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Price Discrimination in Two‐Sided Markets

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  • Qihong Liu
  • Konstantinos Serfes

Abstract

We examine the profitability and welfare implications of targeted price discrimination (PD) in two‐sided markets. First, we show that equilibrium discriminatory prices exhibit novel features relative to discriminatory prices in one‐sided models and uniform prices in two‐sided models. Second, we compare the profitability of perfect PD, relative to uniform prices in a two‐sided market. The conventional wisdom from one‐sided horizontally differentiated markets is that PD hurts the firms and benefits consumers, prisoners' dilemma. We show that PD, in a two‐sided market, may actually soften the competition. Our results suggest that the conventional advice that PD is good for competition based on one‐sided markets may not carry over to two‐sided markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Qihong Liu & Konstantinos Serfes, 2013. "Price Discrimination in Two‐Sided Markets," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(4), pages 768-786, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:22:y:2013:i:4:p:768-786
    DOI: 10.1111/jems.12038
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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