You have certainly noticed it when buying a train ticket, a TV or even sometimes now in supermarkets: prices can vary from one day to the next.
The TF1 news takes a look at the underside of this dynamic pricing.
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The 1 p.m.
In just a few days, train ticket prices can go from double to double for the same journey. Faced with this price swing, everyone has their own strategy. “On Tuesday, early in the afternoon, sometimes you can have good surprises“, assures, in the 1 p.m. report on TF1 visible at the top of this article, a woman in front of Montparnasse station in Paris. “We looked in relation to the hours, because there are times when we pay more, so if we left at 12:33 p.m., we paid less than if we left earlier or later“, underlines a man for his part. “I have no tricks”, laughs another passerby. A final criticizes the practice: “I think a trip costs that much, and depending on the day, it shouldn’t change“.
Getting up at dawn, buying your train or plane tickets on Tuesday, or choosing off-peak hours, is there really a strategy for getting the best prices? “The price changes mainly by the occupancy rate on the train. The fuller the train, the higher the price will be. So, if you book your ticket early, it will potentially be cheaper than if you book at the last minute“, says Victor Bertho, financial manager of Kombo, a comparator of plane, train and bus tickets.
Techniques to avoid the high price
In a recent column in “13H à vous voix”, TF1 journalist Valentin Dépret returns to this practice and provides some advice. Thus, for plane tickets he indicates, “You must purchase your ticket at least two months before your departure date. Afterwards, we observe that prices rise. You also need to book on Sunday. Apparently, on that day, there are fewer buyers, which means that prices do not increase too much.”he continues, recalling that there is no specific regulation for dynamic pricing. Regarding the train, it is better to buy your ticket 3 to 4 months before the departure date and at 6 a.m.
Prices which change according to demand can also be found on online sales sites. Example taken from our report, a television. In six months, its price has continued to fluctuate: 760 euros in May, 550 in July, and 399 euros today. According to Gwarlann De Kerviler, digital marketing expert, “cThis is to sell off stocks that may remain on their hands. So there, they will tend to lower prices to ultimately create a windfall effect and enthusiasm among consumers.”.
A practice that is becoming more widespread in supermarkets
This variable price system is found more and more in our supermarkets. Electronic labels can change prices, and stocks are monitored with small, white, rectangular tags installed near the electronic labels. “We will know which products are selling less and for which perhaps we actually need to change the assortment or change the price.”explains Pierre Demoures, operations director of electronic price labeling specialist Vusiongroup.
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In France, one sector seems to be resisting these prices which change with demand, that of entertainment. Ticket prices are established in advance based on categories and do not change. But abroad, this system is already in place and can drive up prices. For example, some pay 6,500 euros to attend a tour of the much-in-demand Taylor Swift.
