Non-discriminatory storefront of digital platforms and ecosystems: Consumer experience and regulatory frameworks

Russian Journal of Economics. 2026. No. 12(3). P. 311–334.

Kuzminov Y., Koshel A., Kruchinskaia E.

The expansion of digital platforms and ecosystems is reshaping consumption and the structure of modern markets. In the Russian context, a representative survey conducted by the authors indicates frequent online purchasing driven primarily by time savings, broader assortment and price accessibility. Platforms thus generate consumer benefits, including non-monetary gains that are not fully captured by conventional macroeconomic indicators. Addressing this measurement and regulatory problem, the paper integrates transaction cost economics with the concepts of the non-discriminatory storefront and digital consumer surplus. Empirically, we use a three-stage sequential econometric strategy. Model 1 examines access to paid ecosystem subscriptions; Models 2–8 examine heterogeneity in subscription motives among paid-subscription users; Model 9 examines diversification beyond the primary ecosystem through third-party subscriptions. The results indicate that settlement type is not associated with paid-subscription use once age, education, income and other covariates are controlled for, while income and education remain significant correlates. Among subscribers, cost savings are the dominant motive; higher income is associated with bonuses/cashback and convenience, whereas trust is not significantly associated with income. In Model 9, trust is negatively associated with frequent third-party subscriptions, a pattern consistent with trust-based ecosystem loyalty, while bonuses/cashback are positively associated with subscription diversification. On this basis, the paper derives four legal dimensions of non-discrimination concerning information disclosure, ranking and pricing, manipulative interface design, and self-preferencing. The policy implication is not that ecosystem scale is benign per se, but that antitrust assessment should evaluate market power together with consumer access, transaction-cost reductions, and discriminatory platform practices.

Keywords: price discrimination, digital ecosystem, marketplace, Digital platform, bundled subscription, online purchases, self-preferencing, online storefront, platform interface, digital consumer surplus