Search, Obfuscation, and Price Elasticities on the Internet

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Ellison, Glenn; Ellison, Sara Fisher
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: ECONOMETRICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0012-9682
• DOI: 10.3982/ECTA5708
• 发表日期: 2009
• 页码: 427-452
• 关键词: Promotions; MODEL

摘要

We examine the competition between a group of Internet retailers who operate in an environment where a price search engine plays a dominant role. We show that for some products in this environment, the easy price search makes demand tremendously price-sensitive. Retailers, though, engage in obfuscation-practices that frustrate consumer search or make it less damaging to firms-resulting in much less price sensitivity on some other products. We discuss several models of obfuscation and examine its effects on demand and markups empirically.