Information, Pricing, and Inequality in Consumer Markets

Examines how information environments and system structures shape pricing, access, and inequality in consumer markets.

Project Description

Consumer markets are increasingly shaped by complex information environments in which prices, product availability, and purchasing opportunities vary across contexts. These variations may arise from differences in information exposure, system design, and market structures, leading to unequal outcomes across consumers.

This project examines how information and system-level factors shape pricing and inequality in consumer markets. Rather than focusing solely on firm pricing strategies, the research investigates how consumers encounter prices across different environments—such as online platforms, retail settings, and geographically distributed markets—and how these conditions generate variation in prices and access.

Collaborators

  • Victoria Hang (Texas Tech University)

Research Papers

  • Health Comes at a Hidden Cost: Strategic Pricing and Equity in Heart Supplement Markets
    Proceedings of the 59th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), 2026.
    Li Zeng and Ziqi Hang.

  • The Cost of Inaccessibility: Retail Discrimination and Mobility-Constrained Consumers
    Proceedings of the 59th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), 2026.
    Li Zeng and Ziqi Hang.
    Best Paper Award Nominee