Pricing products in your online shop can feel like a guessing game. Price too high, customers might leave. Price too low, and profits take a hit. Many online shops still rely on older pricing methods.
But now, there’s a smarter way. AI is here to help set your prices and boost your earnings. Pivotics is making this happen. They have an AI tool to help online shops get smarter prices, which means bigger profits. We interviewed their founder, Mehul, to learn all about it.
What is Pivotics?
Pivotics is an AI-driven platform designed to optimise pricing for e-commerce businesses. It serves online retailers, direct-to-consumer brands, and e-commerce business owners across varied industries such as fashion, beauty, health, and food.
These businesses often grapple with setting the right price—a task complicated by fluctuating market dynamics and customer demands. Traditional pricing strategies, often based on guesswork, fall short in maintaining competitiveness and profitability.
Pivotics addresses these challenges by using AI to provide real-time, data-backed pricing recommendations. The platform continuously analyses competitor pricing, market trends, and customer demand, helping businesses make informed decisions without the need for manual adjustments. For example, if you’re selling a range of beauty products, Pivotics can automatically adjust your prices based on competitors’ moves and changing market conditions, ensuring you attract customers while preserving margins.
What sets Pivotics apart is its focus on small to mid-sized e-commerce businesses. Unlike complex pricing tools fit for large enterprises, Pivotics is designed to be user-friendly and seamlessly integrate with popular e-commerce platforms. This means you can easily incorporate dynamic pricing into your existing systems, allowing your business to maintain an edge in today’s competitive market. The platform’s automation capabilities ensure minimal effort is needed to keep up with market changes, making it an accessible solution for businesses eager to maximise revenue effortlessly.
Pivotics Founders
Mehul Aghi stands at the helm of Pivotics, the brainchild of a seasoned Product Marketing Manager. With over five years spent honing his craft in the startup arena, Mehul’s background is steeped in growth and customer acquisition. His academic passage through UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business laid a solid foundation in product marketing and growth strategy. Pre-Pivotics, Mehul carved his niche at Kyte, where he was instrumental in orchestrating marketing initiatives critical to securing initial funding.
Adding another feather to his cap, one of his startup concepts found its way into Y Combinator’s subsidiary, Startup School, underscoring his knack for building and scaling ventures.
In the bustling world of aerospace, Mehul first glimpsed the intricate dance of pricing strategies, especially within large enterprises managing vast product portfolios. The complexity of pricing 10,000 plus products across various sectors was formidable. As the markets unfolded new challenges, the difficulty in maintaining optimal product pricing became apparent. Such experiences with complex market dynamics have driven him to solve pricing puzzles. He realised early that e-commerce businesses, irrespective of their size, were grappling with similar issues. These businesses needed precise, dynamic pricing strategies—something largely unavailable or overly complex at the time.
Taking these experiences to heart, Pivotics was born amidst a quest to break down pricing barriers for small to mid-sized e-commerce businesses. The early days saw Mehul navigating hurdles to craft a robust AI model capable of processing and adjusting prices using myriad factors. The journey involved rigorous research, testing, and listening to potential users to pin down what existing solutions missed. Many conversations with business owners cemented the idea that a simple, automated, and real-time approach was not only needed but essential. The result? A platform that speaks directly to the pricing woes of e-commerce retailers looking to maximise margins without getting lost in complexity.
Interview with Mehul Aghi, Founder of Pivotics
We had the opportunity to chat with Mehul Aghi, the founder of Pivotics, to get the inside scoop on how they are changing e-commerce pricing. Mehul walked us through his journey and vision for Pivotics. It is clear he’s passionate about making sophisticated AI pricing accessible to more businesses. Here is how our conversation went:
Q: Mehul, could you explain in simple terms what Pivotics actually does for e-commerce businesses?
A: Certainly. Pivotics uses artificial intelligence to help online shops set the best prices for their products. Think of it as a smart pricing assistant. It analyses lots of information like what your competitors are charging, current market trends, and customer demand. Based on this, it suggests prices that should help businesses make more profit without overpricing and losing customers.
Q: Who exactly is Pivotics designed for? Which types of businesses benefit most from your platform?
A: We built Pivotics with small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses in mind. These are typically online retailers, direct-to-consumer brands, and general e-commerce business owners. They might sell anything from fashion and beauty items to health products and food. Essentially, anyone selling online who finds pricing a headache and wants a smarter, data-driven approach. They are often businesses that know they could be doing better with pricing but lack the time or resources to do it manually.
Q: What is the main problem that Pivotics is trying to fix for these businesses?
A: The core problem is pricing optimisation. Many e-commerce businesses struggle to find that sweet spot. Price too high, and people will shop elsewhere. Price too low, and you are not maximising your earnings. Traditional methods often involve guesswork or outdated strategies. Pivotics steps in to remove the guesswork. We use AI to provide real-time, data-backed pricing suggestions. This means businesses can react to market changes and competitor actions quickly and effectively.
Q: How does Pivotics actually solve this problem? What’s under the hood?
A: Pivotics provides AI-powered pricing optimisation. It is all about setting the right prices using real-time market data. The platform constantly monitors competitor prices, market trends, product demand, and past sales data. It then uses this information to generate dynamic pricing recommendations. Instead of manual adjustments and hunches, businesses get data-driven insights. Our platform has a user-friendly dashboard where businesses can see these insights, adjust their strategies, and track performance in real time. It also integrates smoothly with popular e-commerce platforms, so implementation is straightforward.
Q: Tell us a bit about the team behind Pivotics. Who founded the company?
A: Pivotics was founded by myself, Mehul Aghi. My background is in product marketing. For over five years, I have been focused on helping startups grow and get more customers. I studied at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Before Pivotics, I was at an early-stage startup called Kyte, where I led marketing efforts. I have also had another startup accepted into Y Combinator’s Startup School programme. At Pivotics, I look after product development, the go-to-market strategy, and overall growth. My experience in e-commerce, pricing strategies, and AI-driven automation has been crucial in developing Pivotics.
Q: What was the inspiration behind starting Pivotics? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked the idea?
A: My inspiration came from my time working in the aerospace industry. I saw firsthand how incredibly complex pricing was for a large company with thousands of products across different markets. This company had over 10,000 products sold globally, in sectors like defence, automotive, and industrial. Keeping prices optimal across all these products, especially with market changes, became almost impossible. Tracking competitor prices, demand, and costs at that scale was a huge challenge. It made me realise that pricing problems are not just for big enterprises. E-commerce businesses of all sizes face this daily. Whether you sell a few products or many, dynamically adjusting prices in real time is tough without the right tools. That’s why I created Pivotics—to automate these pricing decisions with AI and make it accessible to more businesses.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in the early days of building Pivotics?
A: One of the main challenges was developing an effective pricing recommendation model. Pricing is complex. You have to factor in market trends, competitor pricing, demand, seasonal changes, and profit margins. Creating an AI model that balances all of these elements accurately was not easy. I spent a lot of time researching and refining our approach to ensure the AI provided trustworthy pricing recommendations. Another challenge was understanding the existing market. Many pricing tools existed, but they were often aimed at large companies, too complicated, or didn’t offer real-time AI optimisation for smaller e-commerce businesses. I had to identify the gaps in the market and ensure Pivotics was user-friendly and effective for these businesses. To validate the idea, I spoke to many potential users and gathered feedback. These conversations confirmed that pricing optimisation was a real pain point and that an AI-driven solution would be valuable.
Q: How does Pivotics stand out from its competitors? What makes it different?
A: Several things differentiate Pivotics. Firstly, our AI-driven real-time pricing optimisation is key. Many competitors rely on static pricing rules or manual adjustments. Pivotics analyses market data in real time to ensure businesses always have competitive and profitable prices. Secondly, we are specifically designed for small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses. Many pricing tools are complex and expensive, aimed at large enterprises. Pivotics is accessible, easy to use, and effective for growing businesses without enterprise-level costs. Thirdly, we offer seamless integration with e-commerce platforms. Traditional software can require complex setup. Pivotics integrates effortlessly, so businesses can start optimising pricing quickly. Fourthly, we offer automation with smart adjustments. Some competitors provide insights but still require manual price changes. Pivotics automates price adjustments while giving users full control. Finally, we have a user-centric approach. Pivotics was built with direct input from e-commerce business owners, and we continuously refine it based on their feedback.
Q: Has Pivotics received any external funding?
A: No, Pivotics has not received external funding yet.
Q: What are your plans for the future of Pivotics? What’s next on the horizon?
A: We are focused on continuously improving Pivotics based on user feedback and market needs. We are actively working on integrations with more e-commerce platforms and third-party tools to make our pricing optimisation even more seamless. In the near future, we plan to add advanced analytics and reporting features. This will give businesses deeper insights into their pricing strategies and how they impact revenue and profits. We are also exploring customisable pricing rules. This will allow users to set specific parameters for things like seasonal discounts or regional pricing adjustments. Additionally, we are looking into AI-driven predictive analytics to forecast market trends and customer behaviour. This will help businesses proactively adjust their pricing. Our goal is for Pivotics to become the go-to solution for e-commerce pricing optimisation, helping businesses maximise revenue and stay competitive in a changing market.
Q: Can you give us an idea of Pivotics’s current revenue and customer base?
A: Pivotics is currently in the soft launch phase and is pre-revenue. We have just finished developing the platform and are now focused on acquiring our first users. We are reaching out to early adopters and refining our offering based on their feedback. We aim to start generating revenue in the coming months as we onboard more businesses. Currently, we have no active users as we are in this initial soft launch phase. We are concentrating on getting our first customers through targeted outreach. As we grow, we plan to onboard a steady stream of e-commerce businesses looking to improve their pricing. Since we are in the soft launch with no active users yet, we do not have year-over-year growth figures to share at this stage. However, we are aiming for strong growth in user adoption and revenue as we move forward.
Q: What’s one key lesson you have learned during your startup journey with Pivotics that you would share with our readers?
A: One of the biggest lessons has been the importance of continuous user feedback. Pricing optimisation is a major challenge, and while AI can automate a lot, businesses still want control and flexibility. I made sure Pivotics is both intelligent and adaptable—offering AI recommendations but also allowing users to fine-tune their pricing strategies. Another key lesson is understanding the competitive landscape. There are pricing tools out there, but many are either too complex or require too much manual input. Pivotics aims to bridge that gap by offering a simple, data-driven solution for small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses that need smart automation without the complexity.
Q: Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses?
A: My best advice is to validate your idea thoroughly before you build it. Too many people spend time and money on a product without checking if there is real demand. Before developing Pivotics, I spoke with potential users to understand their problems and ensure that pricing optimisation was something businesses would actually pay for. Solve a real problem, not just chase trends. Successful businesses address lasting pain points. Iterate based on user feedback. Your first version won’t be perfect. Launch early, listen to users, and improve quickly. Pivotics has been refined based on feedback from e-commerce businesses. Be resourceful and scrappy, especially early on. You will wear many hats and have to hustle to get your first users. Stay focused but also be open to change. Your initial vision might evolve as you learn from the market. Adaptability is crucial. Most importantly, just start. There’s never a perfect time. You will learn more by doing than by waiting.
Q: Are there any industry statistics that you think are particularly relevant to Pivotics and the pricing optimisation market that our readers should know?
A: Yes, definitely. The pricing optimisation software market is growing significantly. It was valued at USD 856.39 million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 2,449.71 million by 2030, showing a compound annual growth rate of over 16%. In the broader AI in e-commerce space, the market is expected to grow from USD 7.25 billion in 2024 to USD 45.72 billion by 2032. A large majority of e-commerce businesses, around 84%, are prioritising AI integration. The e-commerce software market itself is also substantial, valued at USD 7.12 billion in 2022, with a projected growth rate of over 15% annually until 2030. These figures highlight the rapid adoption of AI in e-commerce and the increasing demand for pricing optimisation tools like Pivotics.
Feedough’s Take on Pivotics
Pricing in e-commerce? Still a headache for many shops. Pivotics steps in with AI, which feels like the right direction. They’re tackling a real problem: online businesses struggle to price products effectively. Getting it wrong means lost profit or lost customers. Pivotics offers a chance to change that, especially for smaller businesses that don’t have big teams for pricing strategy.
The future for Pivotics looks interesting. E-commerce is only getting bigger. More shops need smarter ways to manage prices and stay ahead. The challenge will be standing out in a crowded market. More and more AI tools pop up daily. Pivotics needs to show it’s not just another tool, but a real solution that delivers results.
Expect to see Pivotics focus on user growth and proving their tech works. Early adoption and good user feedback will be key. If they can show e-commerce businesses tangible profit increases, they’ll be onto something. Keep an eye on how they scale and adapt as the e-commerce market shifts. Disruption in pricing is overdue, and Pivotics is positioned to be part of that change.
A startup consultant, digital marketer, traveller, and philomath. Aashish has worked with over 20 startups and successfully helped them ideate, raise money, and succeed. When not working, he can be found hiking, camping, and stargazing.