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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=DE-AT link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Dear members and friends of the VCEE,<br><br>You are invited to attend the VCEE seminar on <b>Friday October 11, 2024</b>, from 10:30 to 12:00 hrs Vienna time. <br><br>The seminar takes place in <b>lecture hall 17 </b>(2nd floor) at Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1.<br><br>We will have one speaker: <b>Michela Boldrini</b> (EIEE - European Institute on Economics and the Environment)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Webpage: </span><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.eiee.org/member/michela-boldrini/"><span lang=EN-GB>Michela Boldrini - EIEE - European Institute on Economics and the Environment</span></a></span><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Here is more information about the talk:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0cm'><b><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Title: Taming Tech Giants Algorithms: "What do consumers know (and want)? An analysis of the Amazon Buy-Box case" </span></b><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>with F. Clavorą Braulin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0cm'><b><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin:0cm'><b><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Abstract:</span></b><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:DE-AT'>Many digital platforms operate as two-sided markets, facilitating the matching between sellers and buyers. The Amazon case is particularly interesting because of the dual role the tech giant plays: Amazon both controls the rules of the game through platform design choices and participates as a player itself, operating as a seller. What do consumers know about Amazon’s platform functioning? Would they behave differently if they knew how the type and the amount of information they are provided with is filtered/manipulated? This paper focuses on a peculiar and distinctive algorithmic-driven Amazon’s feature: the Buy-Box. Through a <i>framed field experiment,</i> we collect individual-level data on real consumers’ search and purchase behavior on the marketplace in a controlled environment, where we can manipulate the amount of information disclosed on the functioning (and the hidden risks) of Amazon’s Buy-Box. Experimental data reveal that - in the absence of any information provision - more than 80% of the participants do not even inspect other than the Buy-Box (default) deal. Providing participants with (full) information on the Buy-Box functioning and the availability of alternative deals by competing sellers significantly increases the probability of inspecting alternative deals before finalizing the purchase and the propensity to select a seller other than the one in the default Buy-Box position. At the same time, the average time spent to finalize the purchase is not significantly different.</span><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Meeting slots are fully booked:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#333333'><a href="https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/de/p/8d4b571aa17362847d33aac31da32dd5-897723"><span lang=EN-GB>https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/de/p/8d4b571aa17362847d33aac31da32dd5-897723</span></a></span><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Sylvia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>