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Search and price competition

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  • Waldeck, Roger

Abstract

This paper qualifies and quantifies what is meant by higher price level and dispersion in an oligopoly market with imperfectly informed consumers for both Fixed Sample Search and Sequential Search. The objective is to identify the conditions under which prices become lower and price dispersion reduces as a function of consumers' information. Surprisingly, the mean price is an increasing function of search intensity and price dispersion is an inverse U-shaped function of the proportion of informed consumers.

Suggested Citation

  • Waldeck, Roger, 2008. "Search and price competition," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 347-357, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:66:y:2008:i:2:p:347-357
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    8. Roger Waldeck & Eric Darmon, 2006. "Can boundedly rational sellers learn to play Nash?," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 1(2), pages 147-169, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Maarten C.W. Janssen & Alexei Parakhonyak, 2007. "Optimal Search with Costly Recall," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 08-002/1, Tinbergen Institute.
    2. Manfred Nermuth & Giacomo Pasini & Paolo Pin & Simon Weidenholzer, 2009. "Price Dispersion, Search Externalities, and the Digital Divide," Vienna Economics Papers vie0916, University of Vienna, Department of Economics.
    3. Maarten C.W. Janssen & Alexei Parakhonyak, 2011. "Consumer Search Markets with Costly Second Visits," Vienna Economics Papers 1102, University of Vienna, Department of Economics.
    4. Anania, Giovanni & Nistico, Rosanna, 2012. "Price dispersion, search costs and consumers and sellers heterogeneity in retail food markets," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 125594, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Nermuth, Manfred & Pasini, Giacomo & Pin, Paolo & Weidenholzer, Simon, 2013. "The informational divide," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 21-30.
    6. Daniel E. Chavez & Marco A. Palma, 2019. "Pushing subjects beyond rationality with more alternatives in experimental auctions," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(2), pages 207-217, March.
    7. Anania, Giovanni & Nisticò, Rosanna, 2014. "Price dispersion and seller heterogeneity in retail food markets," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 190-201.
    8. Bernd Jost, 2012. "Price Dispersion, Search Costs and Spatial Competition: Evidence from the Austrian Retail Gasoline Market," NEURUS papers neurusp166, NEURUS - Network of European and US Regional and Urban Studies.
    9. Roger Waldeck & Eric Darmon, 2006. "Can boundedly rational sellers learn to play Nash?," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 1(2), pages 147-169, November.

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