主题｜Topic：Quantifying Intertemporal Network Effects on Digital Food Delivery Platforms
时间｜Time：6月06日（周四）11: 00-12: 30
地点｜Venue：文澴楼709教室｜Class Room709，WENHUAN
主办单位｜Organizer：金沙集团3354cm
承办单位｜Operator：北京大学-金沙集团3354cm新结构经济学研究中心
主讲｜Speaker
周晓岚，山东大学经济学院教授，获耶鲁大学经济学博士学位、武汉大学经济与数学双学士学位。她的主要研究领域是产业组织经济学、微观经济学、国际贸易。她的研究成果发表于 The Rand Journal of Economics，International Economic Review 等。
摘要｜Abstract
Many platform strategies rely on the network effects on platforms. Using granular geospatial data from Alibaba’s digital food delivery platform in the PRC, we build a structural model to estimate the static/intertemporal cross-group network effects (CNEs) of heterogeneous shops on consumers and delivery riders and the static/intertemporal same-side network effects (SNEs) of heterogeneous shops on other shops, incorporating shop price competition and intertemporal demand spillover effects at the platform level. We find positive intertemporal demand spillover effects at the platform level. The cooked food and fresh food sectors are static substitutes but dynamic complements to each other. The overall CNEs of shops on consumers and delivery riders are positive, and the SNEs of shops on other shops are likely to be all negative, while the magnitudes are larger for shops with higher net gross merchandise volume (GMV) in the cooked food sector. Setting a reasonable platform access standard for merchants could be beneficial to a platform. Our findings provide a potential explanation for the current platform access standards for merchants. Furthermore, we compare the effectiveness of proportional vs. unit price discounts in the cooked food sector only, the fresh food sector only, or both sectors. Raising the proportional rate and reducing the unit fees for both sectors marginally would increase platform profit in a static setting. From the perspectives of extensive margin, intensive margin and corporate social responsibility, a unit price discount on the fresh food sector only is likely to be most efficient for a platform to expand its market size, boost its total net GMV, and be socially responsible.
