Free can make cents: How to think about "free" in competitive markets

The Price Point, Lesley Chiou and Avigail Kifer, September 2021

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While “free” is certainly not a new concept, the situations in which free products are encountered and the effects of free products on the dynamics of competition have evolved.

In this article, the authors offer an overview of products that are often priced for “free,” firms’ incentives for employing this pricing structure, and the importance of quality in assessing competition in the supply of “free” products.

Authors

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Brazilian Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) (Brasilia)

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