Imagine discovering that the person standing next to you paid less for the exact same product, not because it was on sale, but because an algorithm decided you were willing to pay more. It's called surveillance pricing, and while there's little evidence it's widely used in Canada today, governments are increasingly looking at regulating the practice. Surveillance pricing uses personal data such as your shopping habits, browsing history or even your location to determine what price you're offered.
Retail analyst Bruce Winder spoke to Andrew Carter.