The giant online seller had been offering customers different prices for digital video discs. The price changes were random, Amazon insists. But with the ability to track what customers have bought and whether they've been comparison shopping, and then change prices on their sites with just a mouse click, Amazon and other e-tailers have some pricing muscle that traditional sellers never dreamed of having.
Analysts say it's likely they're going to start using it.
Some Amazon users question whether the site altered its DVD prices based on how it identified a customer. Shoppers started to detect similar disparities, and by the beginning of the month DVD Internet chat boards were filled with slams against Amazon for unfairly pricing the discs. But after weeks of customer criticism, Amazon last week notified DVD buyers that it would refund the difference to those who paid higher prices. It also said it stopped the price tests. Michigan's Harter said.