--- title: "Inflation heats up and consumer spending rises as business leaders share pricing adjustments" description: "MarketScreener reported that U.S. inflation heated up in September while consumer spending rose. Business owners and pricing leaders share the pricing adjustments they have made to protect margins without driving customers away." canonical: "https://news.featured.com/pricing-adjustment-protect-margins-amid-rising-inflation" published: "2026-11-03T18:56:50.342Z" updated: "2026-11-03T18:57:07.367Z" format: "roundups" beat: "Business & Economy" tags: ["Inflation", "Pricing", "Denver", "Los Angeles", "Breckenridge"] editor: "Adrian James" license: "Featured News Republication License 1.0" --- # Inflation heats up and consumer spending rises as business leaders share pricing adjustments _MarketScreener reported that U.S. inflation heated up in September while consumer spending rose. Business owners and pricing leaders share the pricing adjustments they have made to protect margins without driving customers away._ Roundups · [Business & Economy](https://news.featured.com/beat/business-economy.md) · Edited by Adrian James · 2026-11-03 In the news: [US inflation heats up in September; consumer spending rises](https://ae.marketscreener.com/news/us-inflation-heats-up-in-september-consumer-spending-rises-ce785cd3d081f22d) (MarketScreener) U.S. inflation heated up in September while consumer spending rose, according to [MarketScreener](https://ae.marketscreener.com/news/us-inflation-heats-up-in-september-consumer-spending-rises-ce785cd3d081f22d). Business owners and pricing leaders share the pricing adjustments they have made to protect margins without driving customers away. ## Perspectives ### Damien Zouaoui, Co-Founder, Oakwell Beer Spa Denver, CO [Profile](https://www.connectively.us/p/damien-zouaoui) > When supply and labor costs climbed we did not raise the prices that were listed on our website. We instead made changes to what was contained within the session (our products) by including our beer-infused cosmetics line as an added item for guests to take home after their visit. Additionally, we upgraded the robes that are provided to each guest during their stay. Lastly, we extended how long we allow guests to be checked into the facilities. So essentially guests received the same price when they booked online but now had more things available to them while they stayed. > > What didn't work was testing a straight 10% lift on the booking page -- conversion softened inside a week. Bundling the value in instead of charging it at the door kept repeat bookings steady and quietly moved revenue per guest up, because retail attach climbed. The P&L reads like a price hike without the flinch. ### David LoPresti, Founder & CEO, CompliCorp Los Angeles, CA [Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lopresti-1a4513b4/) > I didn't want to just arbitrarily raise rates for clients especially when the core deliverables didn't justify it. So instead, I came up with adding a fast-tracking option. It was a much needed service for clients as they were constantly up against deadlines for submitting VPATs to Federal Agencies and Higher Ed Institutions. Procurement required our paperwork and millions were on the line. > > Fast-tracking a project was clearly understood by clients as an upcharge; we had to shift around our workflow and project deadlines. And our standard timelines remained the same. > > Fast-tracking protects our margins while not raising prices across the board. The choice is in the hands of our clients. That transparency was appreciated as they decide. ### Natalia Bassova, Business Owner, Resort Real Estate Inc Breckenridge, CO [Profile](https://www.connectively.us/p/natalia-bassova) > Reducing discretionary marketing costs. Whilst we increased our list of properties on the market we found that in some areas it became more difficult to pass the full cost back onto the client. We began to focus our marketing efforts by increasing the marketing on the channels that were consistently producing quality leads and removing those that weren't. This kept us profitable while at the same time keeping marketing costs down. Sellers are much more responsive to improvements in efficiency rather than extra charges. ### Todd Harmon, Founder, AURA Modern Home Denver, CO [Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-harmon-6823202/) > One way we protect margin is white-labeling products. Instead of selling a piece under a brand name that customers can price-compare across a dozen sites, we sell it under our own presentation, so the comparison isn't one click away. > > Really savvy customers can figure out that you white-labeled something, but that's the 20%. The other 80% see what's on your website, like it, buy it, and don't want to shop around. That's especially true with higher-end customers buying higher-end, dark luxury pieces. Their time is valuable, and they're not going to spend hours hunting for a 5% or 10% discount. > > So we keep our margin without racing competitors on price, and the customers we want still buy. ### Carmelo Zaffarana, Founder & CEO, Lucernel LLC [Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmelo-zaffarana-76a232298/) > With U.S. inflation rising, I did something that might sound counterintuitive: I changed my prices. Not by lowering them, but by raising them, through a series of A/B tests. > > In one of my apps, I used to offer a 3-day free trial on both the monthly and the annual plan. We got lots of trials and more users, sure, but revenue didn't grow. Many people dropped off during the trial, and some even left negative reviews. > > So I said: let's go weekly and annual, with a hard paywall (you have to pay to get into the app; before, it was soft because of the free trial but it's not always worth, if you want to go free / free trial, it's better if you are costs are low or you are VC-funded). I tracked the results for a week, but the first day already confirmed I'd made the right call. > > Profit went up 173%. I cut out the users (and emails) who weren't really interested, and the app now reaches only highly motivated people who actually need what I offer. Me happy, customers happy. > > It's not something you can always do. It depends on your product and your market. In my case, iOS in the U.S., people are far more willing to pay than in my home country, Italy, or in other European countries. --- Read the full story at https://news.featured.com/pricing-adjustment-protect-margins-amid-rising-inflation Free to read, quote and cite with a link. Republishing is licensed only to approved Featured News publishers through the publisher hub (apply: https://news.featured.com/publishers). [Featured News Republication License 1.0](https://news.featured.com/publishers#license)