Prioritize movers by impact
See which high-spend SKUs moved first—so you reprice or push back where it matters.
IndustriesGrocery & convenience
CostBeacon for grocery
Line-item cost history for high-volume vendor catalogs
High SKU counts mean small per-unit increases hide until category margin reports look wrong.
30-day free trial · No credit card required
Common suppliersWholesale distributors · Local producers · Fuel and delivery surcharges
The problem
High-volume catalogs hide unit-cost creep in the noise
Grocery and convenience buyers manage long catalogs, promo lines, and delivery fees. A few pennies per unit across hundreds of SKUs will not show if someone only compares invoice totals after the truck leaves.
Try a sample
Watch the unit-cost spike on a sample invoice
Upload distributor invoices and CostBeacon builds product history on recurring SKUs—so disappearing discounts, freight spikes, and unit-cost movers land in a short review queue.
Interactive sample
Invoice spike chart
Move across three drops. Promo fade and fuel fees climb while SKUs look quiet.
Promo allowance−$12.00 → $0.00 · +100.0%
On this drop: +$12.00 credit · Catch disappearing discounts before category margin drifts.
What changes for your team
Invoice evidence your team can act on
Catch promo and freight surprises
Discounts that disappear and delivery fees that spike sit next to product history, not buried in email.
How it works
From supplier PDF to a buying decision
Upload supplier PDFs, extract every line, then review alerts before the next order or shelf-price update.
- Upload invoicesDrop PDFs, email attachments, or scans from your usual suppliers.
- Extract line itemsCostBeacon reads unit costs, quantities, vendors, and product names.
- Review what movedOpen alerts with the source invoice attached—then reprice, renegotiate, or accept on purpose.
Signals to watch
What good review looks like
Operators usually check a short alert queue after each buying cycle—not a full re-type of every invoice.
| Signal | Typical range | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Top SKUs by spend | Review each buying cycle | Prioritize by margin impact |
| Promo discounts | Verify on invoice lines | Watch disappearing discounts |
| Delivery / fuel fees | Per-stop or per-invoice | Fold into landed cost |
FAQ
Common questions
CostBeacon merges recurring line items so you can compare unit costs over time and across suppliers.
No. CostBeacon works from uploaded supplier invoices. QuickBooks Online sync is optional when you want it.
Upload a few weeks of recurring distributor PDFs for your top vendors. That is usually enough history to flag the next unit-cost move.
Browse industries
Same product. Different buying rhythm.
Catch supplier cost moves before they become your new normal
CostBeacon turns supplier invoices into line-item history and price-change alerts for grocery.