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E-commerce and prices - theory and evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Friberg, Richard

    (Dept. of Economic Statistics, Stockholm School of Economics)

  • Ganslandt, Mattias

    (IUI)

  • Sandström, Mikael

    (Swedish research institute of trade (HUI))

Abstract

This paper examines the relation between prices in conventional stores and on the Internet. Main results from the theoretical analysis are i) we expect a discrete fall in prices in conventional stores as the share of the population with access to Internet reaches a critical level, ii) the relation between prices depends on convenience costs of shopping in regular stores as well as on transport and navigation costs for goods bought over Internet, iii) retailers who only sell through Internet have lower on-line prices than retailers who also sell through conventional stores. The empirical section employs a rich data set covering the Swedish markets for books and CDs. Prices of these goods are on average 15 percent lower on Internet, but if a single item is bought transport costs will make it as expensive to buy over Internet as in a regular store (if a basket of goods is bought it is some 10 percent cheaper on Internet since transport costs are fixed). There is firm support for that retailers who only sell over Internet have lower on-line prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Friberg, Richard & Ganslandt, Mattias & Sandström, Mikael, 2000. "E-commerce and prices - theory and evidence," SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 389, Stockholm School of Economics, revised 08 Sep 2000.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:hastef:0389
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Klemperer, 1995. "Competition when Consumers have Switching Costs: An Overview with Applications to Industrial Organization, Macroeconomics, and International Trade," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(4), pages 515-539.
    2. Masahisa Fujita & Paul Krugman & Anthony J. Venables, 2001. "The Spatial Economy: Cities, Regions, and International Trade," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262561476, December.
    3. Anderson, Simon P & Ginsburgh, Victor A, 1999. "International Pricing with Costly Consumer Arbitrage," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(1), pages 126-139, February.
    4. Erik Brynjolfsson & Michael D. Smith, 2000. "Frictionless Commerce? A Comparison of Internet and Conventional Retailers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(4), pages 563-585, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paolo Calvosa, 2021. "The Influence of E-Commerce in Changing Competition in Regulated Industries: An Analysis in the Italian Sports Betting Market," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(12), pages 306-306, July.
    2. Randy A. Nelson & Richard Cohen & Frederik Roy Rasmussen, 2007. "An Analysis of Pricing Strategy and Price Dispersion on the Internet," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 33(1), pages 95-110, Winter.
    3. Friberg, Richard & Ganslandt, Mattias & Sandström, Mikael, 2001. "Pricing Strategies in E-Commerce: Bricks vs. Clicks," Working Paper Series 559, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    retail pricing; consumer behavior; e-commerce; price discrimination; Internet;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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