Goodbye, Price Tags. Hello, Dynamic Pricing

Key Points on Dynamic Pricing

· Price tag as a symbol: Traditionally, a fixed price tag represented fairness — one price for all customers, like a handshake agreement.

· Rise of dynamic pricing: Businesses are increasingly using algorithms to adjust prices in real time, similar to electronic signs at gas stations.

· Potential benefits: Dynamic pricing can sometimes deliver better deals to consumers by lowering prices during slow demand periods.

· Risks and drawbacks: Companies also exploit this technology to raise prices, eroding the trust and transparency once guaranteed by fixed price tags.

· Broader implication: The disappearance of the traditional price tag signals a shift away from uniform pricing toward individualized, fluctuating costs — meaning consumers may end up paying more overall.

In essence, the article warns that while dynamic pricing offers efficiency and occasional bargains, it undermines the fairness of fixed prices and could lead to higher costs for many customers.

[ABS News Service/29.11.2025]

In the Opinion Video above, we tell the story of a little piece of technology that has delivered enormous benefits to consumers — and is in danger of disappearing. It’s called the price tag. Yes, the price tag.

Businesses increasingly are using algorithms to determine prices, and to rapidly adjust those prices throughout the day. This new technology is called dynamic pricing, and it’s poised to change the way businesses set and advertise their prices. Think of the ever-changing electronic signs at gas stations, but for everything.

Businesses can use dynamic pricing to deliver better deals to customers. But they also are using the new technology to jack up prices. As the video says, the humble price tag “was like a little handshake. It represented an agreement, one price for every customer. But now that agreement is breaking.” And we are all going to pay.