Pricing Heroes: The Retail Pricing Podcast for Practitioners & Executives

Aaron Thomasson
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Pricing Heroes: The Best Retail Pricing Podcast for Practitioners and Executives Your go-to pricing podcast for transforming strategy, boosting margins, and leading with confidence. Pricing Heroes is the leading retail pricing podcast for pricing practitioners and retail executives focused on building smarter strategies, protecting margins, and earning customer trust. Each month, we feature exclusive interviews, case studies, and practical insights to help you implement the most effective pricing strategies for today’s retail environment. Whether you're managing promotional calendars, navigating price perception, or scaling AI-powered pricing systems, Pricing Heroes offers the expert guidance and real-world perspective you need to lead with confidence. 🎙 Each episode includes: - Expert Interviews: Candid conversations with top pricing professionals and retail innovators - Case Study Analysis: Behind-the-scenes strategy breakdowns from across the industry - Actionable Takeaways: Practical insights you can apply immediately in your organization We explore the full landscape of pricing in retail — spanning e-commerce and in-store, global brands and regional players, and categories from fashion and grocery to electronics and beyond. Topics include: - Innovative pricing technologies and emerging trends, like AI-powered pricing platforms - Data-driven consumer behavior analysis - Strategic solutions to complex pricing challenges - Tactics to boost profit margins and market share - Pricing topics making headline news - Building and transforming pricing functions Join a growing community of pricing professionals and industry leaders who tune into Pricing Heroes — the trusted pricing podcast for anyone shaping the future of retail strategy. 🗓 New episodes drop the last week of every month. 📲 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite platform. Sponsored by Competera — the leading pricing platform empowering retailers with AI-driven, customer-centric pricing solutions that maximize profitability while strengthening customer loyalty.

  1. 4D AGO

    2025 Pricing Predictions Revisited: A Year of Tariffs, Inflation, and Pricing Scrutiny

    In this special year-end episode of Pricing Heroes, we revisit one of our most widely listened-to conversations of the year: our 2025 pricing predictions roundtable. Recorded in January, this episode brought together nine leading pricing experts to share their perspectives on the forces they believed would shape pricing throughout the year ahead. Now, as 2025 comes to a close, those predictions read less like forecasts and more like a reflection of the realities pricing teams have spent the year navigating. From tariffs and inflation pressures to the rapid adoption of AI, growing scrutiny of algorithmic pricing, and the ongoing evolution of pricing organizations, this episode offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on what held up, what proved more complex in practice, and what pricing leaders can take forward into 2026. Rather than revisiting predictions in hindsight, this conversation captures how experienced practitioners were thinking about pricing at the start of the year — and why many of those perspectives remain highly relevant today. Featured Experts: 🎙️ Stephan Liozu – Chief Value Officer, Zilliant 🎙️ Per Sjöfors – Author of The Price Whisperer 🎙️ Oliver Banks – Retail Transformation Expert, Author of Driving Retail Transformation 🎙️ Ayon Bhattacharyya – Founder & CEO, Biz Growth Spurt 🎙️ Markus Husemann-Kopetzky – Founder, Price Management Institute 🎙️ Danilo Zatta – Pricing Advisor, Author of The 10 Rules of Highly Effective Pricing 🎙️ Maciej Kraus – Managing Partner, Movens Capital, Author of The Future of Pricing 🎙️ Tim J. Smith – CEO, Wiglaf Pricing & Adjunct Professor, DePaul University 🎙️ Alex Halkin – Founder & CEO, Competera Key Topics: How tariffs, trade policy, and inflation reshaped pricing decisions in 2025The shift from AI experimentation to practical adoption in pricing teamsWhy algorithmic and dynamic pricing drew public and regulatory scrutinyThe growing importance of data foundations and pricing governanceHow value-based pricing gained relevance in a more price-sensitive environmentWhy competing on price alone continues to erode margins and trustThe evolving role of pricing teams as part of broader revenue intelligence functionsGet in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    26 min

  2. 11/19/2025

    From Brand Positioning to Shelf Price: How to Build Consumer-Centric Pricing Strategies with Caroline Cookson

    In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Caroline Cookson, Founder of Cookson Partners and former Global Strategy and Analytics Leader at Brown-Forman. With more than 15 years of experience in finance, brand strategy, and commercial leadership, Caroline has helped shape pricing strategies for world-class spirits brands including Jack Daniel’s, Glendronach, and Gin Mare. Caroline shares how pricing can connect brand positioning, consumer psychology, and retail execution — and why fairness, transparency, and values-led decision-making are becoming the new foundation of effective pricing leadership. Key Topics: How pricing bridges finance, brand identity, and consumer perceptionWorking “from shelf price backwards” when retailers control the final priceBuilding global frameworks that balance guardrails with local flexibilityHow values-led brands can price confidently and maintain integrityMoving beyond cost-plus: creating structure and discipline around discountingWhen smaller businesses should invest in pricing talent, data, and toolsThe ethics of AI pricing and how transparency builds consumer trustRecommended Resources: Predictably Irrational by Dan ArielyWorks of Rory Sutherland and Mark RitsonConnect with Caroline Cookson on LinkedIn.  Get in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    36 min

  3. 10/22/2025

    Scaling Pricing Across 20 Markets: Building Global Frameworks with Local Freedom at Zooplus with Pooja Gerara

    In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Pooja Gerera, VP Insights and Strategy — formerly VP of Sales and Pricing — at Zooplus, Europe’s leading online pet retailer. Over nearly a decade, Pooja has helped scale Zooplus’s pricing function from a small, experimental team into a data-driven commercial engine spanning 20 European markets. She shares her journey from systems engineering and telecom pricing to leading one of Europe’s most advanced retail pricing organizations, building automation, managing elasticity, and balancing autonomy with control through her “freedom within a framework” philosophy. Key Topics: How a background in technology shaped Pooja’s approach to scalable, automated pricingBuilding Zooplus’s pricing team and evolving from manual to machine-learning modelsSegmenting assortments and applying differentiated strategies across 20 European marketsManaging competing priorities between pricing, promotions, and sales operationsLeadership lessons: earning trust, aligning cross-functional teams, and empowering autonomyWhy elasticity and channel-based pricing can transform traffic and price perceptionThe future of e-commerce and AI as the next major disruption in retail pricingRecommended Resources: Thought leaders Pooja follows: Fabian Uhrich, Danilo Zatta, and Chris HerbertEPP (European Pricing Platform) events and conferencesConnect with Pooja Gerera on LinkedIn. Get in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    29 min

  4. 09/24/2025

    Retail Pricing Under Scrutiny: Trust, Fairness, and the Future of Pricing with Barrie Carmel

    In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Barrie Carmel, a pricing, margin, and revenue management consultant with more than 30 years of experience, including senior leadership roles at Bed Bath & Beyond and Michaels. Barrie shares her journey from foodservice into retail pricing leadership and reflects on what it means to balance precision and speed, manage promotions and customer perception, and lead pricing in an era of public scrutiny. Key Topics: Lessons from transitioning between B2B foodservice and large-scale retailHow to manage complexity when in-store price execution depends on laborThe decline of coupon culture and the challenge of generational shifts in value perceptionWhy framing conversations in customer-centric terms builds credibility and influence internallyElectronic shelf labels and AI — opportunities, risks, and why data protection is essentialHow litigation and regulation are likely to reshape fairness standards and reference pricing practicesRecommended Resources: Player Piano by Kurt VonnegutDombey and Son by Charles DickensPredictably Irrational by Dan ArielyConnect with Barrie Carmel on LinkedIn. Get in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    56 min

  5. 08/27/2025

    The Foundations of Pricing Leadership: Driving Strategy, Credibility, and Tech Readiness with Lee Mackedanz

    In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Lee Mackedanz, Founder and Managing Partner of Value Capture Consulting, and a veteran pricing executive with leadership roles at Kohl’s, JCPenney, Fossil Group, Office Depot, SuperValu, and Advance Auto Parts. Lee shares his journey from merchant at Best Buy to becoming a pricing leader responsible for more than $700 million in incremental sales and margin improvements. He explains what it takes to build credibility with merchants, lead organizational change, and lay the right foundations before investing in technology. Key Topics: Transitioning from merchandising to pricing leadershipCompeting with Amazon by pricing to value, not just priceBuilding pricing maturity at Kohl’s and winning buy-in for a new disciplineWhy persuasion, influence, and small wins drive change management successHow to structure promotions and discounts as strategic resourcesThe foundations required for AI pricing — data, governance, and clear strategyWhy courage, collaboration, and transparency define great pricing leadersRecommended Resources: The Pricing Roadmap by Ulrik Lehrskov-SchmidtChiefPricingOfficer.comConnect with Lee Mackedanz on LinkedIn. Get in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    47 min

  6. 07/24/2025

    AI Pricing & Demand Forecasting Today: Insights from a Decade in Applied AI with Jayadeep Shitole

    How is AI transforming the way retailers price products and forecast demand? In this episode of Pricing Heroes, the leading retail pricing podcast, we speak with Jayadeep Shitole, Principal Data Scientist of Applied AI and Machine Learning at Walmart Global Tech. With over a decade of experience building large-scale pricing and forecasting systems, Jayadeep shares expert insights on how retailers can implement AI-powered pricing strategies that are dynamic, transparent, and aligned with real business goals. We cover: The shift from static to dynamic pricing algorithmsA practical 4-step framework for AI pricing implementationHow demand forecasting and pricing optimization work hand-in-handStrategies for building trust in AI pricing systemsHow to use AI to respond to tariffs, economic shifts, and supply chain disruptionsWhat’s next in retail AI—from real-time optimization to decision intelligenceWhether you're a pricing analyst, retail data scientist, or commercial leader, this episode offers actionable advice on how to future-proof your pricing strategy with AI. Subscribe to Pricing Heroes — the go-to podcast for pricing professionals driving innovation in retail. Connect with Jayadeep Shitole on LinkedIn. Get in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    28 min

  7. 06/24/2025

    Pricing for Expansion, Localization & Bankruptcy: Lessons from Three Retail Models with Seth Nieman

    In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Seth Nieman, former Vice President of Pricing Strategy & Transformation at Rite Aid, and former pricing and merchandising leader at Wakefern Food Corp and Lidl US. Seth shares his journey from helping launch Lidl’s U.S. pricing strategy to leading Rite Aid’s pricing transformation during its emergence from bankruptcy. He explains how pricing can serve as the conscience of the organization, and what it takes to build scalable architecture, align cross-functional teams, and drive pricing decisions under pressure. Key Topics: Developing Lidl’s U.S. assortment and pricing from the ground upLaunching Bowl & Basket and Paperbird at Wakefern, and using pricing to scale private-label growthDesigning a KVI- and promotional role–based pricing architecture to improve CPI and RPI scoresImplementing localized pricing zones across 60+ ShopRite stores, accounting for customer, competitor, and ownership differencesLeading Rite Aid’s pricing reset post-bankruptcy: reassessing optimization logic, category roles, and competitive intelligenceWhy pricing must balance art and science—and how to communicate pricing decisions across functionsTrends in ESLs, dynamic pricing, and why personalization should come with transparency and trustRecommended Resources: Trade journals: Drug Store News, Progressive Grocer, Supermarket NewsNRF Big ShowBusiness journals: The Wall Street JournalConnect with Seth Nieman on LinkedIn. Get in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    46 min

  8. 05/20/2025

    The Beauty of Strategic Pricing: Inside flaconi’s Pricing Transformation with Corina Manea

    In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Corina Manea, Vice President of Commercial at flaconi, Germany’s leading online beauty retailer. Corina shares her journey from Team Lead of Pricing to VP, and how she helped flaconi evolve from manual pricing processes to AI-powered optimization. She explains what makes pricing in luxury beauty so complex, how flaconi balances speed with strategic control, and why pricing teams are uniquely positioned to drive commercial transformation. Key Topics: Career development across pricing and commercial functionsBuilding pricing maturity — from spreadsheets to scalable systemsBalancing pricing agility with brand integrity in beauty retailExperimentation, cross-functional collaboration, and internal advocacyHow WeCommerce culture fuels pricing and team growthRecommended Resources: Predictably Irrational by Dan ArielyConnect with Corina Manea: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corina-manea-831b9493/Get in touch with us ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai.

    27 min
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5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Pricing Heroes: The Best Retail Pricing Podcast for Practitioners and Executives Your go-to pricing podcast for transforming strategy, boosting margins, and leading with confidence. Pricing Heroes is the leading retail pricing podcast for pricing practitioners and retail executives focused on building smarter strategies, protecting margins, and earning customer trust. Each month, we feature exclusive interviews, case studies, and practical insights to help you implement the most effective pricing strategies for today’s retail environment. Whether you're managing promotional calendars, navigating price perception, or scaling AI-powered pricing systems, Pricing Heroes offers the expert guidance and real-world perspective you need to lead with confidence. 🎙 Each episode includes: - Expert Interviews: Candid conversations with top pricing professionals and retail innovators - Case Study Analysis: Behind-the-scenes strategy breakdowns from across the industry - Actionable Takeaways: Practical insights you can apply immediately in your organization We explore the full landscape of pricing in retail — spanning e-commerce and in-store, global brands and regional players, and categories from fashion and grocery to electronics and beyond. Topics include: - Innovative pricing technologies and emerging trends, like AI-powered pricing platforms - Data-driven consumer behavior analysis - Strategic solutions to complex pricing challenges - Tactics to boost profit margins and market share - Pricing topics making headline news - Building and transforming pricing functions Join a growing community of pricing professionals and industry leaders who tune into Pricing Heroes — the trusted pricing podcast for anyone shaping the future of retail strategy. 🗓 New episodes drop the last week of every month. 📲 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite platform. Sponsored by Competera — the leading pricing platform empowering retailers with AI-driven, customer-centric pricing solutions that maximize profitability while strengthening customer loyalty.

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