Summary
- A peer reviewed academic study underscores the scientific validity of SISTRIX data
- Organisation: Goethe University, Frankfurt
- Study: Measuring Self-Preferencing on Digital Platforms
The study investigates whether large platforms like Amazon were favoring their own products over those from other sellers. The researchers use SISTRIX’s data as a reliable input for academic research, showing that the data is a trustworthy way to measure how visible a product is on a search 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. The study was co-authored by Prof. Dr. Bernd Skiera, Chair of Electronic Commerce at Goethe University where SISTRIX continues to engage in collaborative projects. Bernd and Lukas chose SISTRIX data for their research and in 2025, after many peer-review cycles, the paper was accepted for publication by the Journal of Marketing.
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 such self-preferencing and then to implement the measurement framework empirically in two studies across three international Amazon marketplaces using SISTRIX’s measure of a product’s search engine 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 the researchers and successfully accepted after peer-review as a scientifically valid measure of search engine visibility.
If our data is trusted by academic 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
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/
