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Price compliance is a routine challenge for any organisation that sells products through retail or distribution outlets. The price recorded in a central system and the price displayed on a shelf can diverge quietly and repeatedly: a promotion ends but the label is not updated, a central price change does not reach all locations, or a franchisee adjusts pricing independently. Without a structured way to detect and document these gaps during physical visits, the discrepancy sits unnoticed until a customer complaint or a compliance review forces the issue.
A field audit app built in Clappia can make this comparison automatic. When an auditor scans a product or selects it manually, the app pulls the master price and shows it alongside the field the auditor enters their observed price into. If the two values differ, a warning appears on screen and a dedicated capture field opens for the revised price. When the form is saved, the exception is automatically written to a reporting log without any extra step from the auditor.
This guide walks through exactly how to configure that price comparison mechanism in both the scan and manual entry modes of a store audit app, how the exception capture field works, and how the on-save workflow pushes a clean, structured record to the exception log every time a price discrepancy is found.
The conventional approach to price auditing is to record whatever price is on the shelf and compare it against a master list after the visit. This works, but it introduces a delay between detection and documentation. By the time the comparison happens, the auditor has left the store, the context is gone, and any follow-up requires another visit or a call to the store.
Inline price comparison, where the app shows the master price and flags a mismatch the moment the auditor enters their observation, changes this dynamic. The auditor knows about the discrepancy while they are standing in front of the shelf. They can verify it, look at adjacent units, check a second label, and confirm before recording. The captured exception is therefore more reliable than one flagged after the fact, because it was reviewed at the source.
An exception identified at the shelf is more accurate than one identified in a spreadsheet. Inline validation ensures the auditor acts on discrepancies while the evidence is in front of them.
What You Need Before Building the Price Check
The price comparison mechanism depends on two things being in place before the audit app can work correctly:
Both apps should be populated and kept current before audit sessions. A product that is not in the master will not return a price comparison value, which means the auditor cannot capture a discrepancy for it in a structured way.
Price Checking in Scan Mode
In scan mode, the price comparison setup involves four fields and one conditional field. Here is how to configure each one in the audit app's Scan SKU section:
Step 1: Add the Barcode Scanner and Master Price Lookup
Add a Barcode Scanner block to the Scan SKU section. Configure it to query the product master by EAN. On a successful scan, map the following fields to auto-fill:
Set Master MRP as a read-only Number block. The auditor should see this value clearly but cannot edit it. It is the baseline for the comparison.
Step 2: Add the Physical MRP Field
Add an editable Number block labelled Physical MRP. This is where the auditor enters the price they read from the shelf label or product packaging. Using a Number block rather than a text field ensures the value is always a number that can be compared mathematically, and prevents entries like N/A or unclear that would break the comparison logic.
Step 3: Add the Mismatch Warning
Add a read-only Single Line Text block with a warning message such as: Price on shelf differs from master. Please enter the shelf price below. Set a Display Condition on this field so it appears only when:
Physical MRP (Scan) is not equal to Master MRP
This warning is purely informational. It does not block the auditor from proceeding; it draws their attention to the discrepancy before they move on.
Step 4: Add the Revised Price Capture Field
Add an editable Single Line Text block labelled Revised Price (Scan). Apply the same Display Condition as the warning:
Physical MRP (Scan) is not equal to Master MRP
This field only becomes visible when a mismatch is detected. When it is visible, the auditor enters the price they are actually observing. This is the value that the exception log workflow will capture; it represents the documented shelf price rather than the auditor's initial entry in Physical MRP.
The distinction between Physical MRP and Revised Price is intentional. Physical MRP is the observation that triggers the comparison. Revised Price is the confirmed exception value: it is only entered when the auditor has verified the mismatch and is recording it as a deliberate exception rather than a possible typing error.
Price Checking in Manual Entry Mode
Manual entry mode follows the same logic but uses a different lookup mechanism and adds quantity comparison on top of price comparison. Here is the configuration:
Step 1: Add the Material Code Lookup
Add a Get Data from App block labelled Select Product that searches the product master by Material Code. On selection, map the following auto-fill fields:
Step 2: Add the Store-Level Stock Lookup
Add a second Get Data from App block labelled Store Stock Data. Configure it to search the store-level stock reference using two lookup keys simultaneously: Location ID (auto-filled from the store identification section at the top of the form) and Material Code (selected by the auditor in the previous step). This lookup auto-fills:
The Location ID field used as one of the two lookup keys can be set visible only to support users via Display Conditions. Regular auditors do not see it in the form, but it still participates in the lookup for all users, keeping the interface clean without breaking the comparison.
Step 3: Add the Auditor Input Fields
Add two editable Number blocks:
Step 4: Add Inline Warnings for Both Mismatch Types
Manual entry mode checks for two discrepancies, not one. Add two read-only warning labels, each with its own Display Condition:
Physical MRP (Manual) is not equal to Master MRP (Store)
Total Quantity is not equal to Master Quantity
Both warnings appear immediately when the auditor's entered values differ from the master, while the auditor is still viewing that product. The quantity warning does not trigger an exception log entry on its own; it is informational and draws attention to a potential stock discrepancy that the auditor can flag in Remarks. The price warning, however, is linked directly to the exception capture field below.
Step 5: Add the Revised Price Capture Field
Add an editable Single Line Text block labelled Revised Price (Manual) with the Display Condition:
Physical MRP (Manual) is not equal to Master MRP (Store)
This field works identically to the scan mode equivalent. It appears only when a price mismatch is detected, captures the auditor's confirmed shelf price, and feeds the exception log workflow when the form is saved.
Price Check Configuration at a Glance
Element
Scan Mode
Manual Entry Mode
Master price source
Auto-filled from product master via barcode scan lookup
Auto-filled from store-level stock reference via Location ID and Material Code
Auditor price input
Physical MRP (Number block)
Physical MRP (Number block)
Mismatch condition
Physical MRP does not equal Master MRP
Physical MRP does not equal Master MRP (Store)
Warning on mismatch
Read-only label; visible when condition is true
Read-only label; visible when condition is true
Revised price field
Revised Price (Scan); visible when mismatch condition is true
Revised Price (Manual); visible when mismatch condition is true
Quantity check
Not available in scan mode
Separate warning when Total Quantity does not equal Master Quantity
Exception log trigger
Revised Price (Scan) is filled on save
Revised Price (Manual) is filled on save
The On-Save Workflow: Automating the Exception Log Entry
Configuring the price comparison fields handles detection. The workflow handles the reporting. Open the audit app's Workflow settings and create a workflow with an On Save trigger. Add a Condition node with the following logic:
IF Revised Price (Scan) is filled OR Revised Price (Manual) is filled
This condition ensures the workflow only fires when an actual price exception was recorded. Submissions where the auditor found no discrepancy pass through without creating a log entry, keeping the exception log clean.
When the condition is true, two actions execute in sequence:
Exception Log Field
Source (Scan Mode)
Source (Manual Entry Mode)
Date
Auto-captured hidden date field
Auto-captured hidden date field
Time
Auto-captured hidden time field
Auto-captured hidden time field
Store Name
Store identification section
Store identification section
Location ID
Store identification section
Store identification section
Material Code
Auto-filled from barcode scan
Selected via product lookup
Product Description
Auto-filled product name from scan
Auto-filled description from product lookup
EAN Code
Scanned EAN Code
EAN Code (Auto) computed by formula
Observed MRP
Physical MRP entered by auditor
Physical MRP entered by auditor
Total Quantity
Physical Quantity entered by auditor
Total Quantity entered by auditor
Remarks
From verification page
From verification page
Notice that the Observed MRP field in the exception log captures Physical MRP, not the Revised Price field. Physical MRP is the value the auditor entered as their observation. The Revised Price field is used only as the condition trigger: its presence confirms a discrepancy was found and verified. The actual price value recorded in the exception log is the Physical MRP, which is the consistent numeric observation from both modes.
The On Review Workflow
A second workflow handles post-submission updates. Configure a workflow with an On Review trigger and a condition of submission status equals Update. When this condition is met, the workflow creates another entry in the Exception Log using the same field mappings above, then reverts the original audit submission's status to its previous value. This covers the scenario where a reviewer corrects a price value after the initial save, ensuring the updated record also appears in the exception log.
Using Remarks to Provide Context for Price Exceptions
The verification page, which appears as Page 2 of the audit form, contains a Multi-Line Text block labelled Remarks. This field travels through the exception log workflow and appears in every log entry.
For price exceptions, Remarks is where the auditor can record context that the structured fields cannot capture: why the shelf price is different from the master, whether the label was recently updated, whether multiple units showed the same discrepancy, or whether the store manager confirmed the price change was intentional. This context is the difference between an exception log entry that requires a follow-up call and one that is self-explanatory to whoever reviews it.
Encourage auditors to use Remarks for every submission that triggers a price exception. Some teams make it a policy: if Revised Price is filled, Remarks must also contain at least one sentence of context. You can enforce this with a Validation rule that checks whether Remarks is blank and prevents submission if both Revised Price fields are filled but Remarks is empty.
Remarks turns an exception into a story. A log entry that says the shelf price is 15 units higher than master, confirmed on three separate units, store manager unaware of any authorised price change, is actionable. One that just records the numbers is a data point that requires follow-up before anything can happen.
Reporting on Price Exceptions
Once the exception log is receiving entries, Clappia's Analytics feature lets you build live dashboards on the data. The most useful views for price compliance monitoring are:
Because both scan and manual entry modes write identical field structures to the exception log, all of these views work across both modes without any mode-specific filtering or conditional logic in the dashboard configuration.
Permissions and Offline Behaviour
For user permissions, field auditors should have Submit Only access to the audit app. They fill in and save forms and can view their own past submissions. Supervisors or managers get View access to see all submissions and filter by status. Only admins should have access to the product master and store-level stock reference apps, to prevent auditors from changing the master values their comparisons are measured against.
The price comparison logic works in offline mode on the Clappia mobile app (Android and iOS). The Display Conditions that show the mismatch warning and Revised Price field evaluate locally on the device, not on a server, so they fire immediately even without connectivity. The product master and store-level stock reference lookups also work offline once the reference data is cached, which happens automatically when the auditor opens the app on Wi-Fi before the session.
The exception log workflow fires after the submission syncs to the server. If the form was saved offline, the sync and the workflow execution both happen when the device reconnects. The exception log entry appears with a slight delay in this case, but the data captured on the device is complete and no information is lost.
Summary
Checking physical MRP against master prices in a Clappia audit app involves four coordinated elements: a master price that auto-fills from a lookup, an editable Physical MRP field for the auditor's observation, a conditional warning that appears when the two values differ, and a conditional Revised Price field that captures the confirmed exception. The Display Condition that controls both the warning and the capture field uses the same logical expression: Physical MRP is not equal to Master MRP.
The on-save workflow monitors whether the Revised Price field was filled. When it was, the workflow flags the submission status and pushes a structured record to the exception log with the store, product, EAN, observed price, quantity, and remarks. Both scan and manual entry modes feed the same exception log with the same field structure, so the reporting layer treats all entries consistently regardless of how the data was captured.
Adding Remarks guidance and a validation that enforces context for price exceptions turns the exception log from a list of numbers into an actionable record that reviewers can assess and respond to without follow-up calls. This combination of inline detection, automatic logging, and contextual remarks is what makes the price check useful in practice rather than just technically complete.
To get started, build your product master and store-level stock reference in Clappia, then configure the price check fields as described above. The Display Conditions, workflow, and exception log can all be set up without any coding.
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3500 S DuPont Hwy, Dover,
Kent 19901, Delaware, USA
L374, 1st Floor, 5th Main Rd, Sector 6, HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560102, India
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