Brussels – Google defended itself today in an EU investigation into competition among online shopping and price comparison platforms, saying that even applying the EU’s narrow market definition that the market for price comparison sites is thriving.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated for competitive markets and voiced opinions on tech industry competition issues since 1972, and Google is now a member of the trade association.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe Vice President James Waterworth:
“Consumers have never had so many ways to find, compare and buy products and services; competition between services for the consumer’s attention has never been more robust. Online retailers and comparison services are thriving, and investment in European ecommerce increased from 1bn to 12bn between 2012 and 2015, with notable success stories such as Zalando, Asos and many more.”
“Regulators need to look at the online commerce market as a whole, rather than from the perspective of a few struggling companies that may be failing to compete. The complete picture shows consumers have an increasing choice of products and prices and that investment is booming.”