People are not fans of dynamic pricing
The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.
Why we asked: While dynamic pricing (where the same item is priced differently at different times or even for different people) has existed in things like plane tickets for ages, in recent years, the practice has been spreading and things like digital price tags and AI could mean it gets a lot more widespread and sophisticated quickly. The New York Attorney General has requested data from Instacart about its trials, and people are up in arms about FIFA’s pricing plans for World Cup tickets.
What we found: People are not in favor of these tactics. Six in ten think prices should be the same no matter when someone buys something, and many more (78%) think every buyer should pay the same prices. Six in ten think dynamic pricing is “gouging” and only three in ten think it’s fair. The upside for consumers is that it’s supposed to mean that you can also get deals, but only one in three think that will happen for them.
More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:
What’s going on with young American men and how that impacts the rest of America, in five charts
We’re mostly exhausted, but women really are
One big way this holiday shopping season was different
What do we think 2026 will look like?
What’s changed and what hasn’t in our food habits
The Ipsos Vibe Check: Here's how Americans feel about the government this week
The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?
