Summary
- A university Ph. D study proved that SISTRIX data is scientifically valid
- Organisation: Goethe University, Frankfurt
- Study: Measuring Self-Preferencing on Digital Platforms
The study, to investigate whether large platforms like Amazon were favoring their own products over those from other sellers, found that SISTRIX’s data was reliable enough for academic research, proving it is a trustworthy way to measure how visible a product is on a platform. The research was accepted and published by the highly respected Journal of Marketing.
“SISTRIX data was instrumental in our work and, after a rigorous scientific peer review process, has
proven to be an accurate and transparent data source for the scientific community” – Dr. Lukas Jürgensmeier.
The story
In 2021 Dr. Lukas Jürgensmeier started his Ph.D. in Quantitative Marketing at Goethe University, Frankfurt. The topic: Measuring Self-Preferencing on Digital Platforms. Lukas chose SISTRIX data for use in his work and in 2025, after many peer-review cycles, the paper was accepted for publication by the Journal of Marketing. The study was conducted over 2 years under the guidance of Bernd Skiera, Chair of Electronic Commerce at Goethe University where SISTRIX continues to engage in collaborative projects.
The challenge: Uncovering hidden Bias
Providers of digital platforms also compete with other actors, referred to as third parties, on their own platforms. In such settings, self-preferencing can occur if the platform treats its own offerings better than comparable third-party offerings. The research aims were to create a way to measure this and then to implement the measurement framework empirically in two studies across three international Amazon marketplaces using a novel metric to measure a product’s non-personalized visibility.
What This Means for You
SISTRIX Visibility Index data was used as a primary data source in measuring a platform’s treatment of their offerings. The Visibility Index was selected by Lukas and successfully accepted after peer-review as a scientifically valid measure of expected click rate (ECP)
If our data is trusted by PhD researchers to uncover unfair market practices, imagine what it can do for your business. The same accurate, scientifically-backed data that fueled this research can give you a competitive edge by helping you:
- Prove the ROI of your marketing efforts with metrics you can trust.
- Monitor competitor visibility with unparalleled accuracy.
- Identify hidden market trends and capitalize on them.
- Build a stronger SEO strategy based on reliable data, not guesswork.
About Dr. Lukas Jürgensmeier
Dr. Lukas Jürgensmeier is a quantitative researcher. He holds a Ph.D. in Quantitative Marketing from
Goethe University Frankfurt. His research investigates the regulation of competition on digital platforms.
Lukas’s joint research with Prof. Dr. Bernd Skiera develops and applies methodologies to identify self-
preferencing on digital platforms—a contentious and often illegal practice through which platform
providers can prefer their own product over competing ones. This research used SISTRIX data to measure
how visible products are on the Amazon Marketplace’s search engine. The corresponding article has
been published in the prestigious Journal of Marketing, the leading academic marketing journal.
The research paper
Jürgensmeier, Lukas and Skiera, Bernd, Measuring Self-Preferencing on Digital Platforms (June 08, 2025). Journal of Marketing, forthcoming [10.1177/00222429251360772], Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4393726 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00222429251360772
Citations received
- Sistrix (2020), “SISTRIX Visibility Index for Amazon,” Sistrix Documentation, (accessed December 10, 2020), https://www.sistrix.com/amazon/amazon-visibilityindex.
- Sistrix (2021), “SISTRIX Visibility Index — Explanation, Background and Calculation,” Sistrix Documentation, https://www.sistrix.com/support/sistrix-visibility-index-explanation-background-and-calculation/