Yesterday, I discussed the report that you can quickly get for doing price checks on products in your area. Now I will review the options for getting the report. As I discussed yesterday here, suppliers present you with many products, but it's hard to know the real retail price and your item's margin, so Australian retailers are using free AI tools that automate price checks. These tools help you quickly compare prices, avoid idle stock, and maximise margins without manual searches, saving time and boosting profits. The problem is that manually checking prices via search engines is time-consuming.

In comparison, a simple Google Shopping search works for a single product. If, for example, I want to check 40 products and it takes me a minute or so to do one, I am looking at an hour of work. This is why, when you have many items to check, that's where AI can help, as it offers a quicker way to get real-time insights. Not only that, but it provides a deep analysis and local relevance. This allows you to get real figures so you can improve customer satisfaction and boost your bottom line.

In our test, we focused on free AI systems to keep things accessible for small operators. We limited evaluations to no-cost options, ensuring recommendations fit tight budgets. By the end, you'll have clear guidance on which AI tool might suit your needs.

Our Evaluation Approach

Using the scoring system below, we tested six free AI tools with a query.

"What price is Monopoly Indiana Jones Edition in Keysborough, Victoria, Australia?"

As usual, we used a Structured Scoring System.

To fairly assess these AI tools, we adopted a 100-point scoring system based on key criteria essential for retailers.

The categories include:

• Accuracy (30 points): How closely the AI's price data matches verified market values. Google Shopping was used as a benchmark here.
• Relevance and Personalisation (20 points): Most of our clients are local, so we gave points to their location and business context.
• Completeness and Depth (20 points): Coverage of options, variations, and caveats.
• Helpfulness and User-Friendliness (15 points): Actionable advice and ease of use.
• Clarity and Structure (10 points): Organisation and readability. Who has the time to work out things? If it can be read and absorbed quickly, the better.
• Ethical Handling (5 points): Did it state any limitations in its analysis?

This system ensures objectivity, much like how a POS analyses sales data to recommend stock levels. We evaluated six popular AIs: Deepseek, Qwen, Claude, Grok, Gemini Google, and ChatGPT. Let's dive into the results, highlighting how each could enhance your shop.

Here's how each performed, starting with the lowest scorers.

Claude

Summary: Lacking Specifics

We failed it as it did not give prices. We are testing for prices, and it provided none.

We liked that it openly admitted it can't fetch real-time prices and provided some helpful information. However, if you are looking at price checking, forget it.

Deepseek

Summary: Solid Local Focus with Room for Precision

Deepseek performed respectably, scoring 75 out of 100. It provided price ranges of $40–$60 for standard editions and $70–$100 for collectors, which are somewhat realistic but slightly overestimate everyday values. What surprised us was that it excelled in local relevance by suggesting stores like Parkmore Shopping Centre in Keysborough, complete with contact tips.

The tool's structure, with bullet points and headings, makes it user-friendly. We liked that it urged you to check current prices. Overall, Deepseek offers a good starting point for SMB retailers seeking local insights without complexity.

Grok

Summary: Comprehensive with Accurate Ranges

Grok earned 80 points, delivering prices from $28–$108 across retailers, with both notes on shipping and local checks. It was personalised to Keysborough by mentioning Parkmore, though it leaned more national in focus.

While its structure had minor issues, Grok's actionable advice, such as visiting stores, makes it practical. It included helpful links without overpromising.

Qwen

Summary: Good Online Depth

With a score of 84, Qwen stands out for its balanced approach. It quoted realistic online prices of $35–$60, and we liked that it stated the local unavailability in the local shopping centre, Keysborough. A detail critical to retailers in pricing.

Qwen's clear lists and engaging tone add to its appeal.

Gemini Google

Summary: A Top Performer

Because it has access to Google shopping information, it impressed us with its retail prices, ranging from $17.50 to $80. It was heavily tailored to Keysborough locations like Parkmore. Its local focus and structure, which included tables, make it highly user-friendly.

ChatGPT

Summary: Depth and Helpfulness in Equal Measure

ChatGPT scored 90; it ticked most of the boxes: an image to confirm that you have the right product, detailed tables with prices $17.50–$73.95, strong local tie-ins, and noted caveats. Its completeness, including delivery tips, makes it a standout for comprehensive analysis.

Based on these scores, here's what stood out overall.

Overall Insights and Recommendations

Although all AI tools handled ethics well by admitting limitations, we liked that Deepseek and Gemini, in particular, urged real-time verification. Never assume that AI is correct.

Gemini (Google) and ChatGPT are good choices; they both excel in depth and relevance.

Practical Tips for Implementing AI in Your POS

1) Embracing AI for price checking positions your store for success.

2) To get started, I suggest that you choose Google Gemini or ChatGPT.

3) Test some products from your shop. I suggest starting with your top sellers and then some dead stock.

4) Get a feel of the reports.

5) Make a trip to the local shops to check the accuracy.

Start today!

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

Using AI to set pricing decisions can help you determine prices and stay competitive. If the price is too high, your customers walk away; if it's too low, you're selling too cheaply. For many retailers, finding that ideal point is tricky in a marketplace that can change their prices overnight. I have discussed this issue earlier here as well.

In today’s market, you should trust your gut to assess how your pricing compares. Free AI tools can provide quick, localised insights into what your competitors are charging. Knowing this, it is easier to set prices without taking up too much time.

Let’s go through an example.

The Challenge: Knowing the True Retail Price

Imagine running a shop in Keysborough and considering stocking Monopoly: Indiana Jones Edition. Your supplier gives it a great rap, tells you a wholesale cost, quotes a retail price, but how do you confirm their retail price and determine if it's as good a seller as they claim?

Traditionally, you’d go to a local shopping centre and look around—that's maybe an hour of work, plus how can you leave the shop for an hour over one product? Or you might hit Google Shopping, search for the product name, and scan the listings there. That’s easy enough for one product. But say you’re reviewing 40 items — suddenly you’re looking at an hour or more of work, clicking through results, checking conditions, and making sure you’re comparing the same SKU.

The fact is that doing it manually is time-consuming and prone to human error.

Where AI Changes the Game

This is where AI-powered price comparison tools like ChatGPT can revolutionise the problem by instantly scanning multiple retailers, comparing their prices, identifying their promotions, and localising them for your specific location.

For example, I picked a game as a sample, "Monopoly: Indiana Jones Edition".

So I ran a query in ChatGPT "What price is Monopoly Indiana Jones Edition in Keysborough, Victoria, Australia?"

in Keysborough through ChatGPT’s data tools. In a matter of seconds, I received a summary that:

• Confirmed the correct product with an image reference (avoiding costly mix-ups). Green square
• Highlighted a typical local retail range: $65–$70, with a benchmark example from Toyworld at $69.99. Purple square
• Flagged that JB Hi-Fi had a special promotion potentially lower than the market average — perhaps even below your wholesale cost. Maybe you can get it cheaper. Black square
• Noted that in many cases the product was marked as “on order” rather than available for immediate purchase. This makes me suspicious that it's such a great seller.

So I decided to check for availability.

Why This Matters to Your Pricing Strategy

Beyond just pricing, understanding competitor promotions can dictate your sales tactics.

Setting a Competitive Yet Profitable Price

Knowing the local going rate means you can confidently set your price within the $65–$70 band without underpricing or scaring buyers off. If the market is consistent at that range, you’re on safe ground.

Tracking Competitor Promotions

If a competitor runs a temporary promotion, you need to decide whether to run your offers, maintain your current strategy, or drop the product.

Managing Availability to Your Advantage

If many competitors have the product “on order” only, as you can see here, you can leverage this scarcity.

Saving Time

Instead of spending hours doing manual searches, you are getting instant results.

From Price Insights to Actionable Retail Decisions

Here’s where a modern POS system ties it all together. AI pricing insights are powerful on their own, but when integrated into your POS, start by checking your top-selling items or dead stock, and see whether you are competing on price or convenience. Doing this will give you AI-driven price insights.

Bringing It Back to Your Store

Smart pricing is not about being the cheapest, but also about understanding your place in the market to stay competitive.

AI-powered retail price optimisation solutions now integrate, process, and analyse data from across the organisation in near real-time. This level of visibility and control provides retailers with the rapid insights needed to make smart pricing decisions.

Tomorrow, I will discuss the AI tools in detail for doing these price comparisons.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

The major supermarkets are facing serious allegations about their pricing practices, with legal action from the ACCC and now a class action lawsuit. Here are some insights we need to consider about this situation.

Understanding the Case

The allegations against Coles and Woolworths focus on their "Prices Dropped" and "Down Down" promotions.

The core issue is that these supermarkets allegedly Had products at regular prices. Temporarily increased these prices. Later, they dropped the price to a level above the original regular price. They then marketed these as discounted. 

The Grey Areas in Retail Pricing

As retailers, we face dealing with vague terms in consumer laws. Politicians often use words like "reasonable" without clear definitions, leaving it to the courts to determine their meaning. This creates uncertainty for retailers trying to comply with the law. My Personal Experience: I remember a situation from my childhood in our family shop that highlights the complexity of this issue. My Mum had ordered candles at one price, and then my Grandfather, unaware of the existing stock in the storeroom, ordered more. When we noticed the error, the price had gone up, so we had too much. We created a display with prices slightly above the old price and advertised it as a discount. Under today's scrutiny, this is dubious.

Practical Implications

If you've recently increased product prices, be careful about advertising discounts if the "reduced" price is still above the original price point. The tricky part is determining what constitutes a "reasonable time" between price changes if you want to use the word discount - something we're waiting for the courts to clarify.

The Class Action Development

Two legal firms, independent of the ACCC case, have now initiated a separate class action. While this adds another layer of complexity to the situation, it's important to note that this action is separate from the ACCC's proceedings. Even if the ACCC case fails, these might not.

How much are we looking at from the consumer, say $300/week for a typical purchase, 20 months for Woolworths at 10% of the weekly bill? We are looking at $300 (weekly spend) x 365 (days a year) / 7 (days a week) /12 (months a year) x 20 months x 10% (of the bill) = $2,6000

We are talking millions of customers, so you do the maths here now to see the seriousness of the case and add what I am sure will be tens of millions in legal costs. 

Plus, the loss of goodwill.

The links are here to check these out or join these actions.

Class Action – Woolworths & Coles Deceptive Pricing Allegations

Woolworths | Class Action Investigation

Coles | Class Action Investigation

Protecting Your Business - POS system compliance

A modern POS system can be your best ally in maintaining pricing compliance and transparency. Here's how: Automated Price History Tracking Your POS system will automatically keep a detailed audit trail of every price change, including Original prices, Date and time of changes, The staff member who made the change, and the Duration of promotional prices. Generate price change reports for compliance.

Meanwhile

While we await more explicit guidelines from the courts about what constitutes "reasonable" pricing practices, remember that when used properly, your POS system can provide the documentation and tracking tools that you may need to demonstrate compliance and maintain transparency with your customers

FAQ

Q: What pricing practices are under scrutiny?

A: Retailers whose regular prices were temporarily increased before being "dropped" to levels above the original price while being marketed as special deals.

Q: What are the legal requirements for price promotions?

A: Under Australian Consumer Law, businesses must not use misleading or deceptive pricing practices, including transparently representing discounts and promotions.

Q: How can retailers ensure compliance?

A: Retailers should implement transparent pricing strategies, maintain clear documentation of price changes, and regularly audit their promotional practices.