Walmart CEO John Furner said in a letter on October 6 that the retailer will not use personal data to charge different customers different prices, writing that using “someone’s income, shopping history, or moment of need to charge them more would violate the EDLP promise.” He also said Walmart does not use its electronic shelf labels to set personalized prices. The letter landed the same day the Federal Trade Commission closed public comments on a proposed enforcement policy aimed at personalized pricing practices it considers deceptive. The FTC has acknowledged that “the extent to which businesses currently use personalized pricing is not well understood,” and the National Retail Federation argued that personalized discounts should be treated differently from personalized prices. How regulators draw that line will shape what shoppers see at the shelf and online.
Sources: Retail Brew.