9-9. Go to http://us.camelcamelcamel.com/ and set up a free account. Track 10 products that interest you. Did any of the products reach your desired price? Write a report on the usefulness of this type of app for consumers.

(AACSB: Communication; Use of IT)

Got your eye on a new 32-inch Samsung television? Well, you better not purchase it in December—that’s when the price was highest on Amazon.com ($500 versus $400 in November or February). Most consumers know that prices fluctuate throughout the year, but did you know they even fluctuate hourly? You probably can’t keep up with that, but there’s an app that can. Camelcamelcamel is a tool that tracks Amazon’s prices for consumers and sends alerts when a price hits the sweet spot. This app allows users to import entire Amazon wishlists and to set desired price levels at which emails or tweets are sent to inform them of the prices. All of this is free. Camel makes its money from an unlikely partner—

Amazon—which funnels price data directly to Camel. Camel is a member of Amazon’s Affiliate program, kicking back 8.5 percent of sales for each customer Camel refers. It would seem that Amazon would want customers to buy when prices are higher, not lower. But the online behemoth sees this as a way to keep the bargain hunters happy while realizing more profitability from less price-sensitive customers. This is an improvement over Amazon’s earlier pricing tactics, which charged different customers different prices based on their buying behavior.