E-commerce has changed not merely how consumers shop, but also the range of providers from which consumers can buy products and services. The growth of e-commerce has the potential to increase competition within retail markets, to greatly enhance consumer choice, and to prompt and facilitate innovation in product distribution. 

However, recent enforcement and advocacy work of a number of competition authorities has showed potential for anti-competitive behaviour to occur within the online environment. Fears regarding potential market segmentation are therefore a notable concern within a number of agencies which have examined the issue of competition within the e-commerce sector. Other questions are also often raised with regards to the market definition in the e-commerce sphere, vertical and horizontal restrictions, unilateral conduct with the internet of things and merger controls.

In June 2018, the OECD held a roundtable discussion to explore the growing phenomenon of e-commerce in terms of its implications for competition law and policy within the OECD. The discussion also tackled competitive dynamics and recurrent competition problems within e-commerce markets, and considered likely future competition issues that may emerge within this rapidly expanding and highly innovative sector.

All related materials can be found on this page. 

SEE ALSO

Full list of Competition Policy Roundtables

OECD Handbook on Competition Policy in the Digital Age 

Speakers information and key papers

Pinar AKMAN [Bio]  ‌
Professor University of Leeds, United Kingdom presenting A Competition Law Assessment Of Platform Most-Favored-Customer Clauses 

Avantika CHOWDHURY [Bio]  ‌
Partner, Oxera

Lars KJOLBYE [Bio]  ‌
Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP  

Key documents

 ‌

OECD Background Note • Note de référence de l'OCDE

Executive summary with key findings • Synthèse des points clés de la discussion

Detailed summary of the discussion • Compte rendu detaillé de la discussion

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PARTICIPATING DELEGATIONS

Summary of Contributions

VIDEOS

Most-favoured-consumer-clauses and why they
may cause concerns for competition

The role of data as a potential barrier to entry 

How technology is changing the relationship
between businesses and consumers

For more videos, click here.

SEE ALSO

2019 OECD Competition Open Day - Replay of Panel 1. Vertical Restraints in E-Commerce

RELATED BEST PRACTICE ROUNDTABLES

Competition issues in electronic commerce (2000)

Rethinking the use of traditional antitrust enforcement tools in multi-sided markets (2017)

Algorithms and collusion (2017)

Big data: Bringing competition policy to the digital era (2016)

Competition and Across Platform Parity Agreements (2015)

Disruptive innovations and their effect on competition (2015)

Vertical Restraints for On-line Sales (2013)

The Digital Economy (2012) 

RELATED TOPICS

OECD Handbook on Competition Policy in the Digital Age 

Cartels and anti-competitive agreements

Abuse of dominance

Competition enforcement practices

Pro-competitive policy reforms

Access the full list of Competition Policy Roundtables

Link to the  OECD Competition Home Page