考虑间接网络外部性的电商平台纵向整合策略

Vertical Integration Strategy of E-commerce Platform Considering Indirect Network Externalities

考虑双边市场供需规模带来的间接网络外部性影响,全文比较了分散型服务链、平台集中分销业务的局部集中型服务链、平台集中物流业务的局部集中型服务链,以及平台同时控制分销与物流业务的全集中型服务链四种电商服务链结构下的商品价格、双边供需规模和平台利润。计算结果表明,当网购者对网商的间接网络外部效应偏强且高于网商的间接网络外部效应时,电商平台对电商服务链纵向业务的整合力度越强,尤其是涉及到物流业务的整合程度越深,平台的商品价格就越低,双边用户的供需规模会越大,平台的利润会越高。因此,电商平台关于电商服务链的最佳整合策略是采取同时控制分销渠道与物流渠道的全集中型结构。

This paper compares the commodity price,bilateral supply and demand scale and platform profit under four e-business service chain structures such as decentralized service chain,partial centralized service chain of platform that controls sales business,partial centralized service chain of platform that controls logistics business,and the complete centralized service chain of platform that controls sales business and logistics business simultaneously.The results show that when the indirect network externalities of online buyers are stronger and higher than those of online merchants,the integration of E-commerce platform into the vertical business of the business service chain is stronger.The deeper the integration of logistics business,the lower the commodity price of the platform,the larger the supply and demand scale of bilateral users,and the higher the profit of the platform.Therefore,the e-commerce platform’s best integration strategy is to adopt a completely vertical integration strategy that simultaneously controls sales business and logistics business.