |
| Integration with Catalog | Native, unified | Partial | CRM-centric | E-commerce only | CRM ecosystem |
| Integration with Documents | Quotes, orders, invoices | Limited | CRM objects | Orders only | Full quoting |
| Governance & Audit | Full role-based traceability | Basic | Moderate | Limited | Advanced |
| Margin Protection | System-enforced | Manual | Partial | Add-on dependent | Native but complex |

## Why Alkemist Price Lists Is Structurally Superior
- Pricing logic is centralized and enforced system-wide.
- Rules reflect real commercial complexity without manual intervention.
- Prices remain consistent across all documents and processes.
- Governance prevents silent margin erosion.
- Pricing becomes predictable, inspectable, and scalable.

## Typical Use Cases
1. B2B companies with differentiated pricing by customer or contract.
2. Organizations running temporary promotions with strict expiration.
3. Sales teams requiring consistent pricing across channels.
4. Businesses managing volume-based discounts.
5. Companies seeking margin protection and auditability.

## Systemic Impact
1. Reduces pricing errors and disputes.
2. Protects gross margin through enforced logic.
3. Shortens quote-to-cash cycles.
4. Improves trust in commercial data.
5. Aligns pricing with operational reality.

## Summary
Alkemist Price Lists transforms pricing from scattered lists into a governed, rules-based system component.
By embedding pricing logic into the operational platform, it ensures consistency, protects margins, and reduces systemic risk across sales and billing processes.