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Information Management and Pricing in Platform Markets

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  • Bruno Jullien
  • Alessandro Pavan

Abstract

We study platform markets in which the information about users’ preferences is dispersed. First, we show how the dispersion of information introduces idiosyncratic uncertainty about participation decisions and how the latter shapes the elasticity of the demands and the equilibrium prices. We then study the effects on profits, consumer surplus, and welfare of platform design, blogs, forums, conferences, advertising campaigns, post-launch disclosures, and other information management policies affecting the agents’ ability to predict participation decisions on the other side of the market.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruno Jullien & Alessandro Pavan, 2019. "Information Management and Pricing in Platform Markets," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(4), pages 1666-1703.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:restud:v:86:y:2019:i:4:p:1666-1703.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/restud/rdy040
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    1. Ettore Damiano & Hao Li, 2007. "Price discrimination and efficient matching," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 30(2), pages 243-263, February.
    2. A. Michael Spence, 1975. "Monopoly, Quality, and Regulation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 6(2), pages 417-429, Autumn.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jens Foerderer, 2020. "Interfirm Exchange and Innovation in Platform Ecosystems: Evidence from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(10), pages 4772-4787, October.
    2. Haowen Fan & Yulin Zhang & Yang Geng, 2022. "How to avoid your opponent's aggressive competition? The interplay between same‐side network externality and agent information level in two‐sided markets," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(7), pages 2794-2816, October.
    3. Bruno Jullien & Alessandro Pavan & Marc Rysman, 2021. "Two-sided markets, pricing, and network effects," Post-Print hal-03828345, HAL.
    4. Mark Armstrong & Jidong Zhou, 2022. "Consumer Information and the Limits to Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(2), pages 534-577, February.
    5. Yuxuan Lu & Qian Qi & Xi Chen, 2023. "A Framework of Transaction Packaging in High-throughput Blockchains," Papers 2301.10944, arXiv.org.
    6. Joao Correia‐da‐Silva & Bruno Jullien & Yassine Lefouili & Joana Pinho, 2019. "Horizontal mergers between multisided platforms: Insights from Cournot competition," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 109-124, January.
    7. Thomas D. Jeitschko & Mark J. Tremblay, 2020. "Platform Competition With Endogenous Homing," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 61(3), pages 1281-1305, August.
    8. Rodrigo Harrison & Pedro Jara‐Moroni, 2021. "Global Games With Strategic Substitutes," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 62(1), pages 141-173, February.
    9. Belleflamme, Paul & Peitz, Martin & Toulemonde, Eric, 2022. "The tension between market shares and profit under platform competition," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    10. Jan Frederic Nerbel & Markus Kreutzer, 2023. "Digital platform ecosystems in flux: From proprietary digital platforms to wide-spanning ecosystems," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 33(1), pages 1-20, December.
    11. Chokri Aloui & Khaïreddine Jebsi, 2022. "Does corporate social responsibility solve the chicken‐and‐egg problem for a two‐sided platform?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(7), pages 3235-3256, October.
    12. Daniel Fershtman & Alessandro Pavan, 2022. "Matching auctions," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 53(1), pages 32-62, March.
    13. Juan Manuel Sanchez‐Cartas & Gonzalo León, 2021. "Multisided Platforms And Markets: A Survey Of The Theoretical Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 452-487, April.
    14. Belleflamme, Paul & Peitz, Martin, 2019. "Price disclosure by two-sided platforms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    15. Gomes, Renato & Pavan, Alessandro, 2016. "Many-to-many matching and price discrimination," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 11(3), September.
    16. Zhou, Jidong, 2021. "Mixed bundling in oligopoly markets," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    17. Yang Geng & Yulin Zhang & Jing Li, 2023. "Two-sided competition, platform services and online shopping market structure," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 138(2), pages 95-127, March.
    18. Piolatto, A. & Schuett, Florian, 2022. "Information vs Competition : How Platform Design Affects Profits and Surplus," Discussion Paper 2022-002, Tilburg University, Tilburg Law and Economic Center.
    19. Carrillo, Juan D. & Tan, Guofu, 2021. "Platform competition with complementary products," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    20. Anderson, Simon P. & Peitz, Martin, 2020. "Media see-saws: Winners and losers in platform markets," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    21. Chris Forman & Avi Goldfarb, 2021. "Concentration and Agglomeration of IT Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Patenting," NBER Chapters, in: The Role of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Economic Growth, pages 95-121, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Gomes, Renato & Pavan, Alessandro, 2019. "Price Customization and Targeting in Matching Markets," CEPR Discussion Papers 12936, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    23. Zemin (Zachary) Zhong, 2023. "Platform Search Design: The Roles of Precision and Price," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(2), pages 293-313, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Platform markets; Dispersed information; Design; Information management; Informative advertising; Market ignition; Global games;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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