Three months after a sweeping crackdown on “forced exclusivity,” Chinese regulators are moving to take more control over Chinese e-commerce companies' pricing. The latest target of Chinese market watchdogs is price discrimination.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) indicated that it would take a tougher stance on price discrimination when it proposed regulations on consumer pricing practices on July 2. Price discrimination is a kind of personalized pricing, where companies charge customers different prices for the same product or service by analyzing purchasing habits.

An online travel agency might hike up the price of an airline ticket for a user who is a regular big spender or has a history of last-minute purchases. Platforms even appear to charge their most loyal customers higher prices, who they think would be willing to pay more.

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Emma Lee

Emma Lee is Shanghai-based tech writer, covering startups and tech happenings in China and Asia in general. We are looking for stories related to tech and China. Reach her at lixin@technode.com.

Wei Sheng

Wei Sheng is a Beijing-based reporter covering hardware, smartphone, and telecommunications, along with regulations and policies related to the China tech scene. He writes a monthly newsletter tracking...