And now, a new layer of AI technology<\/a> is starting to turbocharge that system.<\/p>\n Pricing is already starting to change<\/p>\n Dynamic pricing has been around for years. We see it most clearly with flights and ride sharing, where prices often increase the more you search<\/a>, especially when there is a clear intention to pay for the service.<\/p>\n But in fashion, demand is not always tied to necessity<\/a>. Because of this, pricing does not just reward urgency. It can also reward patience.<\/p>\n This suggests that dynamic pricing in fashion is not simply about pushing prices up. It is about constantly adjusting them to keep products moving.<\/p>\n Consumers should be mindful not to let the convenience of shopping bots and personalised pricing alerts lead to impulse purchases. (Pexels: Liza Summer)<\/p>\n A recent report from Business Insider<\/a> in the United States shows how dynamic pricing is already taking hold in fashion retail. Prices of items sitting in an online cart at a major clothing retailer changed multiple times over a few days. Sometimes they went up, sometimes they dropped. In some instances, waiting resulted in a discount of up to 17 per cent.<\/p>\n As this becomes more common, shopping will feel less like a simple decision and more like timing a system.<\/p>\n In Australia, the consumer watchdog does not consider dynamic pricing inherently unlawful<\/a>. Broader data-use guidelines around pricing are not yet comprehensive.<\/p>\n When the bot does the shopping<\/p>\n At first glance, new AI tools for online shopping seem focused on convenience.<\/p>\n Virtual try-ons are becoming more realistic<\/a>, allowing people to see how garments fit and drape on their own bodies. This could help reduce returns, which are a costly burden to retailers.<\/p>\n But companies like Google are taking this a step further<\/a>. You can try items on, set the price you are willing to pay, and the system will track it, notify you when it hits that price, and even complete the purchase if you give permission.<\/p>\n What starts as a tool for convenience quickly becomes something more. You’re not even actively shopping anymore, your bot is purchasing on your behalf.<\/p>\n This is part of a broader shift towards what is called “agentic commerce<\/a>“, where an AI agent acts on your behalf based on pre-set preferences.<\/p>\n Is the consumer setting the price?<\/p>\n Using a shopping agent changes how dynamic pricing works.<\/p>\n Traditionally, brands set prices and adjust them based on demand, inventory and consumer behaviour. But in this emerging model, consumers are also feeding into that system directly by stating what they are willing to pay.<\/p>\n At first, this feels empowering. It sounds like consumers are gaining more control. But it also creates a new dynamic.<\/p>\n Woolies’ new AI system fundamentally changes the role of the shopper<\/a><\/p>\n Without scrutiny, agent-led shopping risks quietly reconfiguring consumer behaviour in ways that are difficult to detect \u2014 and even harder to reverse.<\/p>\n Who’s really in control of pricing if both sides are driven by AI?<\/p>\n If someone sets a price they are comfortable with, the system can complete the purchase as soon as that price is reached. But the price might have dropped even lower if that data was not available.<\/p>\n In effect, consumers may be setting their own limits without realising it.<\/p>\n This creates a feedback loop. Retailers optimise prices using data, while consumers provide their own price thresholds. Both sides are guided by algorithms<\/a> and the final outcome sits somewhere in between.<\/p>\n The question is no longer just how prices are set, but who is really influencing them.<\/p>\n Convenience meets over-consumption<\/p>\n There are clear benefits to this shift. Automating purchases could make everyday shopping easier.<\/p>\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/6c571d80ef1814093fe94763cf3ba59c.jpeg\")
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