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Pricing Strategies in E-Commerce: Bricks vs. Clicks

Author

Listed:
  • Friberg, Richard

    (Stockholm School of Economics)

  • Ganslandt, Mattias

    (The Research Institute of Industrial Economics)

  • Sandström, Mikael

    (Swedish Research Institute of Trade (HUI))

Abstract

What is the impact of the increasing dominance of conventional firms in e-commerce? We use a simple model to show that retailers who only sell through Internet have lower on-line prices than retailers who also sell through conventional stores. This proposition is firmly supported by our empirical analysis which uses a rich data set covering the Swedish markets for books and CDs. On average, prices of these goods are 15 percent cheaper on Internet, but if a single item is bought transport costs will make it as expensive to buy over Internet as in a conventional store (if a basket of goods is bought it is some 10 percent cheaper on Internet since transport costs are fixed).

Suggested Citation

  • Friberg, Richard & Ganslandt, Mattias & Sandström, Mikael, 2001. "Pricing Strategies in E-Commerce: Bricks vs. Clicks," Working Paper Series 559, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0559
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    File URL: https://www.ifn.se/Wfiles/wp/WP559.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Eric Brousseau, 2002. "The Governance of Transactions by Commercial Intermediaries: An Analysis of the Re-engineering of Intermediation by Electronic Commerce," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(3), pages 353-374.
    2. Michael R. Baye & John Morgan & Patrick Scholten, 2006. "Information, Search, and Price Dispersion," Working Papers 2006-11, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    3. Maarten C.W. Janssen & Rob van der Noll, 2005. "Internet Retailing as a Marketing Strategy," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 05-038/1, Tinbergen Institute.
    4. Dinlersoz, Emin M. & Pereira, Pedro, 2007. "On the diffusion of electronic commerce," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 541-574, June.
    5. Oz Shy, 2013. "Window shopping," Working Papers 13-4, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Retail Pricing; Consumer Behavior; E-Commerce; Price Discrimination;
    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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