Pricing Heroes: The Retail Pricing Podcast for Practitioners & Executives – Details, episodes & analysis

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 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

----------

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.

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
• Works of Rory Sutherland and Mark Ritson

Connect 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.

How will AI, inflation, and shifting market dynamics impact pricing in 2025?

In this special episode of Pricing Heroes, we asked nine top pricing experts to share their boldest predictions for the year ahead. From the rise of AI-driven pricing to the risks of dynamic pricing missteps, this episode explores the biggest trends shaping the future of pricing—and what retailers must do to stay ahead.

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

What They Cover:

✅ The game-changing role of AI in pricing strategies
✅ Why data-driven decision-making will be the new competitive advantage
✅ How trade policies and inflation will force pricing shifts
✅ The growing impact of hyper-personalization & marketplace pricing
✅ The real risks of price wars & unethical AI

Whether you’re a pricing professional, retail leader, or industry strategist, this episode is packed with insights to help you navigate pricing in 2025.

🔊 Listen now and stay ahead of the curve!

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.

In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we sit down with Dr. Markus Husemann-Kopetzky, founder and managing director of the Price Management Institute, a boutique consultancy specializing in price management and price communication. As a senior research fellow, university lecturer, and advisor with more than a decade of experience in management and consulting roles, including over five years at Amazon as a senior manager of pricing and business analytics, Markus brings unique insights from both academic and practical perspectives. Some of you may know him as the author of the Handbook on Psychology of Pricing.

We invited him to discuss his latest report: “Data-based decision-making in retail & e-commerce,” which compiles actionable insights from a survey of more than 200 retail executives.

Recommended Resources

For pricing professionals looking to deepen their knowledge, Markus recommends:

• Getting Price Right by Gerald Smith
• The Expert Guide to Retail Pricing by Kiran Gange

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.

In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we sit down with Sheetal Chavan, the Commercial Pricing Lead at Zalando, one of Germany's largest online retailers selling shoes, fashion, and beauty products. With six years of experience in pricing and a diverse background across various business functions, Sheetal shares her journey into the pricing profession and offers valuable insights for both newcomers and seasoned professionals in the field.

Sheetal recommends several resources for those interested in pricing:

• The 10 Rules of Highly Effective Pricing by Danilo Zatta
• Price Model Revolution by Danilo Zatta

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.

In this special episode of Pricing Heroes, we welcome back our very own Alex Galkin, who joins us for our conversation with today's guest, Maciej Kraus. Maciej is a Managing Partner at Movens Capital, a growth equity firm, where he helps companies generate more profit for their development and growth. He is also a guest lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the author of three books, including "The Future of Pricing: A Guide to the Next 10 Years of AI" and his forthcoming book, "Pricing Decoded: How Leading Pricing Practitioners Manage Practice to Boost Profits." Maciej is also one of the longest-serving members of Competera's advisory board.

Recommended Resources

Maciej recommends several resources for those looking to deepen their pricing knowledge:

• Value-Based Pricing by Stefan Liozu
• The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing by Thomas Nagle
• Mark Stiving's Impact Pricing Podcast

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.

In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we dive deep into the fascinating world of behavioral economics with Melina Palmer, the founder and CEO of Brainy Business, a consultancy dedicated to applying behavioral economics principles to business growth. Melina is also the author of three insightful books, including The Truth About Pricing, which is the focus of our discussion for this episode. With a background in marketing and brand strategy and a master's degree in behavioral economics, Melina brings a unique perspective on how businesses can leverage behavioral science to enhance their pricing strategies.

Recommended Resources

• The Brainy Business podcast
• Using Behavioral Science by Nancy Harhut
• Mixed Signals by Uwe Gneezy

Connect with Melina

To learn more about Melina Palmer and her work, visit her website at TheBrainyBusiness.com, where you can find her books, podcast episodes, and information about consulting services. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn or on other social media platforms as @TheBrainyBiz on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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.

Our guest on this episode of Pricing Heroes is Ayon Bhattacharyya, the Founder & CEO of Biz Growth Spurt, a consultancy helping B2B SaaS and tech companies drive profitable growth through product marketing and price optimization by taking a value-based, data-driven approach. Ayon has more than 15 years of experience leading pricing and commercial strategy across various industries with dozens of global brands, including British Airways, News Corporation, Equifax and Telefonica O2.

In this episode, Ayon shares his experience working with brands to boost their pricing power and communicate value more effectively. He offers actionable strategies for navigating B2B pricing complexities, from understanding customer segments to utilizing data-driven methods for optimal pricing.

Resource Mentioned in Episode:

Ayon’s LinkedIn article mentioned during the episode: “Taking a structured, value-based approach to monetisation is the key to profitable growth”

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.

Our guest this week is our very own Alex Galkin, Founder & CEO of Competera. We invited Alex on the podcast to discuss a recent report on the “Future of Pricing: How AI is Transforming Retail Pricing” published by Coresight Research.

In this episode, Alex discusses the shift he's seeing towards AI-powered price optimization in retail, highlights the differences in AI capabilities currently being deployed in real-world scenarios, explains why retailers should trust AI to empower their pricing teams, and provides helpful tips for retailers trying to determine if AI pricing is right for them and what they can do to prepare for the adoption of AI tools.

Report: Future of Pricing: How AI is Transforming Retail Pricing

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.

Our guest on our recent episode of Pricing Heroes is Dr. Tim J. Smith, a foremost thought leader in the pricing community. Tim wears a variety of hats in the pricing profession. He is the Founder and CEO of Wiglaf Pricing, an Adjunct Professor of Marketing and Economics at DePaul University, an academic advisor at the Professional Pricing Society, and the author of four books on pricing, including Pricing Done Right and Pricing Strategy. Those of you who are active on LinkedIn may know him as the brains behind the Pricing Spine-o-meter.

Tim dives into evaluating pricing teams, explains why technology alone can’t tackle today's most pressing pricing challenges, and explores the positive role pricing can have on public perception and social equity. Tune in to learn how you can take your pricing strategies to the next level.

Check out these resources:

• Pricing Strategy (book)
• Pricing Done Right (book)
• Wiglaf Pricing Missives (Pricing Spine-o-meter on LinkedIn)
• Certified Pricing Professional (CPP)

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.