If you’re following along with us every week, you’ve likely been in the world of Minimum Advertised Pricing and brand data for some time. If you have, you’ve also likely heard it all, from “we scrape the entire internet” to “we can accurately track first-movers in real-time,” and the list goes on. There is no shortage of what data providers will do or say to prey on those who rely on the data but exist outside of the technical side of online extraction (aka crawling, scraping, etc.)
Plenty of MAP providers talk about “accurate data” and “full visibility,” but for many brands, those promises don’t translate into results. If you’re trying to enforce your MAP policy and feel like you’re always chasing violations, reacting instead of planning, or dealing with inconsistencies week to week – you might not have a policy problem. You might have a data problem.
Good data is the foundation of an effective MAP strategy – it’s what enables brands to enforce consistently, maintain retailer trust, and protect revenue. But not all data is created equal, and understanding what separates “data” from valuable, decision-ready intelligence is key to staying in control.
This week in The Brand Data Revolution, we’re helping you unpack what good data really looks like – and what red flags signal it’s time to reevaluate your MAP provider.
It’s Not About More Data — It’s About the Right Data
Some providers pride themselves on pulling in massive volumes of listings, one-off URLs, and a multitude of screenshots. But volume isn’t the same as value—especially when it’s built on inconsistent, unpredictable sources.
Many monitoring providers rely heavily on search result pages to find listings, especially for marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. The problem? Search results are designed for consumers, not for those executing your MAP enforcement.
- Search results vary daily based on location, algorithm updates, ad placements, and seller performance.
- This leads to inconsistent visibility, making it hard to establish patterns or trends.
- When brands rely on this sort of data, they end up reacting to whichever seller happens to show up today, instead of focusing on those violators that are actually affecting the business.
When your data source constantly shifts, you lose the ability to enforce predictably. You feel like you’re always reacting to the “retailer du jour,” never getting ahead of the violations that actually impact your pricing integrity.
Good MAP data focuses on tracking the actual sources – your core retail partners and their tracked behaviors – not just who popped up in today’s search results.
Core Qualities of Good MAP Data
When it comes down to it, understanding data quality is hard. Unless you’re a long-time veteran who’s been burned throughout your career and therefore knows the red flags, there aren’t a lot of places to look to understand how to gauge your data quality.
Here’s what brands should expect from data that’s truly supporting their MAP enforcement strategy:
🔹 Accuracy – Clean, verified pricing and seller identification, coupled with accurate photo evidence. This will give you the confidence needed to share exactly who’s violating and how. False positives damage retailer trust. False negatives hurt revenue.
🔹 Completeness – All relevant listings monitored, including multiple seller names on marketplaces, third-party resellers, and duplicates across sites – not just a sample. The best MAP providers will standardize sellers across marketplaces, so you don’t have to treat them differently on separate channels.
🔹 Repeatability – You can’t enforce effectively if your data coverage changes from week to week. Good data allows you to track trends, measure improvement, and manage performance over time with confidence. If your reporting consists of a myriad of URLs and they fluctuate day by day, you may be getting a high volume of sellers, but not necessarily reliable data.
🔹 Predictability – Your monitoring strategy should be structured, not chaotic. When data is predictable, enforcement becomes proactive instead of reactive. If your provider is sharing Google Search Results instead of staying locked in on specific websites, they’re likely going for the low-hanging fruit because it’s easier, not because they’re good at what they do.
🔹 Up-Time & Reliability – If your data feed goes dark when a retailer deploys new anti-scraping measures, your enforcement stalls. Many providers take weeks to respond. At Pervasive Mind, our AI-powered system identifies and adapts to these blockers in hours, keeping your monitoring consistent and reliable.
The Danger of Inconsistent Data
When data isn’t accurate or consistent, brands experience:
- Retailer pushback – Retailers won’t trust your enforcement if you can’t prove violations with clarity.
- Selective enforcement – Incomplete data leads to spotty enforcement, which encourages more violations as retailers know you’re playing a game of Whac-a-Mole. They know they’ll be caught sometimes, but not all the time and that’s a gamble they’re willing to make.
- Wasted time – Your team spends more time validating data and responding to false alarms than driving compliance. Productivity hours are hard to get back…if your team is spending time cleaning data, verifying listings and double-checking sources, you’re already too late to execute timely enforcement.
- Loss of control – You’re stuck in reaction mode, with no ability to plan, track progress, or improve.
Bottom line: If your data doesn’t empower action and reduce non-compliance, it’s not good data.
What Makes Pervasive Mind Different
At Pervasive Mind, we don’t just collect data—we deliver decision-ready intelligence you can count on:
✔️ We avoid search result scraping. Our monitoring targets the actual seller listings, ensuring predictable, repeatable insights for your MAP program.
✔️ We adapt fast. When retailers roll out new blockers, our AI-powered system quickly tests and deploys workarounds, minimizing downtime and ensuring you stay covered.
✔️ We focus on clarity. You get comprehensive, accurate data with the level of detail you need to take action – no noise, no guesswork.
Final Thoughts: Know What You’re Paying For
Suffice it to say that not all MAP data is created equal. If your provider can’t deliver accurate, consistent, and actionable insights, it’s your brand – and your revenue – that pays the price.
At Pervasive Mind, we believe that good data is clear, complete, reliable and empowers action. If your MAP strategy feels like it’s stuck in reaction mode, it might be time to re-evaluate the quality of your data.
📩 Let’s talk about how better data leads to better enforcement – and better outcomes.
