Featuring Craig Barnell (Director of Customer Insights, Inventory Optimizer; COO, Fishers Finery) and Ryan Carbone (Director of Support & Product Implementation, Inventory Optimizer).
Inflationary pressures and rising costs challenge every e-commerce brand, especially those operating across multiple channels. In this episode of “If You Don’t Have It, You Can’t Sell It,” Ryan and Craig break down how Fishers Finery navigated price increases to offset higher costs while maintaining sales and margin health—using Inventory Optimizer to guide decisions with real-time data.
The Challenge
Over the past year, tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and raw material cost spikes created a new reality for retailers. For Fishers Finery, some cost increases were as high as 30–40%, threatening margins and profitability. The brand faced key questions:
- How do we raise prices without losing customers?
- How do we measure the market’s acceptance of higher pricing?
- How do we adjust inventory dynamically in response to price changes and demand shifts?
Historically, price changes relied on intuition and broad assumptions, which made it difficult to forecast the impact on sales velocity or overall revenue.
The Strategy
Rather than guessing, Fishers Finery took a data-driven approach.
The team began by analyzing gross and net margins under the new cost structure, then tested price elasticity with A/B pricing experiments.
For example, a $20 product with Amazon fees might increase to $27.50. By tracking page views, conversion rates, and sales velocity, the team could measure whether the market would accept the increase without eroding volume.
Inventory Optimizer supported this approach by continuously downloading sales data and re-forecasting daily. This allowed the team to:
- Adjust orders in real time, increasing or skipping inventory based on demand changes
- React quickly if sales slowed after a price change
- Shift forecast weighting from historical data to real-time sales velocity where needed
“We were able to morph the forecast from using historic sales data to real-time velocity information, which was critical in an environment with 35–40% cost increases.” Craig Barnell
Lowering Costs While Protecting Margins
Beyond adjusting prices, the team looked for ways to reduce procurement costs, including:
- Exploring alternative manufacturers
- Adjusting minimum order quantities to lower unit costs
- Optimizing ad spend based on higher price points
Even small reductions in ad spend, paired with effective price increases, had a meaningful impact on profitability.
The Results
By combining price testing, margin analysis, and Inventory Optimizer’s real-time forecasting, Fishers Finery achieved:
- Market acceptance of increased prices across most SKUs
- Reduced exposure to long inventory runs and overstocks
- Improved ad spend efficiency and overall profit margins
- Confidence in adjusting pricing without disrupting sales velocity
This proactive, data-driven approach allowed the brand to maintain both customer loyalty and operational agility during a challenging inflationary period.
Takeaway
Raising prices in response to inflation isn’t just about protecting margins—it’s about doing so strategically and with real-time insight.
Inventory Optimizer enables brands to:
- Test and validate price increases
- Adjust inventory orders dynamically based on current demand
- Combine historical and real-time data to keep forecasts accurate
When price changes are guided by data rather than guesswork, brands can maintain revenue, protect margins, and respond nimbly to an evolving market.
“Being able to react quickly, adjust orders, and track sales velocity in real time—Inventory Optimizer makes all of that possible.” Ryan Carbone
Watch the episode or schedule a demo to see how Inventory Optimizer helps brands navigate inflation and make smarter, data-backed pricing decisions.
