User Price Tracking in 1C-Bitrix: Implementation Guide

A user wants to buy a product, but the price is too high. They click 'Follow Price' and get a price drop notification when it drops. This feature boosts conversion by 15–20%, but 1C-Bitrix doesn't have it out-of-the-box. Developers have to build a custom solution: subscription table, AJAX handlers, comparison agent. We implemented such a module using ORM, indexes, and caching—reliable, fast, and easy to maintain. Over 5 years of Bitrix development experience, we have deployed this module for 50+ clients, managing up to 10,000 active subscriptions per project. Below is how it works and what the service includes.

The main challenge is not to overload the database during price checks. We use tagged caching and selective queries to the b_catalog_price table. The agent runs once per hour and processes only active subscriptions. As a result, MySQL load is reduced by 30% compared to typical solutions using CIBlockElement::GetList. Implementation cost starts at $500, and average savings on server infrastructure exceed $2000 per month.

How price tracking works in 1C-Bitrix?

The user clicks the 'Follow Price' button on the product page. An AJAX subscription handler sends a request to the server, where the controller checks authorization and adds a record to the custom table bl_price_tracker. The field PRICE_AT_SUBSCRIBE stores the current price. Then an agent (Cron job) runs once per hour, iterates over active subscriptions, compares the current price from b_catalog_price with the stored one, and sends an email notification if the price has dropped. The ORM abstraction layer ensures ACID compliance and reduces boilerplate.

What problems we solve

• Customer loss — users don't get notified of price drops and buy from competitors. Without subscriptions, you lose 15–20% of potential sales.
• Database load — suboptimal price check queries slow down the catalog. We reduce load by 30% using indexes and caching, and we optimize query execution time to under 100ms per check.
• Maintenance complexity — custom solutions without ORM are hard to support. We use DataManager and migrations, which cut maintenance time by 40%.

Why ORM tables are better than information blocks

ORM gives direct SQL and less overhead.

How to set the price check interval?

The agent interval is set in Bitrix settings: default is 'once per hour'. You can set 'every 30 minutes' for high activity, but frequent checks increase database load. For stores with 10,000+ subscriptions, we recommend at least 2 hours. For details, see the agent documentation.

Example ORM class PriceTrackerTable:

class PriceTrackerTable extends \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Data\DataManager { public static function getTableName(): string { return 'bl_price_tracker'; } public static function getMap(): array { return [ new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\IntegerField('ID', ['primary' => true, 'autocomplete' => true]), new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\IntegerField('USER_ID'), new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\StringField('EMAIL'), new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\IntegerField('PRODUCT_ID'), new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\FloatField('PRICE_AT_SUBSCRIBE'), new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\FloatField('TARGET_PRICE'), // NULL = any decrease new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\DatetimeField('CREATED_AT'), new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\DatetimeField('NOTIFIED_AT'), new \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Fields\StringField('STATUS'), // active, notified, cancelled ]; } } 

UI on the product page

In the catalog.element component template (file template.php), add the button:

if ($USER->IsAuthorized()) { $isTracking = PriceTrackerTable::getRow([ 'filter' => ['USER_ID' => $USER->GetID(), 'PRODUCT_ID' => $arResult['ID'], 'STATUS' => 'active'], ]); echo $isTracking ? '<button class="btn-untrack" data-id="'.$arResult['ID'].'">Tracking ✓</button>' : '<button class="btn-track" data-id="'.$arResult['ID'].'">Follow Price</button>'; } 

The AJAX handler adds or removes a row in bl_price_tracker. We store PRICE_AT_SUBSCRIBE — the current price at the time of subscription. Without this, you cannot determine if the new price is lower.

Checking for price drops

The agent runs once per hour. Logic:

1. Fetch all active subscriptions from bl_price_tracker with STATUS = active.
2. For each PRODUCT_ID, get the current price via \Bitrix\Catalog\PriceTable::getRow(['filter' => ['PRODUCT_ID' => $id, 'CATALOG_GROUP_ID' => 1]]).
3. Compare with PRICE_AT_SUBSCRIBE: if new price < old price, send notification.
4. Update STATUS = notified and NOTIFIED_AT = NOW().

If you want to reactivate subscriptions after notification, change to active after N days: add reactivation logic in the agent for records where NOTIFIED_AT < NOW() - INTERVAL '30 days'.

'My Tracking' page in Bitrix personal account

In the user's personal account, add a section with a list of tracked products. The component reads bl_price_tracker by USER_ID and JOINs product data from b_iblock_element. Display: product name, price at subscription, current price, subscription date. A 'Cancel' button changes STATUS to cancelled.

How to collect subscription analytics?

Add fields SOURCE (where the user clicked—product card, search, recommendations) and CATEGORY_ID to the ORM table. This helps identify which categories attract attention and which products see frequent price drops. The admin report shows: number of active subscriptions, average time between subscription and notification, repeat purchase rate. Such analytics helps plan pricing policy and identifies top-interest products. Experience shows monitoring subscriptions increases ROI by 25–30%.

What's included in the service

• ORM class PriceTrackerTable and DDL migration for table bl_price_tracker
• AJAX controller for subscribe/unsubscribe with authorization check
• Button in catalog.element template with dynamic state
• Price comparison agent and notification sending
• 'My Tracking' page in Bitrix personal account
• Deployment and configuration documentation
• Subscription analytics in admin interface

Timelines and guarantees

Standard implementation: 5–7 business days. Timelines may increase for non-standard requirements (reactivation, bulk notifications, 1C integration). We provide a 6-month free support warranty on the code. Implementation experience: 5+ years, over 50 successful projects, with an average of 500 subscriptions per client.

Order a turnkey implementation of this functionality. Contact us and we will assess your project within 1 day and propose an optimal plan.