Title: Influencer as Selector of Good Deals

Speaker: Yang Huanxing, Professor, Department of Economics, The Ohio State University, USA. His main research interests include industrial organization, information economics, and internet economics. He has published nearly 30 papers in international academic journals such as "Rand Journal of Economics", "International Economic Review", "American Economic Journal: Microeconomics" and "Games and Economic Behavior".

Abstract: In a consumer search model with experience goods and horizontal and vertical product differentiation, we study the impact of influencers whose main function is to select good deals for their followers. We identify the conditions under which influencers are viable and show that their existence is generally beneficial to consumers but harmful to enterprises as a whole. We also examine how changes in various market conditions affect the prospects of influencer marketing. Finally, we endogenize firms’ quality choices and study how the existence of influencers affects firms’ incentives to invest in quality.

Date & time: 7 August 2025, 09:00-12:00

Venue: B321, Zhixin Building, Central Campus, Shandong University