According to a press release of the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) issued on 16 December 2020, GVH is launching a market analysis to investigate how customer datasets of e-commerce companies are created and also the role of such assets in the competition between online stores. The investigation will further cover the extent of the customers’ awareness of such data collection and its influence on their decisions.
Due to the current pandemic situation, the role of online trade and e-commerce have significantly increased. As this change may transform the customer habits, GVH decided to assess the operation of the sector and the characteristics of customer behaviour within the framework of a market analysis.
GVH will examine the types of data collected by e-commerce companies from customers, the method and purpose of using the collected data and the customer’s awareness of such data collection. The analysis will also cover the competitive advantages, if any, gained from the accumulated data, as well as to what extent is entry to the market hindered by the lack of such data.
The market analysis is narrowed down to three product categories of e-commerce. The investigation will cover the online retail trade of electronic products, food products and clothing.
In the framework of the above market analysis, GVH will rely on publicly available market information, voluntary responses of market players concerned and market research. GVH will summarise the findings of the market analysis in a report and publish it on its website.
By Adrienn Megyesi, Partner, KCG Partners Law Firm
