Pricing

Every for-profit business faces the challenge of setting competitive prices while also generating a profit. An increasingly common solution to this conundrum has been to advertise one price and later disclose additional charges — e.g., hotels’ resort fees, e-ticketing platforms’ “handling” fees or even surcharges assessed against customers paying with a credit card. The consumer…

Dynamic pricing is a hot topic in retail, but hints of such a strategy at big-name grocery retailers such as Kroger and Walmart have sent shoppers out the door. With over one-fifth of U.S. consumers shying away from retailers using dynamic pricing, the key is transparency. Walmart is paving the way for electronic shelf labels…

A hot topic — and even election-year fodder — is food pricing and the cost of groceries. In response, retailers like Target, Walgreens, and Walmart have made headlines by announcing price drops on thousands of items since May. The question is, how did retailers with state-of-the-art pricing practices get so misaligned on pricing that it…

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's case accusing Amazon.com of stifling competition in online retail will move forward, though some of the states that sued alongside the agency had their claims dismissed, court documents showed. U.S. District Judge John Chun in Seattle unsealed his ruling from Sept. 30, which dismissed some of the claims brought by…

California Senate Bill 478 (SB 478), also known as the Honest Pricing Law or the Hidden Fees Statute, went into effect on July 1, 2024. The law targets so-called “drip pricing” and prohibits businesses from advertising, displaying or offering a price for a good or service that doesn't include all mandatory fees or charges, other…

Despite recent progress in reducing inflation, prices are still high and consumers remain under pressure. Excess savings accumulated during the pandemic have been depleted for a substantial part of the population and credit card delinquencies have reached record levels. We’re also seeing a reduction in job openings and wage growth, among other moderating indicators. As…

There’s no other way to say it: pricing has caught up to everyone. If the recent flurry of TikTok videos about McDonald's Hash Browns has shown us anything, it’s that companies simply can’t raise prices forever. At some point, they’ll price themselves out of the market. Within CPG specifically, prices are rising across the board.…

Inflation continues to cast a long shadow over American households, with prices soaring to levels 33 percent higher than those seen four years ago. Despite prices easing in recent months, inflation’s cumulative effect has exacted economic strain on many families, who are grappling with a higher cost of living coupled with slower income growth. In…

I have a confession to make: A few weeks ago I found myself buying toys for my kids — toys that they really don’t need. I hadn’t planned the splurge, but as I strolled the charming streets of San Diego, my eyes fell upon an incredible feat of store design: a gigantic wooden puppet, its…

The retail sector in 2024 faces a confluence of transformative forces. Geopolitical tensions, intricate supply chains and economic fluctuations have created a complex landscape. Challenges like inflation, rising interest rates, and escalating living costs directly influence consumer purchasing power. The e-commerce boom and evolving post-pandemic consumer behavior further reshape market dynamics, presenting both opportunities and…