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The holiday season · 2026

When the better price is on your own website

Before Black Friday and Christmas, work through the price questions your store teams will be asked.

By MOAR AdvisorySeptember 30, 20264 minute read
An illustrative scene of a shopper showing a phone to a store associate at a retail counter.

A shopper finds a lower price on your website while standing in your store. There may be a good reason for the difference, but someone still has to explain it.

An online-only price or a member offer may explain it. But the customer is ready to buy, and the associate needs to know what they can do.

With Black Friday and Christmas ahead, that conversation is worth checking before the promotion goes live.

Exhibit 1 · Shopper behaviour

The price check does not stop at the store entrance.

UNITED STATES · 2026
68%

check the retailer’s own website or app for a lower price while in its store, at least sometimes.1

Dynata for Akeneo · 1,000 U.S. adults · August 2026

CANADA · 2025 HOLIDAY SURVEY
80%

say they compare prices.2

Retail Council of Canada × Léger · 2,505 Canadian adults · August 2025

79%
UNITED STATES · 2026

have delayed a purchase because they expected the price to fall later.1

The surveys asked different questions and were conducted in different periods. The Canadian findings provide context from the previous holiday season. Sources and methodology ↓

An accurate offer can still be hard to explain.

An online promotion may be designed to encourage online orders, while a member discount rewards loyalty. Extending either to every purchase changes the offer’s economics. Retailers need to make the conditions clear and agree how stores should respond.

Read the offer together

Email

Leads with the discount

Product page

Adds the exclusions

Shelf ticket

Shows the regular price

An illustrative exampleWhat price would the customer expect to pay?

Before launch, pricing, digital and store leaders need to agree when an online price can be honoured in store, what exceptions are allowed and what those choices mean for margin. Otherwise, a commercial decision left unresolved in planning can end up with a store manager while the customer waits.

Exhibit 2 · A decision to make before launch

When a customer shows you a lower price

A suggested way to handle the conversation. Agree the details with pricing, digital and store teams before the offer goes live.

Resolving a question about a lower online priceCheck whether the product and eligibility match. If not, explain the difference and available options. If they match, check whether the store can apply the offer. If yes, apply it. If no or unclear, explain the restriction or escalate if needed. Then explain the decision and record recurring questions. Customer shows alower online price Do the product andeligibility match? NOExplain the differenceand available options YESCan the store applythis offer? YESApply the offer NO / UNCLEARExplain the restriction;escalate if needed Explain the decision; recordquestions that keep coming back AGREE IN ADVANCEOffer conditions · store discretion · who can approve
Customer shows a lower online priceCheck the product and eligibility.If they differ: explain the difference and available options.
If they match ↓
Can the store apply the offer?Yes: apply it.
No or unclear: explain the restriction or escalate if needed.
Once resolved ↓
Explain the decisionRecord questions that keep coming back.

Agree the offer conditions, what store colleagues can decide and who to call for approval.

Before the offer goes out

Take a few planned promotions to a store colleague. Ask how they would explain each one to a customer, and where they would need help.

Read what the customer will see

Look at the email, product page, checkout and store signage together. Check that the dates, exclusions and membership conditions are easy to find and understand.

Agree when a manager is needed

Be clear about which price changes an associate can approve. If they need permission, they should know whom to call and be able to reach them during store hours.

Share the answer with other stores

When several stores ask the same question, check whether the offer needs clearer wording. Send the answer to every affected store while the promotion is still running.

Sources and methodology

  1. Akeneo, “Shoppers No Longer Take Prices at Face Value,” September 23, 2026. Survey commissioned by Akeneo and conducted by Dynata in August 2026 among 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and over. The 68% figure includes “at least sometimes”; the reported purchase-delay finding specifies no recall period.
  2. Retail Council of Canada × Léger, 2025 Holiday Shopping Survey release, October 20, 2025. Representative national sample of 2,505 Canadian adults aged 18 and over, surveyed August 5–25, 2025, in both official languages. The 80% figure is prior-season context.