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Consumer Search and Retail Market Structure

Andrew Rhodes () and Jidong Zhou ()

No 18-928, TSE Working Papers from Toulouse School of Economics (TSE)

Abstract: A puzzling feature of many retail markets is the coexistence of large multiproduct firms and smaller firms with narrow product ranges. This paper provides a possible explanation for this puzzle, by studying how consumer search frictions influence the structure of retail markets. In our model single-product firms which supply different products can merge to form a multiproduct firm. Consumers wish to buy multiple products, and due to search frictions value the one-stop shopping convenience associated with a multiproduct firm. We find that when search frictions are relatively large all ?rms are multiproduct in equilibrium. However when search frictions are smaller the equilibrium market structure is asymmetric, with di¤erent retail formats coexisting. This allows firms to better segment the market, and as such typically leads to the weakest price competition. When search frictions are low this asymmetric market structure is also the worst for consumers. Moreover due to the endogeneity of market structure, a reduction in the search friction can increase market prices and harm consumers.

Keywords: consumer search; multiproduct pricing; one-stop shopping; retail market structure; conglomerate merger (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D11 D43 D83 L13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com, nep-ind, nep-mic, nep-mkt and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Consumer Search and Retail Market Structure (2019) Downloads
Working Paper: Consumer Search and Retail Market Structure (2016) Downloads
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