Pricing Heroes: The Retail Pricing Podcast for Practitioners & Executives

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/twilio/text_messages/2049169/open_sms] ---------- 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/twilio/text_messages/2049169/open_sms] ---------- 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/twilio/text_messages/2049169/open_sms] ---------- 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/].

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemackedanz-mba/], 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 leadership * Competing with Amazon by pricing to value, not just price * Building pricing maturity at Kohl’s and winning buy-in for a new discipline * Why persuasion, influence, and small wins drive change management success * How to structure promotions and discounts as strategic resources * The foundations required for AI pricing — data, governance, and clear strategy * Why courage, collaboration, and transparency define great pricing leaders Recommended Resources: * The Pricing Roadmap by Ulrik Lehrskov-Schmidt [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544536313/?bestFormat=true&k=the%20pricing%20roadmap&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_k0_1_18_de&crid=2J23USO4CX9T&sprefix=The%20Pricing%20Roadma] * ChiefPricingOfficer.com [https://www.chiefpricingofficer.com/] Connect with Lee Mackedanz on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemackedanz-mba/]. Get in touch with us [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2049169/open_sms] ---------- 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/].

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayadeepshitole/], 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 algorithms * A practical 4-step framework for AI pricing implementation * How demand forecasting and pricing optimization work hand-in-hand * Strategies for building trust in AI pricing systems * How to use AI to respond to tariffs, economic shifts, and supply chain disruptions * What’s next in retail AI—from real-time optimization to decision intelligence Whether 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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayadeepshitole/]. Get in touch with us [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2049169/open_sms] ---------- 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/].