Modern Retail Podcast: The new rules of product pricing
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This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels speaks with Kris Malkoski, the president of learning and development at Newell Brands, who oversees operations for household brands including Graco and Sharpie. They go behind the scenes of how the 100-year-old baby gear brand Graco, known for its affordability compared to higher-priced startups, is approaching pricing strategies in a retail environment that’s increasingly volatile thanks to AI, tariffs and cost-conscious shoppers.
Daniels interviews Malkoski about how Graco mitigated tariff-related price increases, how the brand is increasingly using AI to help dial in what prices customers are comfortable paying, and how brands and retailers work together to align on pricing and assortments. Their conversation also gets into:
- The product development teams that play a role in keeping pricing competitive and affordable
- How AI is changing the way Graco approaches customer personas
- The ways Newell Brands works with retailers to help inform pricing and layout strategies that move units