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Slate has a great article about pricing and marketing.

According to Varian, retailers who vary their prices over time—increasing them one week, then discounting the next—create the kind of price instability that encourages consumers to shop around. The end result is that shoppers visit several sites before making a purchase, which is exactly what retailers want us to do.

The article goes on to discuss why Apple iPods are never discounted, and the reasoning behind it. Overall, a very informative read.

The lessons learned here can be transferred over to an eCommerce store’s strategy at any time. Chief among them being that you should fluctuate your pricing.