AUSTIN, Texas—April 28, 2026—Zilliant, the leader in pricing lifecycle management, today released its Pricing Without Control report examining how 300 senior executives across manufacturing and distribution are navigating pricing decisions amid persistent economic volatility. The research reveals a striking disconnect: nearly every company is adjusting prices, but only half feel confident they understand the financial impact.
The research found that 99% of companies adjusted prices in response to economic pressure, with 43% increasing prices by 11-20%. Yet only 50% of executives report strong confidence in their visibility into margin impact, suggesting pricing is being managed, but not controlled.
The consequences extend beyond margins. 62% of organizations report losing 6–10% of customers directly tied to pricing changes, indicating that reactive pricing is straining customer relationships.
“Pricing has never been more active or more visible at the executive level,” said Zilliant CEO Pascal Yammine. “But activity alone isn’t enough. When pricing decisions are made across fragmented systems without governance, companies face customer attrition and executive accountability without real control.”
Frequent Pricing Changes Are Creating Customer Friction
More than half of organizations now adjust pricing within 1–3 months, a fundamental shift from the annual cycles that once defined pricing strategy. However, increased frequency is not translating into stability:
- 49% report negative customer reactions to pricing changes
- 62% report losing customers due to pricing decisions
Frequent and reactive pricing changes are introducing friction into customer relationships, creating tension between responsiveness and consistency in the market.
Pricing Demands Are Increasing Organizational Strain
- 61% rework pricing decisions three to four times per year or more
- More than 30% of executives report feeling exhausted
Organizations are investing more time and effort into pricing than ever before, but increased activity is not translating into greater control or stability.
Conflicting Strategies Are Driving Margin Leakage
An equal share of organizations (46%) either passed cost increases to customers or absorbed them to remain competitive, often simultaneously. Even when executives can identify the sources of margin erosion, they struggle to control them.
- 37% cite price wars as a primary source of margin erosion.
- 34% point to inconsistent discounting.
- 29% cite inconsistent governance.
- 27% attribute it to siloed decision-making across teams.
- 22% cite unauthorized overrides.
Executive Accountability Is Rising Faster Than Pricing Control
Pricing ownership has shifted to the C-suite, with 88% of organizations placing pricing accountability with the CEO, CFO, or CRO. Yet pricing execution remains fragmented.
- 23% use AI-enabled pricing solutions.
- 20% use non-AI vendor tools.
- 18% still rely on spreadsheets.
AI adoption is growing, and these tools can improve pricing speed and responsiveness. But technology alone does not resolve the underlying challenges of governance and consistency. When AI is layered onto fragmented systems and processes, the result is faster decisions, not better-controlled ones.
“The data tells a consistent story: organizations are doing more pricing work than ever, but more activity doesn’t mean more control,” Yammine said. “As companies are forced to operate in increasingly volatile markets, the answer is treating pricing as a system to control, not just a lever to pull."
What This Means for Manufacturing and Distribution Leaders
The findings point to three priorities for organizations looking to strengthen pricing performance:
- Establish a unified source of pricing truth across teams and systems.
- Align pricing strategy across functions to eliminate conflicting decisions.
- Invest in governance so automation improves control, not complexity.
To download the full report, please visit https://zilliant.com/reports/pricing-without-control. For more information about Zilliant and its intelligent pricing and sales solutions, please visit zilliant.com.
About the Survey
The research was conducted by Censuswide among 300 senior executives, including CEOs, CFOs, and CROs, across manufacturing and distribution organizations between March 13 and March 16, 2026. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
About Zilliant
Zilliant helps businesses put pricing at the heart of their business by managing the entire pricing lifecycle. Zilliant’s data science, cloud-native software and passion for customer success deliver the highest ROI, fastest time to value and highest customer satisfaction. Learn more about how Zilliant helps businesses unlock the full power of pricing at zilliant.com.
FAQs
Why are manufacturers and distributors losing customers over pricing changes?
A 2026 Zilliant survey of 300 senior executives found that 62% of manufacturing and distribution organizations lost 6-10% of customers directly tied to pricing changes. The primary driver is inconsistency. When pricing decisions are made across fragmented systems without unified governance, customers experience unpredictable pricing that erodes trust. Establishing a single source of pricing truth across teams and systems is the most direct way to reduce that friction.
What is pricing control, and why does it matter for B2B companies?
Pricing control is the ability to consistently execute a pricing strategy across the organization with visibility into financial impact and governance that prevents unauthorized overrides, inconsistent discounting, and siloed decisions. Zilliant research shows that while 99% of manufacturing and distribution companies actively adjusted prices in response to economic volatility, only half could confidently measure the margin impact of those decisions. The gap between pricing activity and pricing control is where margin leakage compounds over time.
Do AI pricing tools solve the margin leakage problem?
AI adoption in B2B pricing is growing. Nearly a quarter (23%) of manufacturing and distribution organizations now use AI-enabled pricing solutions, according to Zilliant's 2026 Pricing Without Control report. But the research found that AI speeds up pricing decisions without resolving the underlying governance challenges that drive margin leakage. When AI is layered onto fragmented systems, organizations get faster decisions, not better-controlled ones. The companies best positioned to protect margin are those that pair AI with consistent governance and cross-functional alignment.
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Media Contact
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Matt Grant
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