Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
A fuzzy product (FP) has characteristics specified only imprecisely at time of sale. Building fuzziness into its product gives a firm flexibility to exploit favorable supply opportunities that arise between sale and delivery, and so reduce expected costs. While increased competition reduces price, the effect on fuzziness is ambiguous. Socially-optimal fuzziness is characterized. Firms provide goods that are too fuzzy compared to first-best, though entry serves to correct this inefficiency for certain types of goods. Considering competition with a niche good, a FP sells for a lower price, although it captures a larger market share and is more profitable.