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Product selection in online marketplaces

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  • Federico Etro
Abstract
A marketplace such as Amazon hosts many products by third party sellers and acts as a first party or private label retailer. Assuming an advantage of Amazon in logistics and of sellers in marketing, we investigate whether entry by Amazon is excessive from the point of view of consumers. With competitive sellers, entry may be either overprovided or underprovided, but the incentives of Amazon and consumers are correctly aligned for a family of power surplus functions (generating for instance linear, isoelastic, and loglinear demands). Competition for customers with other retailers reduces commissions and prices preserving the efficiency result. Market power by sellers increases (reduces) the incentives to retail private label (first party) products, and generates a bias toward underprovision of entry. We extend the analysis to delivery fulfillment by the marketplace, product differentiation with price competition on the platform, and a dynamic analysis of the incentives of sellers to enter and the marketplace to launch copycat products.

Suggested Citation

  • Federico Etro, 2021. "Product selection in online marketplaces," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 614-637, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:30:y:2021:i:3:p:614-637
    DOI: 10.1111/jems.12428
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    References listed on IDEAS

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

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Johannes Muthers & Sebastian Wismer, 2012. "Why Do Platforms Charge Proportional Fees? Commitment and Seller Participation," Working Papers 115, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    2. Etro, Federico, 2021. "Device-funded vs ad-funded platforms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    3. Yassine Lefouili & Leonardo Madio, 2022. "The economics of platform liability," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 319-351, June.
    4. Federico Etro, 2023. "Hybrid Marketplaces with Free Entry of Sellers," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 62(2), pages 119-148, March.
    5. Etro, Federico, 2023. "Platform competition with free entry of sellers," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Yusuke Zennyo, 2022. "Platform Encroachment and Own‐Content Bias," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 684-710, September.
    7. Anderson, Simon & Bedre-Defolie, Özlem, 2022. "Online trade platforms: Hosting, selling, or both?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    8. Navarra, Federico & Pino, Flavio & Sandrini, Luca, 2024. "Mandated data-sharing in hybrid marketplaces," ZEW Discussion Papers 24-051, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    9. Doh-Shin Jeon & Yassine Lefouili & Leonardo Madio, 2021. "Platform Liability and Innovation," Working Papers 21-05, NET Institute.
    10. Paolo Bertoletti & Federico Etro, 2024. "Insufficient Entry in Monopolistic Competition," Working Papers 543, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics.
    11. Bisceglia, Michele & Padilla, Jorge & Piccolo, Salvatore & Shekhar, Shiva, 2022. "Vertical integration, innovation and foreclosure with competing ecosystems," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    12. Lam, Wing Man Wynne & Liu, Xingyi, 2023. "Dancing with rivals: How does platform’s information usage benefit independent sellers?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 309(1), pages 421-431.
    13. Martin Peitz, 2024. "The Economic Theory of Two-Sided Platforms," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2024_584, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    14. Michele Bisceglia & Jorge Padilla, 2023. "On sellers' cooperation in hybrid marketplaces," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 207-222, January.
    15. Martin Peitz, 2023. "Governance and Regulation of Platforms," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2023_480, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    16. Radostina Shopova, 2021. "Private Labels in Marketplaces," Vienna Economics Papers vie2104, University of Vienna, Department of Economics.
    17. Mark J. Tremblay, 2020. "The Limits of Marketplace Fee Discrimination," Working Papers 20-10, NET Institute.
    18. Kittaka, Yuta & Sato, Susumu & Zennyo, Yusuke, 2023. "Self-preferencing by platforms: A literature review," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    19. Muthers Johannes & Wismer Sebastian, 2022. "Why Do Platforms Charge Proportional Fees? Commitment and Seller Participation," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 21(2), pages 83-110, August.
    20. Saruta, Fuyuki, 2023. "Private labels and platform competition," MPRA Paper 119585, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Andrei Hagiu & Tat‐How Teh & Julian Wright, 2022. "Should platforms be allowed to sell on their own marketplaces?," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 53(2), pages 297-327, June.
    22. Li, Jianbin & Wang, Yingying & Liu, Zhixin & Cai, Xueyuan & Xie, Wen, 2022. "Joint optimal strategies on service investment and drug pricing for a two-sided online pharmaceutical platform," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    23. Reimer, Julia & Doganoglu, Toker, 2023. "Optimal Operating Mode of a Platform," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277683, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • L4 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies

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