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Platform investment and price parity clauses

Author

Listed:
  • Chengsi Wang

    (Department of Economics, University of Mannheim, L7 3-5, Mannheim, 68131, Germany)

  • Julian Wright

    (Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, 119260, Singapore)

Abstract

Platforms use price parity clauses to prevent sellers charging lower prices when selling through other channels. Platforms justify these restraints by noting they are needed to prevent free-riding, which would undermine their incentives to invest in their platform. In this paper, we study the effect of price parity clauses on three different types of platform investment, and evaluate these restraints taking into account these investment effects. We find, that wide price parity clauses lead to excessive platform investment while without such price parity clauses there is insufficient platform investment. Even taking these investment effects into account, wide price parity clauses always lower consumer surplus and often lowers total welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Chengsi Wang & Julian Wright, 2016. "Platform investment and price parity clauses," Working Papers 16-17, NET Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:net:wpaper:1617
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    File URL: http://www.netinst.org/Wang_16-17.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chengsi Wang & Julian Wright, 2020. "Search platforms: showrooming and price parity clauses," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 51(1), pages 32-58, March.
    2. Heski Bar-Isaac & Guillermo Caruana & Vicente Cunat, 2012. "Search, Design, and Market Structure," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(2), pages 1140-1160, April.
    3. Benjamin Edelman & Julian Wright, 2015. "Price Coherence and Excessive Intermediation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 130(3), pages 1283-1328.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Gastón Llanes & Francisco Ruiz‐Aliseda, 2021. "Private contracts in two‐sided platforms," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 52(4), pages 815-838, December.
    2. Teh, Christopher & Wang, Chengsi & Watanabe, Makoto, 2024. "Strategic limitation of market accessibility: Search platform design and welfare," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    3. Cazaubiel, Arthur & Cure, Morgane & Johansen, Bjørn Olav & Vergé, Thibaud, 2018. "Substitution Between Online Distribution Channels: Evidence from the Oslo Hotel Market," Working Papers in Economics 8/18, University of Bergen, Department of Economics.
    4. Maruyama, Masayoshi & Zennyo, Yusuke, 2020. "Platform most-favored-customer clauses and investment incentives," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    5. Chengsi Wang & Makoto Watanabe, 2021. "Directed Search on a Platform: Meet Fewer to Match More," Monash Economics Working Papers 2021-02, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    6. Cazaubiel, Arthur & Cure, Morgane & Johansen, Bjørn Olav & Vergé, Thibaud, 2020. "Substitution between online distribution channels: Evidence from the Oslo hotel market," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    7. Kim, Byung-Cheol & Ahmed, Mishal, 2020. "Price-match guarantees and investment incentives," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    search; vertical restraints; intermediation; investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - General
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L42 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Vertical Restraints; Resale Price Maintenance; Quantity Discounts

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