Cheers to 40 Years Excel

Welcome back to Power to the Pricing People. This edition is dedicated to Excel, which recently celebrated its 40^th birthday. Happy 40th Birthday, Excel!

Let’s all raise a virtual toast to this spreadsheet superstar that’s been with us through thick and thin. Four decades of formulas, grids, and yes, the occasional #VALUE! error.

The Spreadsheet That Shaped Business

Excel has been the ultimate business sidekick—balancing budgets, forecasting profits, and organizing data when nothing else would. I mean, who hasn’t relied on a trusty spreadsheet to save the day?

But let’s have a quick reality check. Forty years in tech is, well… let’s just say, it’s practically Jurassic. It’s like expecting a VHS tape to stream Netflix. Excel’s a legend but in today’s world of complex pricing and rebates? That’s like putting a minivan on a racetrack. It was a blast for simpler times, but if you’re managing pricing across multiple channels, currencies, regions, and discount rules, using Excel can feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. And don’t even get us started on version control! One mistyped number, and your ‘profit’ turns into ‘prop-it.’

Managing Pricing: Beyond Rows and Columns

So here’s the thing—Excel might still be a go-to for basics, but complex, high-stakes pricing and rebates? That’s a different beast. Excel wasn’t built to handle thousands of SKUs with real-time adjustments, rebates, and layered pricing models. And when it’s managing high volumes, it gets as sluggish as dial-up internet. Spreadsheets have limitations: they’re error-prone, they lack automation, and they sure don’t alert you to profit leakage or enable you to execute your pricing in real-time.

So let’s give Excel the credit it deserves—forty years of excellence (pun intended)! But when you’re ready to move from classic to cutting-edge, it’s time to leave the spreadsheet behind. Say goodbye to endless rows and columns, and say hello to Flintfox. Flintfox brings intelligent, real-time pricing and rebates that evolves with your business. No more manual updates, no more formula mishaps. Just seamless, efficient, and oh-so-smart pricing designed for complex needs.
Excel, you’ve been the backbone of business data for 40 incredible years. But as businesses evolve, so must the tools we use. Complex pricing and rebates demand intelligence, precision, and agility beyond any spreadsheet’s limits. So here’s to stepping up, moving forward, and embracing the future with Flintfox—where smart pricing isn’t just a formula, it’s a strategy. Happy 40th, Excel, and here’s to the next generation of pricing!