Explore every episode of the podcast Pricing Heroes: The Retail Pricing Podcast for Practitioners & Executives
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| 2025 Pricing Predictions Revisited: A Year of Tariffs, Inflation, and Pricing Scrutiny | 30 Dec 2025 | 00:26:09 | |
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 Key Topics:
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| From Brand Positioning to Shelf Price: How to Build Consumer-Centric Pricing Strategies with Caroline Cookson | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:36:02 | |
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:
Recommended Resources:
Connect with Caroline Cookson on LinkedIn. ---------- | |||
| 2025 Pricing Predictions: Insights from Industry Experts | 30 Jan 2025 | 00:24:12 | |
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 What They Cover: ✅ The game-changing role of AI in pricing strategies 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! ---------- | |||
| Data-Based Decision-Making in Retail & E-Commerce with Dr. Markus Husemann-Kopetzky | 11 Dec 2024 | 00:35:06 | |
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. For pricing professionals looking to deepen their knowledge, Markus recommends: ---------- | |||
| Building Pricing Functions: Lessons from Startups to Multinational Brands with Sheetal Chavan | 23 Oct 2024 | 00:29:37 | |
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. ---------- | |||
| Decoding Pricing for Practitioners with Maciej Kraus and Alex Galkin | 25 Sep 2024 | 00:34:06 | |
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. Maciej recommends several resources for those looking to deepen their pricing knowledge:
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| Behavioral Economics and the Truth About Pricing with Melina Palmer | 29 Aug 2024 | 00:48:34 | |
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.
Connect with Melina ---------- | |||
| Unlocking Pricing Power through Value-Based Strategies with Ayon Bhattacharyya | 25 Jul 2024 | 00:39:25 | |
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. Ayon’s LinkedIn article mentioned during the episode: “Taking a structured, value-based approach to monetisation is the key to profitable growth” ---------- | |||
| The Future of Retail Pricing Powered by Al with Alex Galkin | 28 May 2024 | 00:34:46 | |
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. ---------- | |||
| Grow a Spine for Pricing: Measuring the Maturity of Your Pricing Practice with Tim J. Smith | 24 Apr 2024 | 00:39:29 | |
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.
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| The Evolution of Pricing — Going Beyond Pricing to Drive Innovation with Karan Sood | 28 Mar 2024 | 00:39:31 | |
Today's guest is Karan Sood, the Director of Sales Operations at Rakuten Kobo, a Canadian seller of ebooks, audiobooks, e-readers and tablet computers. Karan is a “Top Pricing Strategy Voice” on LinkedIn, recognized for his active contributions of insights and engaging content to the online pricing community. He has 16 years of experience in pricing, working for prominent global brands, including YellowPages, Mitsubishi and General Motors.
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| Monetizing and Pricing Sustainability with Stephan Liozu | 29 Feb 2024 | 00:45:08 | |
Today's guest is Dr. Stephan Liozu, the Founder of Value Innoruption Advisors, which is a consulting boutique specializing in industrial, digital, and value-based pricing. He is the author of 14 books on pricing, including his most recent book, Monetizing and Pricing Sustainability, which he co-authored with Fabien Cros. Stephan has also written many articles on strategic pricing for the Journal of Professional Pricing. Stephan currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Professional Pricing Society and LeveragePoint Innovation.
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| Scaling Pricing Across 20 Markets: Building Global Frameworks with Local Freedom at Zooplus with Pooja Gerara | 22 Oct 2025 | 00:29:02 | |
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:
Recommended Resources:
Connect with Pooja Gerera on LinkedIn. ---------- | |||
| Discover Your Perfect Pricing Model with Danilo Zatta | 25 Jan 2024 | 00:19:55 | |
Today’s guest is Dr. Danilo Zatta, one of the “world’s leading pricing minds” according to The Financial Times. For more than 20 years, Dan has been advising corporations and private equity investors across industries and geographies about commercial excellence, monetization and profitable growth. Dan is also the author of more than 20 books, including, an international best seller that’s been translated into 10+ languages, The Pricing Model Revolution: How Pricing Will Change the Way We Sell and Buy on and Offline and, his most recent work, The 10 Rules of Highly Effective Pricing: How to Transform Your Price Management to Boost Profits. Follow Danilo Zatta on LinkedIn and checkout his website: danilozatta.com. ---------- | |||
| Navigating Retail Transformation with Oliver Banks | 09 Nov 2023 | 00:29:03 | |
Our guest today is Oliver Banks, global retail influencer, host of “The Retail Transformation Show,” and author of Driving Retail Transformation: How to Navigate Disruption and Change, available March 2024. ---------- | |||
| From Legacy to AI: Johan Karlsson's Journey as a Pricing Analyst in Retail | 19 Jul 2023 | 00:16:48 | |
Out today's guest is Johan Karlsson, a pricing analyst at Clas Ohlson. ---------- | |||
| Pricing Consultancy and Commercial Strategy Insights with Zen Ore | 16 May 2023 | 00:35:28 | |
Today's guest is Zen Ore, Executive Manager of Commercial Pricing Strategy at one of the world's biggest grocery retailers. ---------- | |||
| Three Key FMCG Trends That Impact Pricing Right Now with James Tenser | 29 Mar 2023 | 00:38:37 | |
Our today's guest is James Tenser, Retail Tech Marketing Strategist, the President of VSN Media, and a Top 100 Retail Influencer for 2023 by Rethink Retail. ---------- | |||
| Change Management and Pricing Tactics with Stephan M. Liozu | 09 Mar 2023 | 00:41:14 | |
Our today's guest is Stephan M. Liozu. Stephan M. Liozu is the Founder of Value Innoruption Advisors, a consulting boutique specializing in industrial, digital, and value-based pricing. He is the author of 12 books on pricing. He has also written many articles on strategic pricing issues for the Journal of Professional Pricing. Stephan sits on the Advisory Board of the Professional Pricing Society and LeveragePoint Innovation. Dive deeper into the details of Change Management and Pricing Tactics explained by Stephan M. Liozu. ---------- | |||
| The state of home retail amid rising inflation with Juan Diez Barrientos | 06 Feb 2023 | 00:37:16 | |
Our today’s guest is Juan Díez Barrientos - Pricing manager at one of the biggest Nordic home and furniture retailers based in Stockholm (one of the biggest home retailers in Sweden, Finland, and Norway). Ex Implementation Manager Lead at IBM. ---------- | |||
| Emergency strategies to keep profit high in the inflation-shaken environment by Dr. Markus Husemann-Kopetzky | 11 Oct 2022 | 00:22:44 | |
Our first guest is Dr Markus Husemann-Kopetzky - pricing advisor, researcher and educator, ex. Amazon Senior Manager for Pricing and Business Analytics, Founder of the Price Management Institute and author of the Handbook on the Psychology of Pricing and the (lovely) Pricing Nuggets. ---------- | |||
| Retail Pricing Under Scrutiny: Trust, Fairness, and the Future of Pricing with Barrie Carmel | 24 Sep 2025 | 00:55:45 | |
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:
Recommended Resources:
Connect with Barrie Carmel on LinkedIn. ---------- | |||
| The Foundations of Pricing Leadership: Driving Strategy, Credibility, and Tech Readiness with Lee Mackedanz | 27 Aug 2025 | 00:46:51 | |
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:
Recommended Resources: Connect with Lee Mackedanz on LinkedIn. ---------- | |||
| AI Pricing & Demand Forecasting Today: Insights from a Decade in Applied AI with Jayadeep Shitole | 24 Jul 2025 | 00:28:24 | |
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:
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. ---------- | |||
| Pricing for Expansion, Localization & Bankruptcy: Lessons from Three Retail Models with Seth Nieman | 24 Jun 2025 | 00:45:38 | |
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:
Recommended Resources:
Connect with Seth Nieman on LinkedIn. ---------- | |||
| The Beauty of Strategic Pricing: Inside flaconi’s Pricing Transformation with Corina Manea | 20 May 2025 | 00:27:11 | |
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:
Recommended Resources: Connect with Corina Manea: ---------- | |||
| Tariff-Proof Pricing: Building Resilient Strategies for Uncertain Times with Per Sjöfors | 22 Apr 2025 | 00:36:26 | |
In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Per Sjöfors — also known as The Price Whisperer — and the founder and CEO of Sjöfors & Partners. With over 35 years of executive experience and more than 750 companies advised, Per shares his unique approach to pricing, grounded in behavioral economics, AI-driven insights, and deep market research. We discuss the true impact of tariffs on pricing strategies, the psychological thresholds that influence customer behavior, and why most companies dramatically underestimate how their market perceives value. Per also explains how to avoid the common mistake of adding “tariff surcharges,” how to communicate price increases transparently, and how pricing teams can build resilience in times of uncertainty. Key Topics:
Recommended Resources:
Connect with Per Sjöfors:
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| Pricing & Merchandising Synergy: Driving Growth and Value Differentiation in Volatile Times with Josh Pollack | 26 Mar 2025 | 00:35:44 | |
In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Josh Pollack, President and Principal Consultant at Pollack Retail Solutions. Josh shares insights from his 25+ years of experience in retail strategy, including stints at Sam’s Club, Circuit City, ALDI, PetSmart, FullBeauty Brands, and Cabela’s. He delves into why merchandising and pricing teams must work in tandem, how to balance short-term margin gains with long-term brand health, and where AI-driven dynamic pricing can either strengthen or undermine customer trust. Key Topics:
Recommended Resources:
Connect with Josh Pollack:
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