Differential pricing in e-commerce has sparked discussions about price discrimination. However, due to the difficulty in measuring consumers’ satisfaction with different prices for the same product, it is hard to quantitatively assess the impact of differential pricing on the interests of merchants and consumers. In this paper, the differential pricing in e-commerce is evaluated from the perspective of utility. For empirical study, a differential pricing strategy is implemented based on reinforcement learning, which can set individualized prices according to different consumption patterns. Utility theory is introduced to quantitatively evaluate the impact of differential pricing on the interests of consumers from two aspects, namely consumer utility and consumer surplus. A win–win situation for merchants and consumers is observed. After a merchant who adopts the proposed differential pricing strategy joins the market competition, not only will it earn more profit, but the utility and surplus of consumers will also increase. The investigation can provide a reference for market supervisors to implement algorithmic regulation.

中文翻译：

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从效用角度评价电子商务差异定价

电子商务中的差别定价引发了关于价格歧视的讨论。然而，由于难以衡量消费者对同一产品不同价格的满意度，因此很难定量评估差别定价对商家和消费者利益的影响。本文从效用角度对电子商务中的差别定价进行评价。实证研究方面，采用基于强化学习的差异化定价策略，可以根据不同的消费模式制定个性化的价格。引入效用理论，从消费者效用和消费者剩余两个方面定量评价差别定价对消费者利益的影响。商家和消费者实现双赢。采用差别定价策略的商家加入市场竞争后，不仅会获得更多的利润，而且消费者的效用和剩余也会增加。该调查可为市场监管者实施算法监管提供参考。