【讲座题目】Quantifying Cross-network Effects in Online C2C Platforms

【讲座嘉宾】 Prof .Junhong Chu , National University of Singapore

【讲座时间】7月18日（星期五）上午10：00-11：30

【讲座地点】 管理学院102教室

【摘要】  Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) platforms have become a major engine of growth in Internet commerce. This is especially true in countries such as China, which are 

experiencing a big rush towards electronic commerce. The emergence of such platforms gives us a unique opportunity to investigate the evolution of 

such platforms by focusing on the growth of both buyers and sellers. In this research, we build a structural model to quantify two-way cross-network effects (buyers on sellers and sellers on buyers) in one of the world’s largest online C2C platforms (based in China). Specifically, 

we investigate the relative contributions of different factors that affect the growth of buyers and sellers on the platform. Our results suggest that 

there is a significant, large and positive cross-network effect on both sides of the market. In other words, the installed base of either side of the 

platform has propelled the growth of the other side. Interestingly, this effect is asymmetric with the installed base of sellers having a much larger 

effect on the growth of buyers than vice versa. The growth in the number of buyers is driven primarily by the seller’s installed base and product 

variety with increasing importance of product variety. The growth in the number of sellers is driven by buyer’s installed base, buyer quality, and 

product price with increasing importance of buyer quality. We also investigate the nature of these cross-network effects over time. We find that 

the cross-network effect of sellers on buyers increases and then decreases to reach a stable level. In contrast, the cross-network effect of 

buyers on sellers is relatively stable. We discuss the policy implications of these findings for the platform. Specifically, this study provides theoretical 

rationale for three ongoing strategic initiatives, i.e., seller enabling, platform ecosystem diversification, and the shift from a push to a pull strategy

 for the platform’s further development.

【讲座人简介】：Junhong Chu is an associate professor of marketing at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School. She earned a Ph.D. in 

marketing and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2006, and a Ph.D. in demography from Peking 

University in 1996. Her research interests include structural modeling (both classic and Bayesian approaches) of consumer and firm behavior, 

two-sided markets, distribution channels, e-commerce, and retailing. Her research has appeared in Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing

 Research, Journal of Marketing, and International Journal of Research in Marketing.She was the 2011 MSI Young Scholar. 

To learn more about Junhong Chu’s research, please visit her website, https://apps-bschool.nus.edu.sg/asp/staffprofile/cv.asp?id=2292.