LOS ANGELES — Multiple major retailers, including Old Navy, Target, and Amazon, changed prices for online shopping carts multiple times over a two-week period in 2025. These adjustments were based on dynamic pricing algorithms, a retail strategy that alters prices in real time according to factors such as demand, inventory, and consumer behavior.
Between April 29 and May 26, the total cost of items in an Old Navy online shopping cart varied from $143 to $225. During this period, prices frequently changed, including a drop from $201.46 on May 14 to $184.96 on May 15. A Target online shopping cart, containing six clothing and shoe items, saw its price fluctuate between $135.54 and $170.11 over a two-week span. The retailer implemented promotional offers during this time, including a 30% discount on dresses and a $10 markdown on purchases of $50 or more. Similarly, an Amazon online shopping cart with seven food, clothing, and shoe items showed price variations between $269.08 and $274.57 over the same two-week timeframe.
Dynamic pricing algorithms utilize consumer shopping habits, demographics, and purchasing characteristics to accommodate differing price sensitivities. These models can consider factors such as consumer gender, the time of day or week, and the type of device used for a transaction. Online retailers often update prices continuously, sometimes multiple times daily, using algorithms that monitor competitor data and demand, according to research from Competition Policy International. In contrast, physical retail stores typically update prices manually and less frequently.
Anthony Dukes, a marketing professor, stated, "Companies use this a lot, and it's been accelerated by virtue of algorithms and data." Dukes also said, "They might, for instance, randomize their prices so it's not predictable. Because if it were predictable, then customers would know when the better price is coming and just simply wait for it." Online shopper Kat Wilson described how she monitors prices. "Even if I put it in one day and then a couple of days later, I check it and then the price has gone up, so then I wait until it goes back down," Wilson said.
Wilson further commented on the unpredictability of fluctuating prices. "When prices are so up and down, how do you know if you're getting a good deal? You don't. It's a catch-22. You just have to wing it, basically, and just hope for the best," she said. Both retailers allow customers to request price adjustments within 14 days for purchases made online or in-store. However, Amazon does not provide price adjustments for purchases.
No independent assessment was available for this report.