Pricing Heroes: The Retail Pricing Podcast for Practitioners & Executives

The Future of AI Pricing: From Human-in-the-Loop to Fully Automated Decisions with Alex Halkin

In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Alex Halkin, Founder and CEO of Competera, returning to the show two years after his first appearance in 2024. In that conversation, Alex predicted a major shift toward AI-driven, contextual pricing in retail. Today, he revisits those predictions, assesses how the space has evolved, and shares what's coming next — from autonomous pricing decisions to four-dimensional optimisation models and algorithmic trading-style speed. Key Topics: * How AI adoption in retail pricing has accelerated since 2024, and why CIOs are now advocating for it rather than resisting it * Why contextual AI pricing is not for every retailer, and how to assess if it's right for your business * How advanced AI pricing algorithms use model routing to orchestrate multiple AI models to achieve holistic pricing outcomes * Whether AI is necessary for velocity ratio index (VRI) and lifecycle sell-through rate optimisation for seasonal inventory * Why some overstock problems are demand problems, not pricing problems * How macroeconomic volatility is making pricing resemble algorithmic trading Connect with Alex Halkin on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhalkin/]. Get in touch with us [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2049169/fan_mail/new] ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide [https://competera.net/resources/pricing-guides/ai-pricing]. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai [https://competera.ai/].

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanliozu/] – Chief Value Officer, Zilliant 🎙️ Per Sjöfors [https://www.linkedin.com/in/persjofors/] – Author of The Price Whisperer 🎙️ Oliver Banks [https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverbanks1/] – Retail Transformation Expert, Author of Driving Retail Transformation 🎙️ Ayon Bhattacharyya [https://www.linkedin.com/in/valueconquer/] – Founder & CEO, Biz Growth Spurt 🎙️ Markus Husemann-Kopetzky [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-markus-husemann-kopetzky/] – Founder, Price Management Institute 🎙️ Danilo Zatta [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilo-zatta/] – Pricing Advisor, Author of The 10 Rules of Highly Effective Pricing 🎙️ Maciej Kraus [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciejkraus/] – Managing Partner, Movens Capital, Author of The Future of Pricing 🎙️ Tim J. Smith [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwiglaf/] – CEO, Wiglaf Pricing & Adjunct Professor, DePaul University 🎙️ Alex Halkin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhalkin/] – Founder & CEO, Competera Key Topics: * How tariffs, trade policy, and inflation reshaped pricing decisions in 2025 * The shift from AI experimentation to practical adoption in pricing teams * Why algorithmic and dynamic pricing drew public and regulatory scrutiny * The growing importance of data foundations and pricing governance * How value-based pricing gained relevance in a more price-sensitive environment * Why competing on price alone continues to erode margins and trust * The evolving role of pricing teams as part of broader revenue intelligence functions Get in touch with us [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2049169/fan_mail/new] ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide [https://competera.net/resources/pricing-guides/ai-pricing]. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai [https://competera.ai/].

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 perception * Working “from shelf price backwards” when retailers control the final price * Building global frameworks that balance guardrails with local flexibility * How values-led brands can price confidently and maintain integrity * Moving beyond cost-plus: creating structure and discipline around discounting * When smaller businesses should invest in pricing talent, data, and tools * The ethics of AI pricing and how transparency builds consumer trust Recommended Resources: * Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely [https://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248] * Works of Rory Sutherland and Mark Ritson Connect with Caroline Cookson on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-cookson/].  Get in touch with us [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2049169/fan_mail/new] ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide [https://competera.net/resources/pricing-guides/ai-pricing]. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai [https://competera.ai/].

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 pricing * Building Zooplus’s pricing team and evolving from manual to machine-learning models * Segmenting assortments and applying differentiated strategies across 20 European markets * Managing competing priorities between pricing, promotions, and sales operations * Leadership lessons: earning trust, aligning cross-functional teams, and empowering autonomy * Why elasticity and channel-based pricing can transform traffic and price perception * The future of e-commerce and AI as the next major disruption in retail pricing Recommended Resources: * Thought leaders Pooja follows: Fabian Uhrich [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-fabian-uhrich-377a3b2/], Danilo Zatta [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilo-zatta/], and Chris Herbert [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisvherbert/] * EPP (European Pricing Platform) [https://www.pricingplatform.com/] events and conferences Connect with Pooja Gerera on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gererapooja/]. Get in touch with us [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2049169/fan_mail/new] ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide [https://competera.net/resources/pricing-guides/ai-pricing]. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai [https://competera.ai/].

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 retail * How to manage complexity when in-store price execution depends on labor * The decline of coupon culture and the challenge of generational shifts in value perception * Why framing conversations in customer-centric terms builds credibility and influence internally * Electronic shelf labels and AI — opportunities, risks, and why data protection is essential * How litigation and regulation are likely to reshape fairness standards and reference pricing practices Recommended Resources: * Player Piano [https://www.amazon.com/Player-Piano-Novel-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385333781/ref=sr_1_1?crid=A64MZPGHC5MI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5dMKAZujYy7KXcc6Jm-ANIOhTQL692u0ZBikcfvVdfVEXMMfM3KlT-NogisI_TB11fvfSvvzMFTvFgmYudhJ6UxxG8RB98oD_uwSCdVr0RJBFJ-RjfoDJvEbC5cSVtJlD4E6NXsiZy0G_8uDR7W2QUUVSbY_PXO0FpEboLxJTycfmHh6QhJNKI0OQvxLSiNomulCXV5AFSnj-E-VzY64rK-5ELYolUCADU921xLdsjE.xRWcnUAmlLRFPzuEpCcONQMmRAg_wnksG78DjUJENY4&dib_tag=se&keywords=player+piano+kurt+vonnegut&qid=1758117123&sprefix=Player+Piano%2Caps%2C503&sr=8-1] by Kurt Vonnegut * Dombey and Son [https://www.amazon.com/Dombey-Son-Victorian-Fiction-Annotated-ebook/dp/B09XTRLF3H/ref=sr_1_3?crid=PA1QC2G2PBG0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.piAGKL3rCRhbPbirfQf90FO6YXqMqV8S-Xl4eBQtKvJnWwVZAoRSYW6MH52CZ6nwuqWsAwal3GEcrwoZo98Fv11wbXnjz8L_WfGzjPkfmLV0dppkdGT20hlB0DWufcLIIJ8yhovz-6UzEa0iuxNbZtlE7zKQm0ba1AswzBL3LwXjAzBQizhv2uyJnGGOvahk6FzAotlWTWS7ZgD0whsdE9QrXjx372dS4ZhfUAOd-tA.TIDJV10HzD255wYDA309RIdjySKFeejc_WWMX4hJMK0&dib_tag=se&keywords=dombey+and+son+penguin+classics&qid=1758117084&sprefix=Dombey+and+Son+penguin%2Caps%2C242&sr=8-3] by Charles Dickens * Predictably Irrational [https://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248] by Dan Ariely Connect with Barrie Carmel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrie-carmel-6227284/]. Get in touch with us [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2049169/fan_mail/new] ---------- Get your free copy of Get Ready for the Future Of Pricing with our A-Z Guide [https://competera.net/resources/pricing-guides/ai-pricing]. For more information about AI pricing solutions, check out our Corporate sponsor Competera.ai [https://competera.ai/].