Replication data for: Consumer Price Search and Platform Design in Internet Commerce

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Michael Dinerstein; Liran Einav; Jonathan Levin; Neel Sundaresan

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
20171218_data			10/12/2019 07:22:AM
LICENSE.txt	text/plain	14.6 KB	10/12/2019 03:23:AM

Project Citation:

Dinerstein, Michael, Einav, Liran, Levin, Jonathan, and Sundaresan, Neel. Replication data for: Consumer Price Search and Platform Design in Internet Commerce. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2018. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-10-12. https://doi.org/10.3886/E113193V1

Project Description

Summary: The platform design, the process that helps potential buyers on the internet navigate toward products they may purchase, plays a critical role in reducing search frictions and determining market outcomes. We study a key trade-off associated with two important roles of efficient platform design: guiding consumers to their most desired product while also strengthening seller incentives to lower prices. We use simple theory to illustrate this, and then combine detailed browsing data from eBay and an equilibrium model of consumer search and price competition to quantitatively assess this trade-off in the particular context of a change in eBay's marketplace design.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
      D44 Auctions
      D83 Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
      L81 Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce
      L86 Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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Published Versions

V1 [2019-10-12]

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