Purchasing
Compare prices from several suppliers on the same references
Every supplier sends its price list in its own format. Mergy lines them up on the product reference to put prices side by side, and shows what one offers and the other does not.
A concrete example
Two electrical wholesalers send you their price lists. The columns have different names, but the manufacturer reference is in both files.
| Mfr. ref | Description | Novadis price |
|---|---|---|
| DIS-10A | 10 A circuit breaker | 7.85 |
| DIS-16A | 16 A circuit breaker | 8.10 |
| ID-40A | 40 A RCD switch | 62.40 |
| PRI-2PT | Socket outlet | 4.95 |
| mfr_ref | proxifour_price | lead_days |
|---|---|---|
| DIS-10A | 7.40 | 2 |
| dis-16a | 8.35 | 2 |
| ID-40A | 59.90 | 5 |
| BOI-65 | 1.20 | 3 |
| Statut | Mfr. ref | Description | Novadis price | proxifour_price | lead_days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+B | DIS-10A | 10 A circuit breaker | 7.85 | 7.40 | 2 |
| A+B | DIS-16A | 16 A circuit breaker | 8.10 | 8.35 | 2 |
| A+B | ID-40A | 40 A RCD switch | 62.40 | 59.90 | 5 |
| A | PRI-2PT | Socket outlet | 4.95 | ||
| B | BOI-65 | 1.20 | 3 |
Proxifour is cheaper on the 10 A breaker and the RCD switch, Novadis on the 16 A one (“dis-16a” is linked despite the lowercase). The socket is only offered by Novadis (A only) and the wall box only by Proxifour (B only): two quotes to request.
How to do it, in three steps
- 1
Drop the price lists
One per supplier, as Excel or CSV. Two files for free, as many as needed with Pro.
- 2
Link them by reference
Manufacturer reference, barcode or internal code: choose “All rows, even without a match” to lose nothing.
- 3
Export the comparison
Keep the description and price columns, then sort or filter in your spreadsheet.
Give each price column its own name
This matters most. If both files have a “Net price” column, Mergy treats them as the same information: it keeps the first file's price and only uses the second when the first is empty. To compare, rename the column in each file before dropping it, for instance “Novadis price” and “Proxifour price”.
What Mergy does, and what it leaves to the spreadsheet
Mergy lines up the rows and tells you what is missing on either side. It does not compute the price gap or the cheapest supplier: once the file is exported, a simple subtraction or the MIN function in your spreadsheet does the rest, on data that is already aligned.
With Pro, you can drop three or more price lists linked by the same reference: each supplier adds its columns to the comparison.
Frequently asked questions
My suppliers do not use the same references.
You need a shared column: manufacturer reference, barcode or a code you added. Without a shared value, no tool can link rows automatically.
Can I compare more than two suppliers?
Yes, with Pro: as many files as you need, on the same reference.
Are prices changed?
No. Every cell is kept as is, separators and decimals included.
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