Policies
MAP policies
What a MAP policy is in MapProtector, what it covers, how an observation is measured against it, and who may create or end one.
Last revised
A MAP policy states the minimum price at which a scope of products may be advertised, from a date. In MapProtector it is the reference every evaluation is made against: an observation is below policy when its price, after the policy’s tolerance and treatment rules, is under the effective MAP at that instant.
What a policy is made of
| Part | Fixed or versioned | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Fixed at creation | The brand; whether it covers the whole brand, a product group or one product; the marketplace; the condition (New, Used, Refurbished or Any). |
| Version | Appended over time | The MAP amount and currency, the instant it is in force from, the tolerance, and the shipping, coupon, cart-price and out-of-stock rules. Each version is immutable once written. |
The scope cannot be edited afterwards. A policy for a different marketplace, condition or set of products is a different policy. What can change is what the floor says, and that is always a new version — see Policy versions.
Which policy applies
When more than one policy could cover an observation, the narrowest scope wins: a policy for the product beats one for its product group, which beats one for the brand, for the same marketplace and condition. A product no policy covers is not evaluated, and each of its observations says so rather than reading as compliant.
How an observation is judged
An observation is measured against the policy version that applied to its product, marketplace and condition when the price was seen. An approved promotion covering that window lowers the floor for it; an active exception either exempts it (Not applicable) or lets it be measured but never enforced; and the treatment rules decide whether shipping, coupons, cart-only prices and out-of-stock offers count. A price exactly at MAP is compliant; a price inside the tolerance is compliant; anything lower is below policy.
Tolerance
Tolerance is how far below the floor a price may fall before it is treated as below policy. None means the floor is the floor. An amount is a fixed sum in the policy’s currency. A percentage is evaluated exactly.
Who may do what
| Action | Role |
|---|---|
| Read policies and their history | Viewer and above |
| Create a policy, append a version, end a policy | Brand Admin |
| Draft a promotion | Compliance Manager and above |
| Create or revoke an exception | Compliance Manager and above |
| Approve or cancel a promotion | Brand Admin |
Creating a policy puts a floor in force immediately, which changes what every seller is measured against from that instant — so it sits with the role that owns the workspace.
Ending a policy
A policy is ended by appending an end version: from that instant the policy states nothing, and observations for its scope are not evaluated unless a wider policy covers them. Ending is visible in the version history as an event; nothing is deleted. Open cases under the policy are not closed by ending it — a brand withdrawing its own floor is not a seller raising a price.