The study is the latest attempt to shed light on the opaque methods that many e-commerce sites use to show consumers different online deals. The strategy is based on data collected about shoppers and is often a way to boost sales. In 2012, the Wall Street Journal found that Staples was displaying different prices to people based on their locations and Orbitz had shown different hotel offers to Mac and PC visitors after learning that Mac users spent more on hotels. Orbitz told the Northeastern researchers it discontinued the practice, which it called an “experiment.” Read More ›