Several U.S. states have considered new antitrust legislation that abandons the long-held “consumer welfare standard” of competition in favor of a reduced and less rigorous “dominance” standard. DCI convened business, economics, and legal experts to discuss how such legislation might affect America’s millions of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

This report presents findings from a survey of senior leaders of small and medium-sized businesses that publish at least one app to quantify the value that apps and app stores provide them.

This report finds that 2.54 million California SMBs (or 60% of all CA SMBs) sell products online through web-based stores, online marketplaces, and social media “click to buy” direct sales.

Several U.S. states are currently considering unprecedented antitrust legislation that abandons the long-held “consumer welfare standard” in favor of a “dominance” standard. After careful analysis, this memo recommends that state legislators reconsider so-called “abuse of dominance” (AOD) antitrust legislation and consider its (very likely) adverse impact on small businesses.

This analysis shows how food deliverer pay mandates, on top of existing limits on fees that delivery services are permitted to charge restaurants (often referred to as fee caps), would “break the model” of the NYC Restaurant Delivery Economy by disrupting the economic equilibrium between diners, restaurants, delivery services (apps), and deliverers.

NYC recently imposed fee caps (price controls) on third-party restaurant delivery apps. This analysis finds that while price controls can solve short-term problems, they almost always reduce long-term value for stakeholders.

The latest ‘Super Selling’ research on contemporary small business retailers shows they take advantage of many different options for selling and fulfilling customer orders.

How can America fix its increasing STEM graduate shortage and thereby support its innovation economies and global leadership aspirations?

This report shows that today’s digital advertising market offers America’s SMBs more ways than ever before to reach potential customers, sell products, drive revenue, grow, and successfully compete in the marketplace.

This report shows that digital tools are key to U.S. small business resiliency in the face of multiple challenges the past few years (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and inflation). Published by the Connected Commerce Council.

Today’s digital advertising market offers SMBs more ways than ever before to reach potential customers, sell products, drive revenue, and succeed.  

This research report takes an in-depth look at how modern rural small businesses in the U.S. reach their customers and sell their products through a variety of online and offline sales methods.

DCI convened a discussion group of economists and experts (predominantly from NYC) and posed questions to investigate if the NYC fee cap ordinance would help restaurants as intended, or instead trigger unanticipated harm.

This report estimates conservatively that SMB sellers would lose roughly $500 billion in sales in just the first five years after the passage of the proposed antitrust legislation aimed at “Big Tech” companies (i.e., S. 2992).

This paper reviews some of the available research on the regulation of multi-sided marketplaces as well as specific aspects of the NYC fee cap law and concludes that government-imposed fee caps are bad policy.

Small business leaders who are likely voters report that digital technologies are important to their businesses and many are opposed to “anti-tech” legislation that would hurt their ability to use such digital tools and services.

This paper analyzes how several pieces of Congressional legislation (notably the American Innovation and Choice Online Act) would disrupt platforms that tech startups heavily rely on.

This report estimates that if the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) passes, it would cause U.S. small businesses to lose $500B in sales over the next five years.

This report details the main results of a survey of small business sellers in rural U.S. areas, with a focus on how they have many options for selling their products both online and offline.

This new research describes how small business sellers value online marketplaces (and their integrated tools and services), in combination with other sales channels like web-based stores.

This paper applies a “platform governance” lens to describe in a detailed way how draft “progressive antitrust” legislation in Congress would harm small businesses.

Congress is pursuing legislation in the middle of economic turmoil that small businesses do not want. Only 7% of SMB leaders consider “increasing regulations on large tech companies” a top business concern right now.

These new research results call for a reevaluation of policymakers’ assumptions about “big tech” M&A. In particular, they suggest that tech acquisitions are a symptom of healthy competition. (Part 2/2)

These new research results call for a reevaluation of policymakers’ assumptions about “big tech” M&A. In particular, they suggest that tech acquisitions are a symptom of healthy competition. (Part 1/2)

This research report analyzes how modern small businesses in different regions of the U.S. reach their customers and sell their products through a variety of online and offline sales methods.

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, this report shows that digital tools continue to be an integral part of U.S. small business operations, increasing their agility, resiliency, and ability to adapt to new challenges. Published by the Connected Commerce Council.

We analyzed the Open App Markets Act (S. 2710) from the point of view of small app publishers (small businesses typically with less than 20 employees) whose products make up the broad majority of available smartphone apps across both major app stores.

This working group of software developers, small app publishers, and other small businesses working in the app ecosystem discussed S. 2992 and its potential consequences.

This survey ascertained the degree to which EU-based small businesses use targeted digital advertising and the importance of that to their businesses. Published by the Connected Commerce Council.

DCI’s analysis of S. 2992, the “American Innovation and Choice Online Act” suggests that there will be unintended consequences for software developers and small app publishers.

This research report takes an in-depth look at how modern small businesses reach their customers and sell their products through a variety of online and offline sales methods.

The evolution of traditional retail alongside the growth of digital selling has created an infinite variety of options and aggressive competition for sellers’ attention, investment and allegiance.

This report explains how American innovation has traditionally thrived because of sound policy decisions at the federal level. It then discusses several influences on the future growth of digital innovation in the United States.

This Analysis Memo examines important questions Congress and regulators have yet to address the about broad and unintended consequences of Populist Antitrust on U.S. small businesses.

The House Judiciary Committee recently approved bills intended to “enhance antitrust enforcement and restore competition online.” This Issue Brief outlines DCI’s concerns with each bill and then presents a Report Card for the broader “Populist Antitrust” movement.

The New York City Council is considering legislation that would require third-party platforms to share consumer data with restaurants. DCI assembled an expert Working Group to discuss issues related to restaurant data sharing, consumer privacy, and innovation.

This Issue Brief outlines DCI’s analysis of New York City Council Proposed Bill (Int. 2311) – “Data on orders placed through third-party food delivery services” – and, ultimately, our argument for reconsidering specific aspects of it that would endanger consumer data privacy.

This Analysis Memo considers the downstream consequences of increased antitrust regulation of very large tech companies in the U.S. and Europe on the digitally-driven small business economy emerging from the pandemic.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is an EU legislative proposal intended to promote opportunities for new digital companies and services. DCI assembled an expert Working Group to investigate the DMA’s intended and potentially unintended consequences, and how these could affect digitally-empowered small businesses emerging from the pandemic.

This Analysis Memo proposes that small business payrolls are a critical national economic asset and that the U.S. Small Business Administration should experiment with programs for “payroll innovation.”

As the U.S. looks towards a “post-COVID world,” this report identifies a growing gap between small businesses adopting digital tools and those that remain uncertain and less digitally advanced. Published by the Connected Commerce Council.

PPP has failed the smallest small businesses, particularly minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses. This report from DCI’s PPP Working Group argues that Congress should refine the program with this in mind.

This paper reviews current U.S. government restrictions on international students, the resulting educational, economic, and societal effects, and what actions can be taken to reverse the situation.

This report describes how and to what extent digital tools enabled many European small businesses to survive and recover from the economic impact of COVID-19. Published by the Connected Commerce Council.

This Technical Report models the effects of stricter data regulation rules on publishers and advertisers of various sizes interacting in a network.

This technical report analyzes the economic value of software developer kit (SDK) releases and demonstrates their effects on the creation of new apps, phone sales, early-stage venture investment, and tech industry hiring.

This report uses a systemic review of available data and literature to estimate the economic value that online marketplaces provide to U.S. small businesses. Published by the Connected Commerce Council.

This survey of 7,000+ small businesses shows that digital tools have been critical for their success during COVID-19, providing them with a “Digital Safety Net.” Published by the Connected Commerce Council.

In this DCI Quick Guide, we define a set of emerging terms used to describe economic and policy-related aspects of the data-driven world.

This paper details, breaks down, and analyzes worldwide trends surrounding the rise of data nationalism — defined loosely as the effort by nation-states to ensure control over data for a range of normative and security-based reasons.

The value of data is contextual and determined by how it is being used; at different stages in its production cycle, it has varying degrees of economic utility. Furthermore it is often unclear who “owns” data, and what rights and responsibilities that comes with, as data is often co-created by multiple parties as part of…

This report demonstrates how small businesses deployed digital tools during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Published by the Connected Commerce Council with Google.

Does government regulation of data measurably affect the economy? This technical report examines the consequences of GDPR for investment in new EU tech startups, concluding its effects are broadly negative.

Data localization, storing data within the borders of a country where it was generated, may enable those countries to benefit from their “data assets.”

Today’s U.S. mass-market cars are increasingly “smart,” with on-board wireless data connectivity that provides a range of services.

This paper argues that large technology platforms may qualify as critical infrastructure. Assuming this is the case, the author reviews reasonable industry “good practices” for such companies working with the government to formalize this status.

As the recognition of the value of data in the global economy has steadily risen, so has public interest in how data is owned, transferred, and utilized. This paper explores the delicate regulatory balance between protecting consumer welfare and supporting digital innovation.

Proposed legislation in India would grant people a “right to data portability” (RDP), allowing them to retrieve their personal data from data controllers and transfer it to others. This paper analyzes the legally nuanced pros and cons of RDP to determine if it has a net benefit.

An active debate about regulations governing data privacy and data protection that the rest of the world should pay attention to is taking place in India. This paper explores part of that debate — the concept of treating data platforms as ‘fiduciaries’ within the context of Indian law.

How might “data localization” regulations — restrictions on data flow across international borders — affect small business success? This research paper analyzes the challenges and opportunities facing small businesses in India due to such regulation.

To minimize online risks to children, age-verification systems should be deployed on digital platforms. Our new paper shows all such systems have both pros and cons, and operate differently on different types of platforms and in different countries.

How do we develop new tools for governing the massive transformation and expansion of the digital economy? Our white paper explores how the concept of fiduciaries in the medical community might be applied to digital businesses and platforms.

A patchwork of data protection and privacy regulations across the globe creates uncertainty and innumerable costs for businesses.

The U.S. Clarifying Legal Overseas Use of Data Act also known as the CLOUD Act, was enacted in March 2018…

El Reglamento General de Protección de Datos (RGPD) entró en vigencia el 25 de mayo de 2018. La regulación busca proteger los datos “desde el diseño y por defecto”, por lo que las empresas deben manejar los datos de acuerdo con un conjunto de principios.

GDPR became enforceable on May 25, 2018. The regulation aims to protect data by ‘design and default,’ whereby firms must handle data according to a set of principles.

Time to abandon zero-sum models and shift to positive-sum thinking

Actualmente, muchos países están discutiendo la forma en la cual los datos pueden generar valor público y privado.

Con la fecha de implementación de la GDPR acercándose rápidamente, está claro que esta nueva regulación europea de privacidad ha estado sacudiendo a los negocios…

As data professionals, we tend to get trapped in the vicious cycle of “what comes next” and often do not take the time to understand the past.