Adobe has introduced volume discounts at VIP MP Channel. This introduction to volume discounts affects all three Adobe Product Categories, namely, Teams, Enterprises, and Sign, as well as the types of Adobe Sign products, namely, Sign Transactions and Sign Licenses.
For Adobe Teams, Enterprises, and Sign Licenses products, depending on the number of licenses a customer purchases, different prices are applied, which are calculated based on Levels. Also, different prices and Levels are applied if the customer commits to a three-year commitment plan for a certain amount of licenses.
For Adobe Sign Transactions products, depending on the number of transactions (consumables) a customer purchases, different prices are applied, which are calculated based on Tiers. Also, different prices and Tiers are applied if the customer commits to a three-year commitment plan for a certain amount of transactions.
In any case, the higher the quantities ordered, and the longer the commitment is, the higher the discount will be for either licenses or transactions (consumables).
Understanding the Volume Discounts of Adobe
Since Levels and Tiers are utilized for the volume discounts of Adobe products, a further analysis with examples follows to clarify those two mechanisms.
Volume Discount per Level
The current Adobe logic regarding the volume level pricing for the Adobe Teams, Enterprise, and Sign Licenses products is the exact same as analyzed below (changes can occur in the future). The level of discount is maintained at the account level and not at the product level. The levels and their range are displayed in the following table.
Discount Level | Discount % | License Quantity | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
4 | ≃ 15% | 100+ | Yes |
3 | ≃ 10% | 50-99 | Yes |
2 | ≃ 5% | 10-49 | Yes |
1 | 0-9 | No |
As demonstrated in the table below, each order is considered individually regarding its pricing level based on the number of licenses requested by the Customer and the existing level of the Customer.
Discount is Maintained at Account Level (VIP) | ||
|---|---|---|
Product Orders | In Current Term | At Renewal |
Order 1 | Level 1 | Level 3 (76 Seats) |
Order 2 | Level 2 | |
Order 3 | Level 2 | |
Order 4 | Level 2 | |
Order 5 | Level 2 | |
Price Levels
| ||
An explanation for the above examples:
Order 1 with 5 seats of Acrobat Pro: It qualifies for Level 1. Therefore, the customer is qualified at Level 1.
Order 2 with 40 seats of Illustrator: It qualifies for Level 2. Therefore, the customer is now qualified at Level 2.
Order 3 with 8 seats of Creative Cloud: The order itself qualifies for Level 1; however, since the customer is already at Level 2, order 3 is also qualified for Level 2. Note here that the total sum of the customer’s licenses so far is 53, which itself qualifies for Level 3. But in the current term, the sum of existing licenses is not considered. The customer is still qualified for Level 2.
Order 4 with 12 seats of Illustrator: It qualifies for Level 2, which is already the level of the customer. Therefore, the customer remains at Level 2.
Order 5 with 3 Seats of Illustrator, 5 Seats of Acrobat PRO, and 3 Seats of Creative Cloud: Each product qualifies for Level 1, but the sum of this order qualifies for Level 2. Therefore, the customer is qualified at Level 2.
However, in this example, during the renewal, Adobe sums all the orders into a single one that contains the total of the customer’s licenses. Consequently, this summative single order now includes 76 licenses, so after the renewal, the customer is now qualified at Level 3.
The exact opposite can happen as well, meaning that if a customer before the renewal was, for example, at Level 4 having 103 licenses in total and then canceled 5 licenses, after the renewal, the total number of licenses would be 98, which means that the Level of that customer will change down to Level 3.
Volume Discount per Level for a Three-Year Commitment
Once Adobe began supporting the Extended Subscription Term feature in the VIP MP program, the three-year commitment (3YC) option was introduced. This loyalty program allows customers to get greater discount levels and locked prices for three annual terms by simply committing to a minimum quantity (i.e., minimum 10 licenses and/or 1,000 transactions), which should be purchased and maintained throughout the 3-year commitment period (current and the next two renewals).
The levels of the three-year commitment and their range are displayed in the following table.
Discount Level | Discount % | License Quantity | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
14 | ≃ 25% | 100+ | Yes |
13 | ≃ 20% | 50-99 | Yes |
12 | ≃ 15% | 10-49 | Yes |
The main differences between the normal volume discount levels vs the three-year commitment volume discount levels are the following:
Normal Volume Discounts | 3 Year Commitment Volume Discounts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Level | Discount % | Level | Discount % | |
4 | ≃ 15% | Becomes | 14 | ≃ 25% |
3 | ≃ 10% | Becomes | 13 | ≃ 20% |
2 | ≃ 5% | Becomes | 12 | ≃ 15% |
Everything else, in terms of the logic of the volume discounts of the three-year commitment levels, is exactly the same as analyzed on the previous section of this page.
Volume Discount per Tier
This is the current Adobe logic regarding the volume tiers pricing for the Adobe Sign Transactions products (changes can occur in the future). The tiers and their range are displayed in the following table.
Discount Tier | Transactions Quantity | Discount |
|---|---|---|
T7 | 100,000+ | Yes |
T6 | 50,000-99,999 | Yes |
T5 | 15,000-49,999 | Yes |
T4 | 5,000-14,999 | Yes |
T3 | 2,500-4,999 | Yes |
T2 | 1,000-2,499 | Yes |
T1 | 1-999 | No |
As demonstrated in the table below, each order is considered individually regarding its pricing tier based on the number of transactions requested by the Customer and the existing tier of the Customer’s Adobe Account (whenever applicable).
Adobe Sign Transactions Product Orders | In Current Term | At Renewal |
Order 1 | Tier 1 |
Tier 4 (6676 Transactions) |
Order 2 | Tier 2 | |
Order 3 | Tier 2 | |
Order 4 | Tier 2 | |
Order 5 | Tier 2 | |
Price Tiers
| ||
An explanation for the above examples:
Order 1 with 505 transactions of Product X: It qualifies for Tier 1. Therefore, the customer is qualified at Tier 1.
Order 2 with 1040 transactions of Product Y: It qualifies for Tier 2. Therefore, the customer is now qualified at Tier 2.
Order 3 with 1008 transactions of Product Z: The order itself qualifies for Tier 1; however, since the customer is already at Tier 2, order 3 is also qualified for Tier 2. Note here that the total sum of the customer’s transactions so far is 2553, which itself qualifies for Tier 3. But in the current term, the sum of existing licenses is not considered. The customer is still qualified for Tier 2.
Order 4 with 2012 transactions of Product Y: It qualifies for Tier 2, which is already the tier of the customer. Therefore, the customer remains at Tier 2.
Order 5 with 703 transactions of Product Y, 805 transactions of Product X, and 603 transactions of Product Z: Each product qualifies for Tier 1, but the sum of this order qualifies for Tier 2. Therefore, the customer is qualified at Tier 2.
However, in this example, during the renewal, Adobe sums all the orders into a single one that contains the total of the customer’s transactions. Consequently, this summative single order now includes 6676 transactions, so after the renewal, the customer is now qualified at Tier 4.
The exact opposite can happen as well, meaning that if a customer before the renewal was, for example, at Tier 4 having 6676 transactions in total and then canceled 1680 transactions, after the renewal, the total number of transactions would be 4996, which means that the Tier of that customer will change down to Tier 3.
Volume Discount per Tier for a Three-Year Commitment
Once Adobe began supporting the Extended Subscription Term feature in the VIP MP program, the three-year commitment (3YC) option was introduced. This loyalty program allows customers to get greater discount tiers and locked prices for three annual terms by simply committing to a minimum quantity (i.e., minimum 10 licenses and/or 1,000 transactions), which should be purchased and maintained throughout the 3-year commitment period (current and the next two renewals).
The tiers of the three-year commitment and their range are displayed in the following table.
Discount Level | Discount % | License Quantity | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
TG | ≃ 60% * | 100,000+ | Yes |
TF | ≃ 55% * | 50,000-99,999 | Yes |
TE | ≃ 50% * | 15,000-49,999 | Yes |
TD | = 45% | 5,000-14,999 | Yes |
TC | = 40% | 2,500-4,999 | Yes |
TB | = 30% | 1,000-2,499 | Yes |
TA | = 0% | 1-999 | No |
The main differences between the normal volume discount tiers vs the three-year commitment volume discount tiers are the following:
Normal Volume Discounts | 3 Year Commitment Volume Discounts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tier | Discount % | Tier | Discount % | |
T7 | N/A | Becomes | TG | ≃ 60% * |
T6 | N/A | Becomes | TF | ≃ 55% * |
T5 | N/A | Becomes | TE | ≃ 50% * |
T4 | N/A | Becomes | TD | = 45% |
T3 | N/A | Becomes | TC | = 40% |
T2 | N/A | Becomes | TB | = 30% |
Everything else, in terms of the logic of the volume discounts of the three-year commitment levels, is exactly the same as analyzed on the previous section of this page.
Importing the Discount Pricing Excel File with the Final Prices
For being able to enjoy the discount pricing Adobe offers, you need to import the previously downloaded official price list Excel file that contains the final and discounted prices from Adobe’s Partner Connection Portal for our systems to have the means to access those prices. These are the final prices that are utilized during the ordering of an Adobe add-on(product) via the BSS and Storefront. The upload of the Excel file is mandatory each month since it is a part of the Get Services Definition action, and it is set as a field in the instance settings of the Adobe VIP MP Service Manager. However, please check the guide below for preparing the discount pricing Excel file with the final prices before its import.
Actions Before Uploading the Pricing Excel File
The following actions are required for the preparation of the price list Excel file before its import inside the Adobe service manager in BSS.
Downloading the Discount Pricing Excel File from Adobe
The process of downloading the latest discount price list Excel file from the Adobe’s Partner Connection Portal must be done each month by the VIP MP Distributor and not interworks.cloud. As displayed by the following screenshot, the price lists are published 30 days in advance on the first day of each month.
Q.: When you enter the portal to download the latest official price list, do you see only the price list that is assigned to you as a Distributor by Adobe?
A.: Yes, as you enter the Adobe Partner Connection portal with your <COMPANY NAME> profile that is set up as a Distributor:
Q.: Can you see all price lists in other currencies?
A.: You can select filters based on Currency and Region. Therefore you can select the currency based on your region.
Q.: Do you have the option to download a price list in GBP for example?
A1.: Yes, If supposedly you also sell in GB.
A2.: No, if your Distributor Agreement is defined for the EURO currency.
Revising the Pricing Excel File
Check the following guidance video and also read the following steps to edit the price list Excel file before uploading it to the respective field.
First, you need to download the Excel price list file from the Adobe’s Partner Connection Portal, as it is described in the previous section of this page.
Then you open the downloaded price list CSV file and do the following actions: select the entire first column (A) > data > text to columns > delimited > "," to convert the CSV columns to Excel columns.
Afterwards, you need to convert the last 2 columns, named EstimatedStreetPrice and PartnerPrice, from type general to type number.
Please make sure that for the columns EstimatedStreetPrice and PartnerPrice, the decimal separator after the conversion is aligned with the decimal separator used by your BSS organization (for example, [.]dot for US BSS organizations and [,]comma for EU BSS organizations). Otherwise, those prices will not be recognized by the system after uploading the pricing Excel file. Please note that by default, Adobe provides the Excel pricing file with a (.) dot as the decimal separator.
In case you have to change the decimal separator and align it with the separator of your BSS organization, please use the Find and Replace tool of Microsoft Excel and replace (for the two columns EstimatedStreetPrice and PartnerPrice) the commas with dots or vice versa depending on your case.
Then, you need to rename the spreadsheet tabs based on the currencies that you have in your instance, such as USD, EUR, GBP, etc.
Lastly, you have to save that edited Excel file as an Excel workbook (.xlsx) or (.xls).
After all five steps are completed, the edited Pricing Excel File (.xlsx) can be uploaded to the Pricing File field on the Adobe instance, as explained below.
Uploading the Pricing Excel File
Each month, the latest Adobe Excel price list file, containing the latest Adobe prices, needs to be uploaded to the Pricing File field (step 1) of the Adobe service manager in BSS. Immediately afterwards, the instance must be Saved (step2) so that the latest prices can be retrieved automatically from our system. This is, unfortunately, the only way since Adobe does not provide an API to perform this action otherwise.
Enabling Pricing Currency
The field, named Products Selling Currencies, is added to the instance of the Adobe service manager in which the BSS user who sets it up, needs to add one or more currencies with which they wish to sell the Adobe services. This currency is usually the currency that your distributor bills you with. The name of the currency is the code of the currency (i.e., for Euro → EUR).
The Products Selling Currency field is directly related to the currency spreadsheet contained in the Pricing Excel file from Adobe.
Therefore, the Excel file with the official Adobe prices must have the same currency as the configured currency of the Products Selling Currencies field.
Adobe has a different Excel pricing file, depending on the distributor’s currency.
The distributor needs to download all files and create one Excel file containing as many Excel spreadsheets as the currencies they want to resell Adobe services. For example, if the Products Selling Currencies field has the currencies EUR and GBP, then the Excel file must have two spreadsheets named EUR and GBP, accordingly that each one contains the relevant prices.
Actual Import of the Excel File on the Adobe Instance
After downloading the official price list Excel file with the prices from Adobe, by clicking on the respective Browse button and locating the latest Excel file, the BSS users must first save the instance, and then they can initiate the Get Services Definition process.
The new prices will be added to our system and be considered for calculating volume discounts after the Get Services Definition process is complete.
Preparing the “Products” Excel File for Import
After the official Adobe Excel file (containing the discounted prices) is imported into the Adobe service manager instance, the next step that the BSS user needs to follow is to prepare and import the Excel file containing the products as it is analyzed on the Importing/Updating Adobe Products & Prices to BSS page.
Renewal of Adobe Services
As described already at the beginning of this page, at the renewal of Adobe services, all customer licenses are summed up and considered as a total number. Consequently, this total number is the one that will govern the Level of volume discount of the customer. This action is automatic from Adobe, and no provisioning or other action is necessary by us for the renewal. We only update the renewal quantity, whereas the actual renewal is performed by Adobe, during which an Adobe renewal order is created. However, this order is not available in our system as it is neither created nor performed by our systems.