Dynamic Pricing Engine
Pricing that maximizes revenue
Fixed modifiers, percentage adjustments, bundle deals, and combination pricing — all verified server-side so your margins stay protected while customers see transparent, real-time pricing as they customize.
Shopify variants can’t price food customization
Food customization isn’t a simple size/color variant. A customer adding grilled chicken (+$3.50), extra avocado (+$1.50), and upgrading to a large bowl (+15%) creates a pricing calculation that Shopify’s native variant system can’t handle. Without per-option modifiers and combination rules, merchants either overprice to cover edge cases or underprice and lose margin. And without server-side verification, savvy customers can manipulate client-side prices.
How Dynamic Pricing works
Set your base price per meal
Each meal starts with a base price in your store’s currency. This is the starting point before any customization — the price of the default configuration.
Configure modifiers per option
Each option in a customization group can have a fixed modifier (e.g., +$2.00 for grilled chicken) or a percentage modifier (e.g., +15% for a size upgrade). Fixed modifiers are applied first, then percentage modifiers are calculated against the base price.
Create combination pricing rules
Define rules that activate when specific option combinations are selected. Bundle deals discount the total when a customer picks a protein + side + drink. Combination overrides replace the calculated price entirely for specific pairings.
Server-side verification protects margins
The PricingCalculator runs client-side for instant feedback, but every order is re-verified server-side before processing. If the submitted price doesn’t match the server calculation, the order is rejected. Portion quantities multiply modifiers — selecting 2x of a protein doubles the price modifier. Subscription discounts are applied post-calculation as a separate line item.
Why merchants choose Dynamic Pricing
Revenue protection
Server-side price verification ensures every order is charged correctly. Client-side manipulation is impossible — the server recalculates from meal data before accepting any order.
Flexible modifier types
Mix fixed and percentage modifiers on the same meal. Charge a flat fee for premium proteins and a percentage upcharge for size upgrades — whatever fits your menu structure.
Bundle and combination rules
Reward customers who build complete meals. Define rules that discount the total when specific combinations are selected, or override the price entirely for signature combos.
Subscription discount integration
Subscribe & Save discounts (0–50%) are applied automatically as a post-calculation line item. The discount is visible to customers during customization with a savings callout.
Under the hood
Modifier application order
Fixed modifiers are summed first and added to the base price. Percentage modifiers are then calculated against the original base price (not the modified total) and added. This prevents percentage modifiers from compounding on fixed modifiers, keeping pricing predictable for merchants.
Combination matching engine
Pricing rules define a requirements map of group–option pairs. When a customer’s selections satisfy all requirements in a rule, the rule activates. Rules support three action types: discount (reduce by amount), percentage_discount (reduce by percentage), and override (replace total). Multiple rules can match — the most specific rule wins.
Client-side PricingCalculator
The PricingCalculator component runs entirely in the browser for zero-latency price updates. It recalculates on every selection change, generates a line-item breakdown (base price, each modifier, combination adjustments, subscription discount), and formats output in the store’s currency with 2-decimal rounding.
Server-side verification
The PricingService on the backend recalculates the total from raw meal data and the submitted selections. If the client-submitted price deviates from the server calculation, the order is rejected with a validation error. This runs inside a MongoDB transaction alongside inventory deduction for atomic order creation.
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