Why Should I Pay More? How to Avoid Dynamic Pricing

Who buys cookies in the supermarket, pays the same price as all other customers. But the Internet has its own laws: More and more retailers rely on “dynamic pricing”. Behind this is a sophisticated algorithm: what price a customer pays for a product depends not only on the time, but also on factors such as his surfing behavior, the device used and his place of residence. We tell you how to bypass Dynamic Pricing!

Why Pay Some More Than Others

The data mountain that people leave surfing the internet is worth gold to Internet traders. The shops evaluate each visit and can not only determine which products visitors are particularly interested in – they can even draw conclusions about the purchasing power of those interested. And so the shops use the algorithm to create, so to speak, individual price tags.

This individual pricing also depends on the device that the prospect uses. Studies by the German TV magazine “SWR Marktcheck” and the consumer center NRW prove that iPad and iPhone owners often see other price tags than users of stationary PCs. In many cases examined a price adjustment took place, the articles in the mobile shopping cart were much more expensive than at the PC. However, it can not be concluded that shopping on the stationary computer is generally cheaper – in some cases, it is the other way round. So if you always want to find the cheapest price for online shopping, you have to be on your guard and take appropriate countermeasures.

Dealing With Dynamic Pricing: That’s The Way It Works

With these tips, buyers can bypass dynamic pricing:

Tip 1: Use Different Browsers

Many online shops use cookies, with which they recognize customers even without log-in and analyze their buying behavior. They also register which products are of particular interest to the surfer. For example, some traders derive a lot of attention from a high frequency of visits and make a price adjustment. Therefore, it makes sense, especially with expensive products, to look at the same offer with a different browser. Preferably with a freshly installed second browser – or a clean. Then there are other or no cookies at work, which can lead to customized digital price tags.

This is how it works: clean up Firefox

This is how it works: clean up Firefox

• In the address bar of Firefox type in ” about:preferences#privacy” and press Enter.
• Then go to History and “remove individual cookies.”
• More info: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-cookies-and-site-data-firefox

Tip 2: Do Not Sign Up

Anyone who logs in with their account data while browsing through an online shop makes an oath of allegiance to the merchant. Why? If he has already shopped here more often, the dealer knows the preferences of this customer and knows, for example, that he likes to use expensive products. With tricks, these are then brought to the front. Likewise, pricing can be made according to the financial strength. Therefore, users should register as late as possible in the shop – ideally, only at the checkout.

Tip 3: Come From Different Sites

Hard to believe: Pricing in a shop depends in part on which website the visitor comes from. For example, shops can display lower prices if surfers access a product page via price search engines than if they access Amazon, for example. Similarly, dynamic pricing creates higher prices as the customer navigates directly to the merchant site.

Tip 4: Use Or Pretend To Be Another Other Device

Who buys via smartphone, tablet or Mac on the Web, should recheck the price via the browser on the PC. This is especially worthwhile for more significant purchases and travel. The reason: Some retailers consider iPhone or Mac owners to be more financially secure, so they adjust their pricing and charge a higher price. Sometimes, however, the opposite is the case.

Tip 5: Change IP address

Anyone who clicks on the Internet gets an IP address from their provider. This is a kind of web house number that contains information about the location. Some algorithms derive from this information conclusions about the financial strength of the buyer. So, coming from a wealthy area may see a higher price. Also, customers from the US may have to dig deeper than visitors from less affluent countries. By using a so-called VPN service, this type of dynamic pricing can be circumvented: Via VPN, one can pretend that a customer from another country is sitting in front of the screen. Alternatively, the Tor network also offers the possibility to disguise the IP address for free.

Avoid Dynamic Pricing

However, to beat these discriminatory pricing methods, you can trick the systems by emulating various devices to see if you can get better prices online. With the eBlocker, it works very easy and independent of the device; you can actually cloak and emulate a variety of tools like PC, Mac, iPad and Android etc.