Reflections on Research Process: Online Experiments on Allegro Platform

Abstract

Purchases made through auction platforms reflect many aspects of behavioral features of decision-making processes. The roots of purchases on auction platforms in Poland go back to the pricing policy and the pursuit of customers to buy at the lowest price. However, contemporary mainstream research indicates that the buyers’ behavior is strongly conditioned behaviorally. Therefore behavioral aspects of decision making on online auctions are in the center of interest in this chapter. Allegro platform is the key transaction website in Poland. The scope of this marketplace and its recognition mean that it is a perfect place to conduct field experiments in the context of online auctions. The chapter focuses on experiments in the context of online auctions carried out in real conditions on Allegro platform. The background for field experiments is presented in general, followed by an extensive discussion on the determinants of field experiments online. The Authors report on their experiences with online field experiments as research methodology and present some insights and advice for conducting such studies. Finally, they review the possibility of using Allegro platform as a space to conduct market experiments online.