Prices and heterogeneous search costs.

We study price formation in a model of consumer search for differentiated products in which consumers have heterogeneous search costs. We provide conditions under which a pure-strategy symmetric Nash equilibrium exists and is unique. Search costs affect two margins-the intensive search margin (or se...

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Published in:RAND Journal of Economics (Wiley-Blackwell) Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 125 - 147
Main Authors: Moraga‐González, José Luis, Sándor, Zsolt, Wildenbeest, Matthijs R.
Format: Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Spring2017
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      tig:
        atl: Prices and heterogeneous search costs.
      aug:
        au:
          Moraga‐González, José Luis
          Sándor, Zsolt
          Wildenbeest, Matthijs R.
        affil:
          Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and University of Groningen
          Sapientia University Miercurea Ciuc
          Indiana University
      su:
        United States
        Electronic commerce
        Consumer behavior
        Investments
        Pricing
        Nash equilibrium
        Mutual funds
        Shopping
      sug:
        subj:
          Electronic commerce
          Consumer behavior
          Investments
          United States
          Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities
          Investment Advice
          Portfolio Management
          Other Financial Vehicles
          All other non-depository credit intermediation
          Open-End Investment Funds
          All other financial investment activities
          Electronic Shopping
          Electronic shopping and mail-order houses
          Pricing
          Nash equilibrium
          Mutual funds
          Shopping
      ab: We study price formation in a model of consumer search for differentiated products in which consumers have heterogeneous search costs. We provide conditions under which a pure-strategy symmetric Nash equilibrium exists and is unique. Search costs affect two margins-the intensive search margin (or search intensity) and the extensive search margin (or the decision to search rather than to not search at all). These two margins affect the elasticity of demand in opposite directions and whether lower search costs result in higher or lower prices depends on the properties of the search cost density.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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