The New Rules of Retail Pricing: Navigating Market Volatility, Real-Time Data, and AI

Episode Overview

In this dynamic roundtable, host Sam Iosevich monitors a panel of pricing experts as they discuss how to tackle the complexities of modern retail pricing. From inflation and AI to organizational alignment and price wars, this episode delivers sharp insights and practical guidance.

Guests

• Robert McGuire, Retail Pricing Leader
• Jeffrey Kittell, VP, Pricing & Strategy, SpartanNash
• Eddy Salas, SVP Retail Strategy, DataWeave

Key Takeaways

• How agility in pricing starts with organizational clarity and cross-functional alignment
  You cannot be agile if your teams are not aligned. A well-defined pricing strategy, clear decision rights, and tight collaboration between merchandising, digital, supply chain, and pricing are foundational.
• Using AI as a strategic “intern” to streamline pricing ops
  AI is not a replacement for pricing teams—it’s a force multiplier. When treated as an "intern," AI can handle tedious tasks like competitive matching and execution rules, freeing experts to focus on strategy.
• The danger of racing to the bottom—and how to hold the line on value
  Price wars destroy long-term value. Winning retailers focus on their game—not the competition’s—by reinforcing brand value, leveraging data, and resisting unnecessary discounting.
• The metrics retailers should be watching beyond gross margin
  Profit matters—but so do frequency, basket size, and customer lifetime value. Broader, customer-centric metrics give a better read on how pricing impacts both the short and long term.
• Real-time pricing: aspirational buzzword or operational reality?
  Real-time adjustments are only possible with integrated systems and data flow. But even without full automation, having playbooks, streamlined approvals, and analyst autonomy can deliver agility.

Whether you're rethinking your pricing strategy or trying to avoid the next margin hit, this conversation offers a forward-looking playbook for today’s retail leaders.

Related Content

• Parker Avery Insights | The Expert Guide to Retail Pricing (https://parkeravery.com/retail-pricing/)
• Parker Avery Insights | Price Optimization: Margin Rate vs. Margin Dollars (https://parkeravery.com/price-optimization-margin-rate-vs-margin-dollars/)
• Case Study | Retailer Sees Strong Results With AI-Driven Price Optimization​ Solution​ (https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/retailer-sees-strong-results-with-ai-driven-price-optimization-solution/)
• Case Study | Markdown Optimization​ Solution Vastly Improves Retailer’s Sell-Through and Margin​ (https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/markdown-optimization-solution-vastly-improves-retailers-sell-through-and-margin/)