Merchants are abandoning MSRPs, instead setting a floor and using automated pricing programs to determine the price of goods.  The most aggressive sellers are adjusting prices every 10 – 15 minutes.  It used to be about where to buy to get the best price, now it’s about when to buy.

The pricing programs or bots use algorithms that monitor inventory levels, competitors’ prices, customer response, advertising promotions, etc.  Airlines began using dynamic pricing in the ‘80s, now more…

Fresh is an online review site that connects start-up manufacturers with potential buyers.  Fresh's reviews are pre-launch, so a manufacturer can implement any product or marketing plan suggestions or improvements, and launch a product with a better chance of success.  Consumers interested in new products sign up for a chance to review new products listed.

Using A/B testing (a method of website optimization in which the conversion rates of two versions of a page, version A and version B, are compared to one another using live traffic) or multivariate testing (similar to A/B testing, but a larger number of variables and versions are compared, and more information about…

Zynga, the San Francisco, CA start-up of games FarmVille and CityVille, played on Facebook’s website filed for an IPO (Initial Public Offering) in a deal that values the company at $20 billion.  Zynga, reported net income of $91 million on revenue of $597 million in 2010.  Its revenue comes from the sale of “virtual” goods such as tractors in FarmVille and “energy” in CityVille.

John Deere & Co. manufactures and distributes “real”…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reviewing the practice of paying incentives to consumers to "like" companies on Facebook.  For example, per USA Today, Target was offering a free "beauty bag" with makeup samples in return for a "like".  Amazon was offering instant video credits to people who sent out a pre-written tweet for them.  Mattress Discounters entered consumers into a drawing for a $100 gift card if they clicked their Facebook "like" button.  The issue is whether the number of…

LinkedIn’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) share price more than doubled to $94.25 from $45 on its first day of trading, a 109% increase.  With Revenue of $243 million and Net Income of only $15 million, it is valued at $8.9 billion.  LinkedIn’s Price to Earnings (PE) ratio is 578 vs. the S&P 500 PE ratio of 15.  Investors are buying on emotion!

It is the biggest U.S. Internet IPO since Google went public in 2004, setting the stage for other internet companies such as Facebook,…