ON THE VALUE OF A LARGE CUSTOMER BASE IN MARKETS WITH SWITCHING COSTS

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Industrial Economics
Year: 2010
Volume: 58
Issue: 3
Pages: 627-641

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

It is usually acknowledged that firms benefit from a large customer base in markets with switching costs. However, Klemperer [1995] argues that this may not be true if an increase in the size of a firm's customer base induces fierce price competition, making the firm worse off. This paper shows that such an outcome can be obtained under standard assumptions, such as homogeneous goods and uniformly distributed switching costs. In the model, firms have very limited incentives to fight for market shares, and the notion that switching costs make markets less competitive is stronger than previously shown.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:jindec:v:58:y:2010:i:3:p:627-641
Journal Field
Industrial Organization
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29