基于Shopbot比价购物搜索机制设计与优化

使用Shopbot进行比价购物存在卖方阻挡Shopbot搜索价格信息问题.运用博弈论方法,分析了卖方接受Shopbot搜索和阻挡搜索的策略行为及其得益,发现卖方阻挡Shopbot搜索是占优策略.阻挡搜索会使Shopbot被逐出市场,导致市场价格竞争降低,市场产出量减少和社会福利下降.为了解决搜索阻挡问题,提出采用限价搜索的方法优化Shopbot搜索机制,让Shopbot限定一个价格进行搜索.结果表明:Shopbot将限定价格设置在弱低于买方随机购买的期望价格水平、买方使用Shopbot搜索和卖方接受搜索的策略组合构成子博弈完美纳什均衡;在限价搜索下,Shopbot不会招致搜索阻挡;与搜索阻挡相比,限价搜索策略使得市场产出量增加,社会福利提高.

Designing and Optimizing Searching Mechanism of Shopping by Comparing Price Based on Shopbot

The sellers will block off a shopbot searching for price information from them when the shopbot is used to compare price and do some shopping by the buyers.This paper analyzed the sellers' strategies and payoff when they choose accepting or blocking off price searching by the shopbot,and found that blocking off the shopbot is a dominated strategy for the sellers.The shopbot has to leave the market if blocked off,so market competition and the total market output will be reduced and social welfare will be brought down.A search mechanism with limited price was designed for the shopbot to solve this problem.It is suggested that when the shopbot limits its searching price to the level which is a little less than the expected price that the buyers shop randomly,the strategy of the buyers shopping through the shopbot,and the sellers accepting price searching is a sub-game perfect Nash equilibrium.The shopbot will not be blocked off by the buyers when searching price information with limited price level.More market output and social welfare will be gained when the shopbot searching with limited price than being blocked off.