Competitive Dynamics of Online and Brick-and-Mortar Retail Prices

PublishedAugust 15, 2022
Written By
  • Rosa Abrantes-Metz
  • Mame Maloney
The authors acknowledge funding for this paper from the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA)

Prices charged by brick-and-mortar retail channels tend to correspond closely to those charged online – good news for consumers, who benefit from a competitive retail landscape through lower prices and diverse venue options. This is a key finding in an economic study by the Brattle Group analyzing nationwide price and volume aggregates alongside hand-collected price observations from individual retail locations. The study found that both channels fiercely compete on price.

Read Download Key Takeaways Press Release

More From The Research Center

November 28, 2023 Reports

Facilitating a Small and Medium-Sized Business Renaissance

The report demonstrates that e-commerce tech has led to a significant upturn in small business success: retail startups have a higher survival rate now than at any point over the past 30 years, acc...

Read more
November 21, 2023 Reports

Myths Surrounding Network Usage Fees: South Korea

The report analyzes Korean ISPs' purported justifications for network usage fees on content providers, and finds no economic rationale. Claim by claim, this report debunks arguments for proposed fe...

Read more
October 3, 2023 Stats

The State of Competition in UK Cloud Computing

While the demand for cloud services keeps growing globally and consumers and businesses are presented with a variety of almost custom-made cloud solutions, it is important to ensure that any barrie...

Read more
September 5, 2023 Reports

Hate Speech & Digital Ads: The Impact of Harmful Content on Brands

Data from two independently-administered survey experiments demonstrates significant likely damage to both websites and advertisers from harmful content like hate speech, suggesting that "must-carr...

Read more