Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Charles Cullinan
Second Faculty Advisor
Jennifer Mier
Keywords
Amazon; antitrust; e-commerce; pricing
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC-BY-NC-ND
Abstract
The purpose of this Honors Thesis is to develop an understanding of how Amazon Inc. operates and competes in its own e-commerce marketplace. The paper seeks to answer the research question: Is the relationship between Amazon seller type and list price consistent with regulator antitrust concerns? The goal is to analyze Amazon listings in 27 product categories and how their price/sales effects vary by seller type: Amazon, Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), and Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM). Special attention will be given to identifying price trends by category, the impact of the "Buy Box", and competing offers on the same listings. This study found a hierarchy of listing dominance by seller type when analyzing the top 100 average best-selling products by category.
Comments
This work was made as a undergraduate Honors Thesis for the Bryant University Honors Program.