VIDEO

The Price Point Ep.15 The Hidden Costs of Cutting Competitive Intelligence

In this episode of The Price Point, Edward Salas, SVP of Retail Strategy at DataWeave, returns with a timely warning for retailers tightening their budgets: cutting competitive intelligence might seem like a savings win, but it could cost you much more.

With market volatility high and internal pressure to reduce spend, competitive intelligence is often the first to face scrutiny. But Edward breaks down why that’s a dangerous move, outlining five compelling reasons to protect your CI budget:

  • Your competitors aren’t slowing down - and if you cut visibility, you risk falling behind.
  • Internal-only decisions create blind spots - you miss external signals shaping shopper expectations.
  • You lose speed and responsiveness - without frequent intel, you play catch-up while others move.
  • Strategic shifts go unnoticed - CI goes beyond pricing to reveal assortment, promo, and private label trends.
  • Innovation suffers - future pricing and product decisions lack competitive context.
  • Edward reminds us: CI isn't a cost center - it's a profit enabler. Cutting it might feel like a short-term fix, but the long-term risk to margins, price image, and strategic agility is far greater.


    • This episode is a must-watch for retail leaders, pricing teams, and category managers navigating cost pressures without losing market edge.

    Tune in now to rethink the details that drive shopper trust.

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