Prices and Price Dispersion on the Web: Evidence from the Online Book Industry
基于1999-2000年399本书的数据，研究了32家美国在线书店的定价行为，发现竞争加剧会降低价格和价格离散，广告也有类似效果，但企业间行为差异显著。
Using data collected between August, 1999, and January, 2000, covering 399 books, we examine pricing by thirty‐two online United States‐based bookstores. At the aggregate level, we find that both advertising and competitive structure had the predicted effects. More competition led to lower prices and to lower price dispersion. Holding competitive structure constant, more widely advertised items also had lower prices. At the firm level, we observe considerable heterogeneity in behavior. Firms had differentiated (or attempted to differentiate) on dimensions such as brand, price, and selection.