Geo-blocking in Cross-border e-Commerce in the EU Digital Single Market

Arbeitspapier

A cross-border e-commerce Mystery Shopping Survey conducted in 2015, finds that the practice of erecting virtual barriers is still common in cross-border e-commerce within the EU, as it was in 2009. Electrical appliances, electronics and computer games are particularly difficult to buy online from another country. Geo-blocking often takes place at the delivery stage of the online purchase process and less often at the access stage. Larger websites can also block access according to a buyer’s IP address. Geo-blocking is less probably between countries sharing a common language while a common border or geographical proximity has no effect. Travel services have a different pattern of geo-blocking from tangible goods, where geo-blocking mainly takes place at the access stage. Price analysis shows that differentiation takes place in all sectors, but is more common in the sectors less affected by geo-blocking.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Digital Economy Working Paper ; No. 2016/04

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
• Subject: geo-blocking ; mystery shopping ; cross-border e-commerce ; digital single market

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Cardona, Mélisande
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC)
• (where): Seville
• (when): 2016

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/202221
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET