orbitz.jpg
Orbitz is testing a new system to get Mac users to pay more for hotels and other travel services, according to the Wall Street Journal (Orbitz image)

Mac user? Online travel site targets you with pricier deals

BY Josh Kerns  on June 26, 2012 @ 9:38 am (Updated: 11:12 am - 6/26/12 )

If you use a Mac, you know you're paying a premium compared to most Windows PC's. But the online travel site Orbitz is taking it one step further, getting Mac users to pay more for hotels and other travel options.

The Wall Street Journal reports Orbitz Worldwide learned Mac users already tend to spend as much as $30 more per night on hotels. So the company has launched an experiment to display more expensive offerings to Mac users than their Windows PC counterparts.

Bellevue-based Expedia and rival Priceline don't target customers based on their operating system, according to CNET. The tech journal speculates the move could backfire, at least initially, as Orbitz users boycott the site. But the practice is expected to become much more commonplace.

"The sort of targeting undertaken by Orbitz is likely to become more commonplace as online retailers scramble to identify new ways in which people's browsing data can be used to boost online sales," the Journal reported.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (3)


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  • hpygolkyone wrote...
    That's Just Good Old Free Enterprise...............
    June 26, 2012 2:18 pm
    You can't blame them for figuring out a trend that Mac users have over PC people and then trying to capitalize on it.

    That's why you have to shop around for everything.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Alex Mason wrote...
    Sorry mac-biggots.
    June 26, 2012 2:20 pm
    the world doesn't revolve around you. go linux!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JustAnotherFish wrote...
    Free Enterprise?
    June 26, 2012 3:50 pm
    Maybe. Blatant profiteering based on assumptions regarding a consumer's completely unrelated purchase? Most definitely.

    What if a gas station could read the tag on your pants and instantly adjust the price of fuel, without your knowledge, according to the brand you were wearing?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }