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An Empirical Study of Pricing Strategies in an Online Market with High-Frequency Price Information

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  • Sara Ellison
  • Christopher M. Snyder

Abstract

We study competition among a score of firms participating in an online market for a commodity computer component. Firms were able to adjust prices continuously; prices determined how the firms were ranked and listed (lowest price listed first), with better ranks contributing to firms’ sales. Using a year’s worth of hourly data for individual firms, we estimate a model of price adjustment, characterizing the factors driving price changes and measuring how much these factors differ across firms (i.e., strategy heterogeneity). We find evidence of managerial inattention as a cause of the price inertia observed in the market. Using separate estimates of the pricing model for groups of related firms, we simulate counterfactuals involving different mixes of these groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Ellison & Christopher M. Snyder, 2014. "An Empirical Study of Pricing Strategies in an Online Market with High-Frequency Price Information," CESifo Working Paper Series 4655, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_4655
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    Cited by:

    1. Gori, Luca & Sodini, Mauro, 2017. "Price competition in a nonlinear differentiated duopoly," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 557-567.
    2. Achyuta Adhvaryu & Anant Nyshadham & Jorge A. Tamayo, 2019. "Managerial Quality and Productivity Dynamics," NBER Working Papers 25852, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Franz Hackl & Michael Hölzl‐Leitner & Rudolf Winter‐Ebmer & Christine Zulehner, 2021. "Successful retailer strategies in price comparison platforms," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(5), pages 1284-1305, July.
    4. de Miguel, Carlos & Pazó, Consuelo, 2017. "Environmental protection, innovation and price-setting behavior in Spanish manufacturing firms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(S1), pages 116-124.
    5. Jifeng Luo & Han Zhang & Haizheng Li, 2018. "Pricing strategies in online book industry: a comparative study," Information Systems and e-Business Management, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 791-816, November.
    6. Franz Hackl & Michael Hölzl-Leitner & Rudolf Winter-Ebmer & Christine Zulehner, 2018. "Success of firm strategies in e-commerce," Economics working papers 2018-10, Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
    7. Andrew Sweeting, 2015. "A Model of Non-Stationary Dynamic Price Competition with an Application to Platform Design," Working Papers 15-03, NET Institute.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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