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Companies love dynamic pricing... customers not so much

UK music fans are the latest group to complain about the practice

9/2/24 9:43AM

In recent years an increasing number of companies have flirted with, dated, and even fully married themselves to the concept of “dynamic pricing”.

The prices they are a-changin'

The idea is hardly new. Indeed, technically all prices are dynamic because companies eventually update them (except the Costco hot dog, of course). But here we’re referring to when prices fluctuate quickly or in real-time to changes in demand — a concept that’s increasingly beloved by company execs.

Dynamic pricing mentions — Sherwood News

Uber is one of the most famous advocates of the system. Try getting a ride on a busy Saturday night and you’ve likely experienced “surge pricing” on the ride-hailing app, which automatically adjusts the fare depending on how many people want a cab. Airlines and hotels have also been using dynamic pricing for years to carefully extract every dollar they can from their limited inventory of seats and rooms. Even Coca-Cola has toyed with the idea, with its CEO suggesting a temperature-sensitive vending machine that would raise prices when it was hot back in the early 2000s.

Wendy’s made headlines earlier this year when it touted plans to experiment with dynamic menu pricing... a suggestion that received a wave of backlash. Walmart announced in June that it would be rolling out digital labels for its shelves, which would allow it to change prices more quickly, creating similar concerns about the potential for real-time price changes, although a Walmart spokesperson told Fast Company that the new program would not be used for dynamic pricing.

But, most recently, Ticketmaster has again been in the firing line for its dynamic pricing mechanism in the UK, after Oasis reunion tour tickets shot up during a day of heavy demand, prompting a government review.

Surge protectors

Given that the ability to change prices is so fundamental to how our economy functions, banning the practice feels impossible without getting into a very boring argument about “how” dynamic prices are allowed to be.

However, companies should take heed of how not to do dynamic pricing. Lesson one: don’t change prices after the fact. People can live with paying more, but, if you quote them ~$190 and then by the time they reach the checkout the price is $460+, you will have a lot of people looking, and shouting, back in anger.

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”

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GM has reportedly rehired more than 100 former Cruise employees, 18 months after shuttering the robotaxi unit

GM has rehired more than 100 employees it let go early last year when it shuttered Cruise, its former robotaxi business, according to reporting by The Information.

The hiring spree, which also includes employees from Nvidia and Uber, is geared toward ramping up GM’s plans for personal-use self-driving vehicles and not robotaxis. The former had been the focus of Cruise, prior to GM shuttering it in 2024.

Reporting last fall revealed that GM was attempting to rehire some former Cruise employees, but the scope of that effort wasn’t clear. More than 1,000 employees were laid off when the automaker scrapped Cruise, which it invested $10 billion into.

Google’s Waymo, Cruise’s former chief rival, is now worth $126 billion after a $16 billion funding round earlier this year. The company says it’s serving 500,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in the US.