In order to decrease social distance and increase trust on their platforms, many online marketplaces allow traders to be represented by profile pictures or avatars. In a laboratory experiment, we investigate whether the presence of seller avatars affects trading behavior in a market. We contrast...

We explore marketplace design in the context of a B2B platform specializing in liquidation auctions. Even when the platform's aggregate levels of supply and demand remain fixed, we establish that the platform's ability to use its design levers to manage the availability of supply over time...

It has become widely accepted that information technology (IT) has had a profound influence on market transactions, with lower search costs for buyers often considered the key to lower prices and higher consumer welfare. However, sellers also use online channels to search for buyers whose...