The lack of knowledge about dynamic and personalised pricing methods is a major uncertainty factor in e-commerce and therefore an obstacle to the further positive development of online shopping. Data-based pricing touches on European data protection legislation and, in some cases, the requirement to prevent discrimination. The greater technical capacity of powerful online platforms to collect long-term customer data creates unfair market conditions for smaller online retailers, which can also lead to consumer uncertainty.

Due to the lack of structured and continuous monitoring of dynamic and personalised pricing tactics, there is currently little reliable evidence on customer acceptance of these data-based pricing methods. Existing price comparison portals, which are limited to classic web crawling, are not suitable for making informed statements.

In cooperation with the AIT, the ÖIAT is therefore developing a monitoring tool that can be used privately by anyone to monitor price developments. The data collected from the systematic monitoring of the data-based pricing practices of e-commerce providers will be incorporated into a study. The results will ensure greater transparency for consumers, more equal opportunities for small e-commerce providers and evidence-based policy-making.