Accurate 'was-now' pricing: the 30-day rule and your autumn campaign
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
The crossed-out price in an offer must be the lowest price of the past 30 days. This is how you record your price history, reduce prices in steps, and ensure your packaging stock is sufficient for the promotion week.
Last autumn, a shopkeeper reduced the price of a batch of items from €12.95 to €7.95 and advertised them with "from €19.95", because that had once been the price. This is precisely what the regulator has been watching for a few years now. The crossed-out price in an offer is not a marketing figure you choose yourself — it is a price you can demonstrably prove you have charged. Anyone who wants to work with discounts in October and November had better get their price administration in order now. During the discount season itself, you won't have time for it.
What the rule says exactly
When announcing a price reduction, you must state which price you previously applied, and that reference price is the lowest price you charged in the 30 days before the offer. This obligation comes from the European Omnibus Directive and has been in force in the Netherlands since May 2022. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) explains the rule and its background on acm.nl. The goal is simple: to prevent a price from increasing shortly before a promotion so that the discount appears larger than it is.
There are a few situations where the rule works differently. For products with a limited shelf life, it's different, and for a continuous markdown — you gradually lower the price without raising it again in between — you can continue to refer to the original price. General slogans without a concrete comparison figure ("SALE", "outlet") and constructions like 1+1 free also work differently from a classic 'from-to' price. If you are in doubt about your specific case, consult the source: the ACM publishes guidelines on this. This article is a practical summary, not legal advice.
Keeping track of your price history without hassle
The rule is not burdensome, but it does require you to know what you have charged. For a small webshop or store, a simple list is sufficient. For each item you want to include in the promotion, note:
What
Why
Item number and description
So you can find it when a customer asks
Lowest price in the last 30 days
This is your reference price, not your recommended retail price
Date that price was valid
Proof that you actually charged the price
Promotional price and duration
So you know when to revert to the normal price
A practical rule: set your promotional prices at least 31 days in advance. If you quickly raise something in October, that increase will work against you in November, because the lowest price from that period counts.
Getting the price on the product
In a physical store or at a stall, a pricing gun remains the fastest tool. You can print a sticker with a price on the item in one motion, and for a markdown, you can stick a second one over it. Handy detail: most sets come with stickers and ink rollers, so you won't run out halfway through an afternoon.
Anyone who takes 50% off the price at once misses out on margin for items that would also have sold for 20% off. A gradual markdown almost always works better: first a modest step, and only if the stock remains, a larger one. This also aligns with the exception for continuous markdowns — as long as you do not increase the price again in the interim.
Color helps enormously with this. With price stickers in 6 colors, 500 pieces (€ 2.95) you give each markdown round its own color. You can then see at a glance what has already been through two rounds, and your staff doesn't have to memorize anything. Put the color code on paper next to the cash register, otherwise, by December, no one will remember what yellow meant.
Where your campaign usually fails
Not on price, but on execution. Three things that keep coming back in the autumn:
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