The era of price hikes for consumer goods is waning.

Sellers of everything from cargo pants to patio furniture resorted to raising prices on items to cover higher operating costs early in the pandemic. In many cases, they were able to boost profits by doing so.

More recently, retailers have been stung by the pull back in purchases of discretionary items as shoppers’ budgets have been stretched and prices remain elevated for essentials such as food. Now, inflation has cooled in many categories, which could further pressure their sales growth.