How Retailers Optimize Regular Price Without Breaking Trust

You’ve built your brand on trust, simplicity, and consistency. As an EDLP retailer, your promise is clear: Everyday low prices your shopper can count on.

It’s a strategy that works. And it’s one that retailers have scaled with tremendous success.

But not every low price is the right price. Many EDLP retailers seek to make their pricing smarter without breaking its foundational value. The answer lies in regular price optimization – using your pricing rules and demand modeling to fine-tune prices within your guardrails.

Small, strategic adjustments can yield outsized results.

Optimization is the Advantage

Shoppers are more price-conscious than ever. Nearly 90% of Americans are adjusting their grocery habits in response to inflation – even among high earners. Common strategies include choosing store brands (44%), avoiding impulse buys (38%), and switching stores.

In this environment, price perception is everything. You don’t have to win on every SKU, but you must get the most visible and most meaningful ones right.

Unlike high-low pricing, which relies more on promotions, EDLP retailers focus on consistent value and shopper confidence. Your pricing isn’t reactive – it’s deliberate, predictable and trust-based.

If you’re a pricing or merchandising leader, you already know:

• Your pricing changes are infrequent, so they carry more weight
• Your brand perception depends on trust, so inconsistency is risky
• Your focused on value, so promotions play a limited role
• Your traffic depends on price image, so pricing mistakes are costly

With price optimization, you gain the ability to identify products that need a subtle price changes without losing volume. You can boost traffic by identifying value-critical items that matter most to price-sensitive shoppers. Fine-tune prices by zone or store cluster to reflect local conditions, costs, and competition. Use elasticity models to test and validate small pricing updates before they go live.

Tiny tweaks. Big impact. (and keep your price image intact!)

At its core, price optimization is about improving everyday pricing. At ClearDemand, our best-in-class grocery price optimization solution helps you answer questions like:

» Which items are priced below their revenue potential?

» Where are we overpricing or losing volume?

» Which categories or products are more elastic than we think?

» Where can we make price adjustments without losing positive price perception?

You can model demand and price sensitivity at the item and category level so that your team has the power to act with confidence.

Competitive Intelligence Strengthens Price Image

Price optimization isn’t just about margin. It’s about value. ClearDemand helps you prioritize pricing on the products that drive trips, build loyalty, and strengthen brand perception.

That means: Validating zone-based pricing strategies where they create the most value. We help you monitor competitors to understand how your pricing compares. Pricing key value items (KVIs) competitively and confidently. We’ll help you understand which items shoppers care most about — and price them right. And using competitive intelligence to stay aligned with local market leaders

Data-Backed Pricing

Your pricing strategy is powerful. You don’t need to overhaul your process. You need a way to:

• Measure what matters — item-level elasticity, forecast accuracy, actual impact
• Act with precision — optimize prices by cluster, zone, or region
• Stay consistent — protect your brand’s promise of fair, transparent pricing

Small changes — aligned with customer expectations, backed by demand data — can deliver material improvement in margin, traffic, and brand perception.

That’s what ClearDemand does.

Everyday low pricing isn’t just a tactic – it’s a promise to your customers. Maintain price consistency while using data to fine-tune margins across the assortment.

Try our ROI Calculator – Let us show you what smart, simple optimization can do for your business!