Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/247409 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
JRC Digital Economy Working Paper No. 2021-04
Publisher: 
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Seville
Abstract: 
Digital maps and navigation applications are considered an essential tool by 70% of smartphone users. As these apps come predominantly free of charge, their contribution to consumer well-being cannot be captured by the common economic measures, like the GDP. This study demonstrates how the discrete choice experiment approach can be applied to measure, in an economically consistent way, consumer surplus from a navigation service. We elicit preferences for a satellite navigation with the two optional location-based functionalities: real-time traffic information and location-sensitive commercial information. In the experiment, the respondents are confronted with a range of location-sharing conditions set by a navigation provider. Finally, we estimate a demand model and derive welfare measures from the collected choices. Median consumer surplus from using basic satellite navigation without location-based functionalities is estimated at 8.06 EUR per month. Adding location-based services can increase this gain by 36% to 10.98 EUR, provided that users maintain control over location disclosure. Location-sharing terms set by a provider and privacy concerns of users both affect the size of the surplus from a navigation service.
Subjects: 
zero price digital goods
navigation
digital maps
choice experiment
consumer surplus
location
JEL: 
C25
D12
L51
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.