IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/indorg/v26y2008i3p662-678.html

A theory of consumer referral

Author

Listed:
  • Jun, Tackseung
  • Kim, Jeong-Yoo

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the network as an alternative communication channel to undirected advertising in the market. The main distinctive feature of the network-embedded transaction is the interdependency of buyers' purchasing behavior. Since most transactions in a network are made sequentially, earlier consumers are more valuable to a seller. We characterize the optimal behavior of a seller and consumers in a network. A seller's strategy of paying referral fees can be understood as a way to price discriminate between more valuable consumers and less valuable ones. Numerical simulations demonstrate that social networks may be either over-utilized (if the referral cost is high) or under-utilized (if the referral cost is low).

Suggested Citation

  • Jun, Tackseung & Kim, Jeong-Yoo, 2008. "A theory of consumer referral," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 662-678, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:26:y:2008:i:3:p:662-678
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167-7187(07)00061-6
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or

    for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ken Hendricks & Michele Piccione & Guofu Tan, 1995. "The Economics of Hubs: The Case of Monopoly," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(1), pages 83-99.
    2. Kim, Beom Jun & Jun, Tackseung & Kim, Jeong-Yoo & Choi, M.Y., 2006. "Network marketing on a small-world network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 360(2), pages 493-504.
    3. Montgomery, James D, 1991. "Social Networks and Labor-Market Outcomes: Toward an Economic Analysis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(5), pages 1407-1418, December.
    4. Stef Tijs & Anne van den Nouweland & Bhaskar Dutta, 1998. "Link formation in cooperative situations," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 27(2), pages 245-256.
    5. Holzer, Harry J, 1987. "Informal Job Search and Black Youth Unemployment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(3), pages 446-452, June.
    6. Jackson, Matthew O. & Wolinsky, Asher, 1996. "A Strategic Model of Social and Economic Networks," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 44-74, October.
    7. Ken Hendricks & Michele Piccione & Guofu Tan, 1999. "Equilibria in Networks," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 67(6), pages 1407-1434, November.
    8. Goyal, Sanjeev & Joshi, Sumit, 2004. "Erratum to "Networks of collaboration in oligopoly": [Games Econ. Behav. 43 (1) (2003) 57-85]," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 219-219, January.
    9. Frech, H E, III, 1979. "Advertising as a Privately Supplied Public Good," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 17(3), pages 414-418, July.
    10. Goyal, Sanjeev & Vega-Redondo, Fernando, 2005. "Network formation and social coordination," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 178-207, February.
    11. Marshall, Alfred, 1920. "Industry and Trade," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, edition 3, number marshall1920.
    12. Venkatesh Bala & Sanjeev Goyal, 2000. "original papers : A strategic analysis of network reliability," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 5(3), pages 205-228.
    13. Jun, Tackseung & Kim, Jeong-Yoo, 2007. "Connectivity, stability and efficiency in a network as an information flow," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 314-331, May.
    14. Dutta, Bhaskar & Mutuswami, Suresh, 1997. "Stable Networks," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 322-344, October.
      • Dutta, Bhaskar & Mutuswami, Suresh, 1996. "Stable Networks," Working Papers 971, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
    15. Saloner, Garth, 1985. "Old Boy Networks as Screening Mechanisms," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(3), pages 255-267, July.
    16. Venkatesh Bala & Sanjeev Goyal, 2000. "A Noncooperative Model of Network Formation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 68(5), pages 1181-1230, September.
    17. Simon, Curtis J & Warner, John T, 1992. "Matchmaker, Matchmaker: The Effect of Old Boy Networks on Job Match Quality, Earnings, and Tenure," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(3), pages 306-330, July.
    18. Rachel E. Kranton & Deborah F. Minehart, 2000. "Networks versus Vertical Integration," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 31(3), pages 570-601, Autumn.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Arbatskaya, Maria & Konishi, Hideo, 2016. "Consumer referrals," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 34-58.
    2. Arbatskaya Maria & Konishi Hideo, 2014. "Managing Consumer Referrals on a Chain Network," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 13(1), pages 69-94, March.
    3. Hang-Hyun Jo & Jeoung-Yoo Kim, 2012. "Competitive Targeted Marketing," ISER Discussion Paper 0834, Institute of Social and Economic Research, The University of Osaka.
    4. Atabek Atayev & Maarten Janssen, 2024. "Information Acquisition And Diffusion In Markets," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 65(2), pages 729-753, May.
    5. Kim, Beom Jun & Jun, Tackseung & Kim, Jeong-Yoo & Choi, M.Y., 2006. "Network marketing on a small-world network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 360(2), pages 493-504.
    6. Atayev, Atabek & Janssen, Maarten C. W., 2021. "Information acquisition and diffusion in markets," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-091, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rodrigo J. Harrison & Roberto Munoz, 2003. "Stability and Equilibrium Selection in a Link Formation Game," Game Theory and Information 0306004, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Alessio D'Ignazio & Emanuele Giovannetti, 2006. "From Exogenous To Endogenous Economic Networks: Internet Applications," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(5), pages 757-796, December.
    3. Jackson, Matthew O. & Zenou, Yves, 2015. "Games on Networks," Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications,, Elsevier.
    4. Callander, Steven & Plott, Charles R., 2005. "Principles of network development and evolution: an experimental study," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(8), pages 1469-1495, August.
    5. Jun, Tackseung & Kim, Jeong-Yoo, 2007. "Connectivity, stability and efficiency in a network as an information flow," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 314-331, May.
    6. Corominas-Bosch, Margarida, 2004. "Bargaining in a network of buyers and sellers," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 35-77, March.
    7. D'Ignazio, A. & Giovannetti, E., 2004. "From Exogenous to Endogenous Networks: Internet Applications," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0445, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    8. Matthew O. Jackson, 2002. "The Stability and Efficiency of Economic and Social Networks," Microeconomics 0211011, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Hojman, Daniel & Szeidl, Adam, 2006. "Core and Periphery in Endogenous Networks," Working Paper Series rwp06-022, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    10. Joost Vandenbossche & Thomas Demuynck, 2013. "Network Formation with Heterogeneous Agents and Absolute Friction," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 42(1), pages 23-45, June.
    11. Rodrigo Harrison, 2003. "Global Games with Strategic Substitutes," Working Papers gueconwpa~03-03-06, Georgetown University, Department of Economics.
    12. Michael Kosfeld, "undated". "Network Experiments," IEW - Working Papers 152, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
    13. Matthew O. Jackson, 2003. "A survey of models of network formation: Stability and efficiency," Working Papers 1161, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
    14. Goyal, S., 2016. "Networks and Markets," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1652, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    15. Slikker, M. & Gilles, R.P. & Norde, H.W. & Tijs, S.H., 2000. "Directed Communication Networks," Discussion Paper 2000-84, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    16. Liu, Xiaodong & Patacchini, Eleonora & Zenou, Yves & Lee, Lung-Fei, 2011. "Criminal Networks: Who is the Key Player?," Research Papers in Economics 2011:7, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
    17. Gilles, R.P. & Sarangi, S., 2003. "The Role of Trust in Costly Network Formation," Discussion Paper 2003-53, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    18. MAULEON, Ana & SEMPERE-MONERRIS, José & VANNETELBOSCH, Vincent J., 2004. "R&D networks among unionized firms," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2004071, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    19. Rachel E. Kranton & Deborah F. Minehart, 2001. "A Theory of Buyer-Seller Networks," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(3), pages 485-508, June.
    20. Sanjeev Goyal & José Luis Moraga-González & Alexander Konovalov, 2008. "Hybrid R&D," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 6(6), pages 1309-1338, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - General
    • L10 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:26:y:2008:i:3:p:662-678. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505551 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.