U.S. regulator targets personalised pricing as consumers worry about price hikes

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is focusing on personalised pricing practices, and planning to aggressively enforce laws requiring sellers to inform customers if they are being shown different prices from others.

The U.S. FTC also wants businesses to disclose why personalised pricing is being used, and what customer data was collected in order to make these pricing decisions, in an effort to ensure lawful competition and transparency.

The U.S. regulator that focuses on consumer protections and fair business practices noted that the public and the government were “increasingly concerned that the massive amount of data collected and generated when consumers use modern technology is making it possible for merchants to personalise prices for goods and services that traditionally did not vary from person to person.”