Shoppers Naive About Online Pricing Differences

Two-thirds of adults in the U.S. do not realize it is legal for online stores to charge different people different prices at the same time of day for the same product. This finding represents a marketing opportunity for affiliates of SYOP (set your own price) programs to educate consumers about variation in affiliate price levels for a given product.

A study released today by The Annenberg Public Policy Center revelas that 64 percent of American adults do not know that it is legal for online stores to charge different people different prices at the same time of day for the same product.

According to coverage of the study at The New York Times, the report found that 87 percent of people strongly objected to the practice of online stores charging people different prices for the same products based on information collected about their shopping habits — a practice known as price customization.

While this particular study focuses in particular on price customization occurring through a given online storefront, it also suggests a significant opportunity for affiliates working with SYOP (set your own price) programs to educate consumers about the wide variations in price which may be available via different individual affiliate sites.

This article was last updated on Wednesday, 1st June 2005 at 6:59 pm and is filed in the General Internet Marketing section. You can leave a response below.